About Lakeshore Connections
Lakeshore Connections funds mid-to-large grants focused on teen-centered afterschool and youth development programs, especially in Buffalo/Western New York but with selective investments in other Rust Belt cities (e.g., Detroit/Michigan). Their giving emphasizes out-of-school-time learning, youth leadership and empowerment, arts and STEM enrichment, and institutions that serve teens directly (YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, libraries, community organizers). Grants are programmatic rather than capital, oriented toward service delivery and capacity for youth-focused organizations.
Focus Areas
Teen-centered afterschool programs in Buffalo/Western NY (including YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and neighborhood kids clubs)Youth leadership & empowerment organizations and advocacy groups (e.g., Push Buffalo, Coalition for Economic Justice)Arts education and youth performing/visual arts organizations (e.g., Young Audiences WNY, Infinity Visual & Performing Arts)STEM and digital access for teens (e.g., Michigan Science Center, Computers for Children)Community-based reproductive and health education for youth (e.g., Planned Parenthood of Central and Western NY)
Who They Fund
About Lakeshore Connections
Lakeshore Connections Inc. concentrates its grantmaking on teen-centered afterschool programs, with 2024 awards reaching organizations in Buffalo, Detroit, Rochester, and beyond. The pattern is clear in the recipient list: the foundation backs groups that serve teens directly through program delivery, youth development, arts, STEM, and advocacy. In Buffalo, Community Services for Every1 Inc. received $99,815, while Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc. received $88,880, showing a strong local emphasis alongside regional reach. The foundation also makes sizeable grants to organizations outside western New York when they fit that teen-development focus. In Detroit, Allied Media Projects Inc. received $104,400, the largest recent award in the data, and Detroit Food Academy received $100,000. Other grants went to the Center for Teen Empowerment in Boston and the Yunion in Detroit, reinforcing that the funder supports organizations working with adolescents through structured out-of-school programming. The grant list also includes libraries, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and community organizations, which suggests a practical orientation toward places where teens gather and participate regularly.
What Lakeshore Connections Funds
A central theme in the grant record is out-of-school-time learning for teens. The foundation gave $95,800 to Orleans County YMCA in Batavia and $75,000 to Niagara Falls Boys & Girls Club in Niagara Falls, both for teen-centered afterschool programming. It also supported Glow YMCA in Batavia with $65,534, reinforcing that youth-serving sites are a recurring part of the portfolio. Arts and creative youth development appear as another clear lane. Infinity Visual and Performing Arts Inc. in Jamestown received $85,000, and Young Audiences of Western New York in Buffalo received the same amount, both for teen-centered afterschool programming. The Buffalo Maritime Center received $60,250, showing that hands-on learning opportunities also fit within the funder’s youth agenda. The foundation also supports civic and advocacy-oriented youth work. Coalition for Economic Justice in Buffalo received $70,000, and Push Buffalo received $90,000, each tied to teen-centered afterschool programming and youth development goals.
How Lakeshore Connections Gives
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $20,700, a median of $38,928, and a p75 of $64,725. Recent awards show a steady pattern of program support rather than isolated one-off gifts, with many recipients appearing to fit the same teen-centered afterschool model across the 2024 grant list. The foundation is a grantmaker, not an individual funder, and it does not make program-related investments. The available data points to direct program support for youth-serving organizations rather than capital funding or other structures.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$119K
Total Assets
$2.1M
Total Revenue
$1.7M
Total Expenses
$1.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $21K and $65K, with a median of $39K.
25th Percentile
$21K
Median
$39K
75th Percentile
$65K
Geographic Reach
Regional3 states funded
About 46% of grants go to recipients in MI.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Heidi Milch
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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