Rochester Education Foundation

About REF: Launched in 2005, the Rochester Education Foundation (REF) provides resources and programs for Rochester City public school students through partnerships with educators, businesses and the community. We are independent of the Rochester City School District.

What we do

We support city youth. Most of our city students don’t have the resources that help students succeed in school. We believe that kids in the city at every age should have the same opportunities as other children

We provide assistance on the road to college

• Making college more affordable: We assist hundreds of students and families each year to complete college financial aid forms through our FAFSA Fest events, online assistance, and in-school programming.
• Building a higher College IQ: Our workshops connect students and families with expert guidance on a variety of topics from the scholarship search to how to compare financial aid packages to attending an HBCU.

We build home and classroom libraries

• Each year, we provide students with thousands of books for class projects and home libraries. Since the start of the Pandemic we’ve provided almost 20,000 books to young readers!

We support music and arts education opportunities

• Access to instruments: We’ve provided over 3,500 instruments to classrooms and students thanks to donations from community members
• Scholarships for lessons and camps: We work with educators and local partners to provide full scholarships to students for supplemental lessons and arts camps.
• A chance to perform: We are proud supporters of two all-district performance groups: the Pride of Rochester Marching Band and Roc City Players theater troupe.