Caroline Merenda. Photo courtesy of FLeads/Striking Media

Throughout her career, Caroline Merenda has been recruited to help build new initiatives.

At Rochester Area Community Foundation, she developed the organization’s first professional grantmaking program. Next, she headed to CFLeads – the national network of community foundations – just as the organization took flight. Now, Merenda is joining Press Forward to build our growing local chapters program and strengthen our overall operations. “I thrive on helping initiatives in the beginning phases,” Merenda said. 

Here’s more about Merenda’s career leading up to joining Press Forward as our new program and operations manager.

Why were you drawn to work with Press Forward?

I believe that access to accurate information is vital to our democracy and that local journalism is worthy of philanthropic support.

As the parent of a Gen Zer, I’m especially interested in how they obtain factual information and engage in civic life.    

I hope to apply what I’ve learned over the course of my career to this work. Having spent 23 years in the field of community philanthropy, I’ve seen how cross-sector collaborations can produce successful outcomes. I’m excited to learn more about efforts that can be replicated around the country and facilitate peer learning.

I am excited to begin this new journey!

You’ve spent most of your career working for or with community foundations. How did you get started in the field?

In 2001, I was recruited by Rochester Area Community Foundation to join their newly created Community Programs department. My job was to co-create and implement new grantmaking processes, both internally and externally. In my ten years at the community foundation, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other funders, government, researchers, and advocates on early childhood and out-of-school time, among other issues.

Named an After-School Ambassador by a national advocacy organization, I convened events with elected officials and local media and engaged in local, state and federal lobbying. I was also a member of my local newspaper’s Board of Contributors and Sounding Board. In these roles, I met with editorial staff to pitch stories, wrote pieces for publication, and met with community leaders. It was a great opportunity to give voice to the issues I cared about and were of importance to the community.

Why do you think community foundations are ideal partners in helping to meet their community’s information needs?

I truly believe in the power and potential of community foundations.

Community foundations are place-based funders committed to improving lives. They tackle local issues and are ideal conveners. They are well-positioned to bring together their community to address local information needs and can take a long-term approach to the work.

Community foundations can achieve positive community outcomes when they engage residents, work across sectors, commission and disseminate data, shape public policy, and marshal resources beyond their own. All these competencies are needed and will be necessary to strengthen our democracy by revitalizing local news and information.

Much of your work will be with Press Forward Locals. What are you looking forward to tackling in your first few months?

In my first few months at Press Forward, I plan to listen and learn. I’m excited to hear what innovative practices are producing results. I’m interested in talking to community foundations that have been supporting local information needs for many years to learn of their successes and challenges. I am also interested in learning how communities have attracted non-traditional partners and funders to the work and what they see as current and future needs. I’m excited to connect with my community foundation peers from around the country in this learning journey.

You’ve spent much of your adult life in Rochester. What are the best things about your city for people who have never been there? 

The Rochester area is a great place to live or visit! I love having dinner along the Erie Canal and then walking to the nearby dairy to get ice cream. It’s fun to meet friends at one of our many breweries or drive down to the Finger Lakes Region to visit wineries. 

When my nephews visit, they love to go to The Strong Museum of Play and the Powder Mill Park Fish Hatchery. We are home to the Buffalo Bills summer training camp, have hosted many professional golf tournaments, and have fantastic public parks. There’s really something for everyone here!