About

Upstate Giving has compiled a database of more than $12 billion in grants to nonprofit and governmental organizations in Upstate New York.

The site is published by Laurie Bennett, an investigative journalist and an experienced data analyst, prospect researcher and grant writer.

The project had its start in mid-2020, when Bennett was writing a grant application for a local organization in her own community of Rochester, NY.

The more she studied charitable giving, the more she realized that nonprofits across Upstate could benefit from a resource that examined nonprofits and grantmaking by place.

The famous New Yorker cover, illustrating the Manhattan-centric view of the United States, applies to the philanthropic landscape as well. Traditional sources of grant information often overlook local awards, tending to favor downstate philanthropy, a frustration for those in more rural areas of New York State.

So after months of studying tax returns, foundation and nonprofit web sites, and government databases, Bennett came up with a new approach.

She organized information by the community in which grant recipients operate.

Upstate Giving is a free site. You won’t bump into paywalls or subscription offers when performing searches or clicking on links.

Our database encompasses more than 50,000 grants of $1,000 and above, in more than 1,000 communities, in 53 Upstate counties. We follow giving by more than 1,100 grantors.

For those looking to give back to their hometowns, we list not only the names of local charities, but of other nonprofits such as libraries, volunteer fire departments, and volunteer ambulance corps. Remember where you came from!

We welcome suggestions and corrections.