Bequest and Endowment Funds

FFRPL holds a variety of funds that support the Rochester Public Library.

To make an investment in any of these funds, or to create a new fund, please contact FFRPL Executive Director Donna Borgus: 585-428-8321 or Donna.Borgus@libraryweb.org.

The funds are under three categories: Programs & Services, Special Projects, and Supplemental Materials & Equipment.

Programs & Services

Albert O. Fenyvessy Fund for Branch Libraries

Established September 2008

For supporting the operations of the branch libraries of the Rochester Public Library

Anthony Mascioli Revocable Trust

Established April 2015

For educational and cultural activities and programs

Chester F. Carlson Patent & Trademark Center

Established July 2009

For activities in the Chester F. Carlson Patent & Trademark Center at Central Library

Friends of the Rochester Public Library Legacy Fund

Established July 2012

For signature programs started by the Friends of the Rochester Public Library

George R. Parsons Jr. Fund for Branch Libraries

Established November 1999

For programs for children, youth and families in Rochester Public Library branch libraries

Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries

Established October 2006

To further education for librarians and library staff with training provided by Rochester Regional Library Council; and to further innovative library projects and programs at Rochester Regional Library Council member libraries and the Monroe County Library and Pioneer Library Systems and their member libraries.

Irving L. Kessler, Esq. Fund in Memory of Rose & Max Kessler

Established November 2011

For programs & services of the Rochester Public Library and Outreach & Extension Services

Sharon & Ron Salluzzo Fund for Librarians Serving Children & Teens

Established October 2016

For continuing education for Monroe County Library System librarians providing Youth Services to children and teens

Special Projects

Evelyn Bailey ‘Shoulders to Stand On’ Endowed Fund

Established in 2022

LGBTQIA+ activist, educator and historian Evelyn Bailey spent decades tirelessly chronicling the struggles and achievements of Rochester’s active, progressive LGBTQIA+ community.

In the last year of her life, Evelyn partnered with Central Library and FFRPL to establish the Evelyn Bailey Shoulders to Stand On Endowed Fund, which will help provide staff and resources at Central Library to preserve and share the history of Rochester’s LGBTQIA+ community, through archival collections and programming. Learn more.

Equality Fund for Humanity & Enlightenment

Established November 2017

The income from the fund will be used for library resources, programs and materials, in pursuit of a world free of discrimination, to promote education and equality of opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) people, especially those who intersect with any or all of the following: youth, impoverished people, feminists, people of color, immigrants and all members of the public who wish to educate themselves regarding the above people. All resources, programs and materials are to be secular in point of view, and materials and resources in the sciences or social sciences must be based on research conducted using the scientific method.

Stephan & Mary Clarke Fund for Digitization & Preservation of Genealogical Records

Established November 2016

For the digitization and preservation of genealogical research materials

Rochester Public Library Historical Preservation Fund

Established June 2009

For the benefit of the library preservation & digitization

Supplemental Materials & Equipment

Edna & Kenneth Kroll Fund for Library Audio-Visual Equipment 
Established August 2017
For audio visual equipment for the Reynolds Media Center and related departments

Frances Weis Holtzman Fund for Literature & Poetry 
Established November 2004
For poetry and English literature books and materials for Central Library

Kate Gleason History Fund 
Established April 1996
For support of history and local history divisions

Kusler-Cox Fund for Outreach 
Established May 2015
For library activities for the visually impaired, in part through the work of the Outreach & Extension Division of Central Library

Myles Yerden Fund for Outreach & Extension Services 
Established April 2007
For support of the Rochester Public Library Outreach & Extension Division

Robert & Georgianna Becker Fund for Local History in Memory of Walter F. Becker 
Established December 2015
For upkeep and enhancement of equipment in the Walter F. Becker Center of Central Library’s Local History & Genealogy Division

Ruby M. Jefferson Memorial Book Fund 
Established May 2011
For books for elementary school age children in the City of Rochester, in order to promote literacy and build the self-esteem of elementary school students.

Sybil S. Craig Fund for International Relations 
Established January 2011
For books (hard copy or electronic), periodicals and scholarly journals dealing with international relations and world affairs at Central Library

Toy Resource Center – Toy Library Fund 
Established February 2000
Supports the Toy Library at the Lincoln Branch, for borrowing toys at no cost by using a library card

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 20 Fund For the Vietnam Learning Center at Central Library 
Established December 2008
For material related to the Vietnam War era and the Vietnam Learning Center in the Science & History Division of Central Library

William Brewster Lee Fund for Humor In Our Lives 
Established February 2006
For library books and materials with a humorous theme pertinent to the varied subject matter in the
Central Library divisions

William E. Beeney Fund for Children’s Books & Programs 
Established in March 1999
For the purchase of children’s books and children’s programming