What kinds of organizations does the foundation fund most often?

Recent grants show support for scholarship organizations, universities, arts institutions, environmental groups, and local community organizations. Examples include awards to Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc, the Research Foundation for the SUNY on Behalf of the University at Buffalo, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, and The Nature Conservancy.

What are the foundation’s main focus areas?

The stated focus areas are education from pre-K through postsecondary, racial and ethnic equity, environmental protection and climate resilience, arts and culture, caregivers, youth sports, and community assets and access. Recent grants also show work in workforce development, scholarships, park infrastructure, and health research.

How large are typical grants?

Typical grants are in the middle range: the p25 is $11,647, the median is $24,702, and the p75 is $51,944. The recent grants list also includes substantially larger awards, including several in the hundreds of thousands and some above $1 million.

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Some programs do. The Community Foundation Competitive Grant Process, Community Foundation Scholarships, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds competitive process, Project Play Western New York grant programs, the Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts, and the Trails Maintenance Fund all accept unsolicited applications. The Peter C. Cornell Trust does not.

Where does the foundation give most often?

Giving is concentrated in New York, which accounts for 86% of grants to recipients in the HQ state. Buffalo appears frequently in the recent grants list, along with Orchard Park and Salamanca, while a smaller share of awards goes to recipients outside New York.

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Name: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo — grants, 990 financials & funding data
Creator: Kindora

ActivePhilanthropy & Voluntarism

BUFFALO, NYWebsite7168522857

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Connecting people, ideas and resources to improve lives in Western New York.

Focus Areas

Education (preK through postsecondary, scholarships)Racial/ethnic equityEnvironmental protection and climate resilienceArts and culture / cultural assetsCaregiversYouth sportsCommunity assets and access

Who They Fund

children and youth (including high school students)families experiencing homelessness or housing instabilityboys and men of color / racial equity cohortsseniors (program outreach)local neighborhood residents (East Side and West Side community beneficiaries)

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc directs most of its giving toward Western New York, with a clear pattern of funding large, multi-purpose organizations alongside targeted program support. In the recent grants list, Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc received the largest award at $1,790,661, reflecting the foundation’s long-running role in education access and scholarship support. Another major grant went to the Research Foundation for the SUNY on Behalf of the University at Buffalo at $1,315,021 for implementation, project management, and research support tied to the East Side and to heart and cancer work aligned with the foundation’s focus areas. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society also appears among the largest awards, showing sustained support for arts institutions that combine general operations with youth education and outreach. Other recent grants point to additional priorities such as workforce pathways, neighborhood access, environmental work, and community infrastructure. The foundation’s grantmaking is shaped by both unrestricted support and more specific project funding, with awards reaching universities, cultural organizations, scholarship programs, and local community groups across the region.

What Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Funds

Education and economic mobility are central to the foundation’s work. It gave $711,964 to Buffalo Prep for high school preparation, scholarship awards, student success, and youth equity programming, and $1,200,525 to Bryant & Stratton College for charitable support. Arts and culture is another major theme: Buffalo Fine Arts Academy received $1,169,553 for charitable support, while the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society received $981,559 for unrestricted use, education department support, outreach programs for children, and music education programming. Environmental and conservation work also appears in the record. The Nature Conservancy received $635,234 for surveying and restoring reeds in Lake Erie, and the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences received $787,654 for Tifft Nature Preserve inclusive wayfinding and environmental education programming. Community assets and recreation show up as well, including $930,000 to The Skatepark Project for skateparks in Sweden, Ellicottville, and Lockport.

How Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Gives

Financial Snapshot

Annual Giving

$33.4M

Total Assets

$944M

Total Revenue

$48.7M

Total Expenses

$46.6M

Typical Grant Size

Most grants fall between $12K and $52K, with a median of $25K.

25th Percentile

$12K

Median

$25K

75th Percentile

$52K

Geographic Reach

Local32 states funded

About 86% of grants go to recipients in NY.

Funding intensity

Low

High

Headquarters

Leadership

ELIZABETH CONSTANTINE

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Recipient	Location	Amount	Year	Purpose
SAY YES BUFFALO SCHOLARSHIP INC	BUFFALO, NY	$1,790,661	2025	CHARITABLE SUPPORT. ANY RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE GRANTEE.
RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE SUNY ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO	BUFFALO, NY	$993,396	2025	CHARITABLE SUPPORT. ANY RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE GRANTEE.
BUFFALO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA SOCIETY	BUFFALO, NY	$946,103	2025	CHARITABLE SUPPORT. ANY RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE GRANTEE.
OPEN BUFFALO INC	BUFFALO, NY	$737,000	2025

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Focus Areas

Who They Fund

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

What Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Funds

How Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

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Where Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

What kinds of organizations does the foundation fund most often?

What are the foundation’s main focus areas?

How large are typical grants?

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Where does the foundation give most often?

Open Grant Opportunities

WNY Forward Fund – Strategic Realignment and Nonprofit Resiliency Grant Opportunity

Project Play Western New York — Grant Programs (administered/announced by Community Foundation)

Recent Grants

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

Focus Areas

Who They Fund

About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

What Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Funds

How Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Gives

Financial Snapshot

Typical Grant Size

Geographic Reach

Leadership

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Funding Style

Topics

Where Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Makes Grants

Frequently Asked Questions About Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

What kinds of organizations does the foundation fund most often?

What are the foundation’s main focus areas?

How large are typical grants?

Does the foundation accept unsolicited applications?

Where does the foundation give most often?

Open Grant Opportunities

WNY Forward Fund – Strategic Realignment and Nonprofit Resiliency Grant Opportunity

Project Play Western New York — Grant Programs (administered/announced by Community Foundation)

Recent Grants