The Rochester Area Community Foundation says a recent gift will allow the organization to double its historic preservation grantmaking next year.
The $2.73 million dollar gift came from the estate of former Strasenburgh Planetarium director Don Hall, who established the RACF historic preservation fund in 2006.
The program awards grants to local projects that restore historic buildings and digitize historic material.
Marty Hartstein, the Community Foundation's director of donor engagement and impact, said Hall was a man of relatively modest means who had a passion for history. And he wanted people to know they did not have to be wealthy to become a philanthropist.
"You know, his salary when he retired was at $60,000," Hartstein said. "Giving back was something that he made space for, and he definitely wanted to serve as that model to others."
Twenty-eight local nonprofits received historic preservation grants from the fund in 2026.
Hall, who died at age 85 last November, donated almost his entire estate to support historic preservation in the Rochester region, according to Hartstein. He had a passion for cemeteries, tombstones, and the mansions along East Avenue.
The program hopes to also expand people's understanding of what historic preservation is, said RACF senior program officer Annette Jimenez Gleason.
"It's not just about physical buildings, but it's also about preserving and sharing our oral histories, the archives, and community narratives of our different populations that otherwise might be lost."
A recent example: A project led by the University of Rochester, focused on Rochester's Puerto Rican community. Last week, an exhibit opened at the Rush Rees Library on the Henry Padron Morales papers.
Jimenez Gleason said at a time when a singular view of history appears to be the goal of some national leaders, RACF wants to ensure that all communities have space to tell and preserve their own stories.
