Ontario County > Geneva
Geneva, at the northern end of Seneca Lake, benefits from the economic activity surrounding Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In February 2025, the colleges announced their largest gift ever – $70 million from former trustee L. Thomas Melly and his wife, Judith Hershey Melly. Tom Melly, who built his fortune at Goldman Sachs, died in December 2024.
Geneva is also the site of an agricultural experiment station operated by the state College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. The Wyckoff Family Foundation is a major local funder.
The city received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant from the state in 2017, with an additional $5 million allocated for the Finger Lakes Welcome Center. Another $1.5 million was awarded in 2024 for renovation of buildings on Exchange and Castle streets.
Libraries: Geneva Public Library
Hospitals: Geneva General Hospital
Emergency services: Geneva Fire Department, North Side Fire Company, West Lake Road Fire Assn.
Fraternal organizations: American Legion, Kiwanis, Lions, Masons, Odd Fellows, Rotary, VFW, Zonta
State parks: Seneca Lake State Park
Not-for-profit cemeteries: Brookside Cemetery, Joslyn Cemetery, Oaklawn Cemetery, Shuman Cemetery, West Fayette Cemetery
Change agents:
Grants to local organizations have funded a summer book fair, YMCA renovation, First 1,000 Days food support, blue-green algae monitoring, chamber music performances, and other initiatives.
Recent grants:
Arthur G. Dove Tribute Group
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2024)
Arthur G. Dove Tribute Group
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2023)
Blueprint Geneva
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Albany, NY - $100,000 (2023)
Blueprint Geneva
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Albany, NY - $463,400 (2023)
City of Geneva
Empire State Development - Albany, NY - $1,500,000 (2024)
City of Geneva
NYS revenue sharing (Aid and Incentives for Municipalities) - Albany, NY - $1,942,613 (2023)
City of Geneva Police Department
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services - Albany, NY - $380,000 (2024)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
United Way of Seneca County - Waterloo, NY - $9,000 (2023)
Geneva
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Albany, NY - $52,558 (2024)
Geneva
NYS Office of Children and Family Services - Albany, NY - $175,000 (2023)
Geneva Concerts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $20,000 (2024)
Geneva Concerts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2023)
Geneva Family YMCA
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $75,000 (2023)
Geneva Historical Society
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Geneva Historical Society
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $30,000 (2023)
Geneva Light Opera
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
National Endowment for the Arts - Washington, DC - $15,000 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
National Endowment for the Arts - Washington, DC - $15,000 (2023)
Geneva Music Festival
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $30,000 (2023)
Geneva Public Library
New York Department of Education - , - $11,385 (2023)
Happiness House
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation - New York, NY - $90,000 (2023)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
David F & Frances Eberhart Foundation - New York, NY - $10,000 (2023)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
NYS Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program - Albany, NY - $650,787 (2023)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
T. Rowe Price Program for Charitable Giving - Baltimore, MD - $190,400 (2023)
Legal Assistance of Western New York
New York Health Foundation - New York, NY - $100,000 (2023)
Lochland School
Lowe's Hometowns - Mooresville, NC - $87,000 (2024)
Our Lady of Peace
Carpenter Family Caritas Foundation - Rochester, NY - $2,500 (2023)
Smith Center for the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Thrive to Survive
Kyrias Foundation - Phelps, NY - $3,000 (2023)
WEOS
Peter A. and Marion W. Schwartz Family Foundation Trust - Canandaigua, NY - $5,000 (2023)
Largest nonprofits in Geneva (by assets) include:
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva General Hospital
Finger Lakes Health Foundation
Lakeview Health Services
Geneva Historical Society
Finger Lakes United Cerebral Palsy
Wyckoff Family Foundation
FLH Medical Pc
Legal Assistance of WNY
Geneva Nursing Home II
Geneva Nursing Home
Local No 840 I B E W Health Insurance Plan
White Springs Fire Association
Lochland School
Boys & Girls Club of Geneva
Ability Partners Foundation
Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park Corporation
Happiness House Apartments Housing Development Fund Company
Finger Lakes Community Development Corporation
Lake Area Development Corporation
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
Smith Center for the Arts
Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes
Lyceum III Housing Development Fund Corp
Geneva General Housing Development Fund Company
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers