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.
School districts: Geneva City School District
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:
GRANT KEY:
Ability Partners Foundation
Rcipa Community Health and Education Foundation - Rochester, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Arthur G. Dove Tribute Group
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $7,000 (2024)
Arthur G. Dove Tribute Group
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2026)
Arthur G. Dove Tribute Group
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2024)
Blueprint Geneva
Bessie Rattner Foundation - Florence, MA - $2,500 (2024)
Blueprint Geneva
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $17,000 (2024)
Blueprint Geneva
New York State Health Foundation - New York, NY - $7,245 (2024)
Blueprint Geneva
New York State Health Foundation - New York, NY - $7,245 (2024)
Boys & Girls Club of Geneva
Sands Family Foundation - Delray Beach, FL - $5,000 (2024)
City of Geneva
Community Development Block Grant - Albany, NY - $638,444 (2024)
City of Geneva
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Albany, NY - $50,000 (2025)
City of Geneva
NYS Homes and Community Renewal - Albany, NY - $638,444 (2024)
City of Geneva
Pro-Housing Community Program - Albany, NY - $250,000 (2026)
City of Geneva
Regional Economic Development Councils - Albany, NY - $60,000 (2025)
City of Geneva
Regional Economic Development Councils - Albany, NY - $99,000 (2025)
City of Geneva
Restore New York Communities Initiative - Albany, NY - $1,000,000 (2025)
City of Geneva
Restore New York Communities Initiative - Albany, NY - $1,500,000 (2024)
Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park
New York Vegetable Association - Le Roy, NY - $113,385 (2024)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $25,000 (2024)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $1,000 (2024)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $1,500 (2024)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
NYS Office of Victim Services - Albany, NY - $4,280,352 (2025)
Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Washington, DC - $125,000 (2024)
Finger Lakes Health Foundation
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $25,000 (2024)
Finger Lakes Health Foundation
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $1,500 (2024)
Finger Lakes Health Foundation
Infrastructure Engineering Foundation - Chicago, IL - $1,000 (2024)
Finger Lakes Health Foundation
Kinney Drugs Foundation - Gouverneur, NY - $5,000 (2024)
Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $100,000 (2024)
Geneva City School District
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Washington, DC - $1,669,540 (2025)
Geneva City School District
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Washington, DC - $218,524 (2024)
Geneva City School District
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Washington, DC - $1,669,540 (2024)
Geneva Community Center
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $3,000 (2024)
Geneva Concerts
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2026)
Geneva Concerts
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $20,000 (2024)
Geneva Family YMCA
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $325,000 (2024)
Geneva General Hospital
Liskmorris Foundation - Clifton Springs, NY - $20,000 (2024)
Geneva General Hospital
Regional Economic Development Councils - Albany, NY - $855,520 (2025)
Geneva General Hospital
Samuel K Nester Trust - Chicago, IL - $11,980 (2024)
Geneva Historical Society
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $5,000 (2024)
Geneva Historical Society
J M McDonald Foundation - Wilmington, DE - $5,000 (2024)
Geneva Historical Society
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $4,925 (2024)
Geneva Historical Society
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $10,000 (2026)
Geneva Light Opera
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $3,000 (2024)
Geneva Light Opera
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $6,500 (2024)
Geneva Light Opera
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $15,000 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $15,000 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
Guido and Ellen Palma Foundation - Rochester, NY - $7,500 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $10,000 (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 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $6,250 (2024)
Geneva Music Festival
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $49,500 (2026)
Geneva Music Festival
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Geneva Police Department
NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services - Albany, NY - $380,000 (2024)
Geneva Reads
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $2,000 (2024)
Geneva Reads
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $6,000 (2024)
Geneva Rotary Club
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $3,000 (2024)
Happiness House
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $105,296 (2024)
Happiness House
Paychex Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $2,500 (2024)
Heaven for the Homeless
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $2,500 (2024)
Historic Geneva
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Andrew W Mellon Foundation - New York, NY - $500,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Appleman Foundation - New York, NY - $40,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Archibald Family Foundation - Boston, MA - $2,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $20,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Buckelew Family Foundation - Toms River, NJ - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Colket Family Foundation - Newtown Square, PA - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Digs Foundation - Chatham, MA - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $75,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $45,090 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fidelity Foundation - Boston, MA - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fidelity Foundation - Boston, MA - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fidelity Foundation - Boston, MA - $10,000,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Forman S Acton Educational Foundation - Salem, NJ - $12,500 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fred Fatzler Foundation - Morristown, NJ - $14,166 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Frederick H Gillmore Fund - Santa Barbara, CA - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fund for Individual Potential - Red Bank, NJ - $25,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Fund for Individual Potential - Red Bank, NJ - $25,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Harold F Thomas Trust - Pittsburgh, PA - $96,313 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Helen and Carlton M Fishel Foundation - Palm City, FL - $10,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Helen and Carlton M Fishel Foundation - Palm City, FL - $10,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Herman Goldman Foundation - Wilmington, DE - $20,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Hunter Family Foundation - Chicago, IL - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Isabel Foundation - Flint, MI - $100,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Macelree Family Foundation - Newtown Square, PA - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Marguerite Traphagen Foundation - Dallas, TX - $2,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $168,835 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
McCarthy-Bjorklund Foundation - St Paul, MN - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
National Science Foundation - Washington, DC - $19,147 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
National Science Foundation - Washington, DC - $85,290 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
National Science Foundation - Washington, DC - $160,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
National Science Foundation - Washington, DC - $358,976 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Norman Foundation - New York, NY - $10,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
NYS Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program - Albany, NY - $5,000,000 (2025)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Perkins Charitable Foundation - Gates Mills, OH - $4,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Peter and Josephine Grayson Foundation - Red Bank, NJ - $1,008 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Peter and Josephine Grayson Foundation - Red Bank, NJ - $1,008 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Phyllis and Eliot Arnovitz Charitable Foundation - Atlanta, GA - $10,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Rasmuson Foundation - Anchorage, AK - $1,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Rjkb Family Charitable Foundation - Coral Gables, FL - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Robert E Enslein Foundation - Greenwich, CT - $65,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Salisbury Family Foundation - Towson, MD - $1,500 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Scrivan Family Foundation - Wilmington, DE - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Sullivan Family Fund - West Palm Beach, FL - $5,000 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Synchrony Foundation - Stamford, CT - $2,500 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Thomas M Steele Tuw Fbo St Peters Etal - Pittsford, NY - $5,765 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Washington, DC - $99,632 (2025)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Washington, DC - $183,019 (2024)
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
U.S. Department of Education - Washington, DC - $142,965 (2024)
Lake Area Development Corporation
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Washington, DC - $20,859 (2025)
Lake Area Development Corporation
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Washington, DC - $13,332 (2024)
Legal Assistance of Western New York
Skadden Foundation - White Plains, NY - $58,012 (2024)
Legal Assistance of Western New York
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Washington, DC - $425,000 (2025)
Lochland School
Lowe's Hometowns - Mooresville, NC - $87,000 (2024)
Lochland School
Withington Foundation - Fort Washington, PA - $5,000 (2024)
Smith Center for the Arts
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $15,000 (2024)
Smith Center for the Arts
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $35,000 (2024)
Smith Center for the Arts
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $5,000 (2024)
Smith Center for the Arts
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2026)
Smith Center for the Arts
NYS Council on the Arts - New York, NY - $25,000 (2024)
St. Peter's Community Arts Academy
Brenda & Dave Rickey Family Foundation - San Diego, CA - $30,000 (2024)
St. Peter's Community Arts Academy
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $30,000 (2024)
St. Peter's Community Arts Academy
Nelson B Delavan Foundation - Chicago, IL - $5,000 (2024)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
New Endeavor Foundation - Sebastopol, CA - $20,000 (2024)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
Thomas M Steele Tuw Fbo St Peters Etal - Pittsford, NY - $11,530 (2024)
Temple Beth El Geneva
Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $16,000 (2024)
Thrive to Survive
ESL Charitable Foundation - Rochester, NY - $10,000 (2024)
Thrive to Survive
Greater Rochester Health Foundation - Rochester, NY - $2,500 (2024)
Thrive to Survive
Marilyn Lichtman Foundation - Wantagh, NY - $2,000 (2024)
WEOS
Peter A and Marion W Schwartz Family - Canandaigua, NY - $5,000 (2024)
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