ASI awards $50,000 in 'Give for Greatness' funding to 25 WNY arts and cultural organizations

Arts Services Inc. has distributed 25 “Give for Greatness” grants providing operating support to arts and culture nonprofits based in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

A press release noted, “These grants are designed to help WNY’s smallest nonprofits build their internal capacity, making their mission-driven work easier. Since 2014, ‘Give for Greatness’ has provided over $280,000 in funding to more than 130 different arts and culture nonprofits in WNY.”

This year, 25 organizations were selected by a panel of local arts and culture leaders from across the region to receive $2,000 in general operating support.

The 2023 “Give for Greatness” recipients are:

√ Allegany County Historical Society

√ American Scandinavian Heritage Foundation

√ Brazen-Faced Varlets

√ Buffalo and Brandy Inc.

√ Buffalo International Film Festival Inc.

√ Buffalo Niagara Choirs Inc.

√ Buffalo Silver Band

√ Clann Na Cara Parents Organization

√ Cuba Friends of Architecture Inc.

√ El Museo Francisco Oller y Diego Rivera

√ Friends of Limerick Inc.

√ Full Circle Family Services Inc.

√ Greater Buffalo Friends of Music

√ Leon Historical Society

√ Lock City Sound

√ Opera-Lytes

√ Orchard Park Chorale

√ Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective

√ Rock Autism Inc.

√ Spark Filmmakers Collaborative

√ Stained Glass Association of America Foundation Inc.

√ The Fountain Arts Center Inc.

√ The Olean Theatre Workshop

√ Tri-County Arts Council

√ Vocalis Chamber Choir

“This year’s ‘Give for Greatness’ awardees showcase the excellence and diversity of arts and culture in WNY,” ASI Executive Director Jen Swan-Kilpatrick said. “The goal of these funds is to empower the 79% of our area nonprofits, which are considered micro or small organizations, with the means to boost their capabilities and efficiency.”

Over the past nine years, “Give for Greatness” grants have supported regional nonprofits with a total of $281,500 in funding. Out of this year's 25 grants, almost half of them went to new organizations that were not part of the previous year’s program.

“Without support from ASI and their partners, small organizations like Tri-County Arts Council would not be able to rise to the greatness required to serve the needs of their communities,” said Paula Bernstein, executive director of Tri-County Arts Council, a 2023 “Give for Greatness” awardee.

The “Give for Greatness” program is funded by Fund for the Arts, Lawyers for the Arts, and The Marilyn Gohr McTaggart Reveal Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

More information about “Give for Greatness” and this year’s recipients can be found at www.asiwny.org.