John R Oishei Foundation

About John R Oishei Foundation

A single seven-figure gift for naming rights to the new Children’s Hospital of Buffalo captures how The John R Oishei Foundation funds: large, place-based investments that shape Buffalo’s nonprofit and civic infrastructure. The foundation’s recent grants pair that kind of transformational health support with sustained backing for education, youth scholarship programs, and community-serving institutions across Buffalo and Western New York. In the recent grants list, Education Collaborative of Wny Inc appears repeatedly across multiple years for scholarship and academic-excellence work, while Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology receives both capital and operating support. That mix suggests a funder comfortable with long-term commitments rather than isolated awards. The foundation also supports community organizations working on shelter, safety-net services, and regional revitalization, including grants for Jericho Road Ministries, Community Connections of NY Inc, and the Center for Regional Strategies. Its active programs reinforce that pattern: capacity-building support, strategic grants tied to community power building, and fellowship support for leaders of color. Across the data, the foundation’s giving is local, concentrated in Buffalo and the surrounding region, and oriented toward institutional strength as well as direct community benefit.

What John R Oishei Foundation Funds

Children’s health and hospital infrastructure are central to the foundation’s identity. It gave $1,000,000 to Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation for John R. Oishei naming rights to the new children’s hospital, linking its giving to a major pediatric facility project in Buffalo. Education and scholarship support is another major thread: the foundation awarded $930,000 to Education Collaborative of Wny Inc for the 2024-2028 Scholarship Program and $469,000 to Bison Children’s Scholarship Fund for K-8 scholarship support. It also funds broader learning access and college preparation through grants such as $350,000 to Buffalo Prep for general operating support. Community development and neighborhood investment show up in grants like $300,000 to Center for Regional Strategies for the Regional Revitalization Partnership - East Side Avenues. Behavioral health and safety-net work appear as well, including $400,000 to Jericho Road Ministries for A Path to Hope: Campaign for Jericho Road's Vive Shelter.

How John R Oishei Foundation Gives