Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library

Funds the purchase of supplemental materials, equipment, and specialty items for libraries in the Rochester region, including support for 62 eligible libraries across the Monroe County Library System, OWWL Library System, and Nioga Library System through restricted funds.

Awards grants to support targeted library initiatives such as the Safe to be Smart youth trip, the Spring Author Series, and other special programs at Monroe County Library System and RRLC member libraries.

Manages the Harold Hacker Fund and other restricted funds to finance training, professional development for librarians and library staff, and award grants for innovative library programs and projects across the five-county region served by the Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC) and its member systems.

Founding sponsor and ongoing supporter of large-scale historical and cultural exhibitions at Central Library, including Because of Women Like Her…, Stonewall: 50 Years Out, Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism, Al-Mutanabbi Street, Pride & Passion: the African American Baseball Experience, and others, often accompanied by related public programming.

Operates the imagineYOU Digital Media Learning Lab offering music and video production, digital art, photography, and eSports; runs the Technology Center to empower economically disadvantaged residents; supports the Business Insight Center; and funds the Children’s Center, including the Talking Is Teaching program and Children’s Secret Room.

Provides approximately 2,500 hours of volunteer service annually and operates a Library Store that sorts, processes, prices, and sells donated books each year.

Presents free online author talks featuring bestselling authors and thought leaders through the Library Speakers Consortium; hosts live-streamed talks such as "Beyond Books" and the history of Rundel Library; sponsors major public lectures including Shelby Van Pelt’s talk and the _In This Moment_ Volume 3 panel, drawing up to 400 attendees; and funds the Online Author Talks series, which reached over 5,914 patrons through 37 virtual events in FY2024–2025.

Sponsored the 2025 Rochester Children and Teens Book Festival featuring over 50 authors and illustrators; sponsors weekly Summer 2025 concert series at Central Library; regularly sponsors music concerts at the Dorris Carlson Reading Garden; and covers participation fees for Monroe County Library System to join the Rochester Pride parade and festival as a vendor.

Sponsors the annual Sokol H.S. Literary Awards, a creative writing contest for high school students in Monroe County since 1958, awarding $1,500 in total cash prizes annually across prose, poetry, and performance categories, with winning entries archived in an open-access digital repository from 2015 onward.

Provides resources, programs, and materials to promote education and equality for LGBTQIA individuals, particularly youth, low-income populations, people of color, immigrants, and feminists; sponsors the Anthony Mascioli Rainbow Dialogues community conversation series; and operates the Central Archive of Black History and Culture Project to advance equity and justice through culturally representative programming.

Funded renovations at multiple library locations including the Lincoln Branch (year-long renovation completed August 2024), Maplewood Branch expansion, and Central Library’s Business Insight Center; contributed to the Rundel Terrace Revitalization Project; funded mural installations at Central and branch libraries; and raised funds for auditorium tables and supplemental furniture through ROC the Day campaigns.

Provides founding sponsorship and ongoing support for the Safe to be Smart after-school program at Central Library and five City branches; supports Raising a Reader literacy programs; funds Summer Reading Programs and outreach for children aged 2–12 at camps and community events; and supports the New Library Patron summer raffle across Central and city branch locations.

Provides funding and programmatic support for Sully Branch’s Aviation Station program, an intensive two-month course for youth ages 13–17, including sponsoring field trips to the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport.

Supported and participated in Central Library’s May 2025 Library Advocacy workshop covering policy agendas, funding, and legislative advocacy.

Funded Central Library’s imagineYOU Comic Empowerment Program, enabling youth to create personalized comic books using AI technology.

Co-sponsored and funded the development of RPL GO!, a mobile library serving hard-to-reach areas of Rochester, including supporting the design project with RIT College of Art & Design, funding laptops, and raising money for equipment; launched with a ribbon-cutting in December 2024.

Produces the biannual Books Sandwiched In book review series every Fall and Spring since 1956; sponsors the annual juried Art of the Book & Paper exhibition since 2011; and has sponsored the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival for 15 consecutive years.