Community Foundation 2023 Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. arts & culture initiative grants supporting small to medium-sized arts organizations

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announced the 2023 Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. arts and culture initiative awards to support 45 small to mid-sized arts organizations serving the eight counties of Western New York, plus Monroe County, through its competitive grants process. The funding was awarded in two categories:

Category 1: General operating funding for individual arts and culture nonprofit organizations. Grantees include:

• 1891 Fredonia Opera House – $15,000
• Alfred University: Institute for Electronic Arts – $15,000
• Arts Council for Wyoming County – $15,000
• Arts Services Initiative of Western New York – $10,000
• Borinquen Dance Theatre – $15,000
• Buffalo Arts Studio – $15,000
• Buffalo String Works – $15,000
• Bundled Arrows Inc. – $15,000
• Carousel Society of the Niagara Frontier – $15,000
• Chautauqua Youth Symphony – $5,000
• Community Canvases – $15,000
• Cordelia A. Greene Library – $15,000
• Flower City Arts Center – $15,000
• Garth Fagan Dance – $15,000
• Gateways Music Festival Inc. – $15,000
• Genesee Symphony Orchestra – $10,000
• Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council – $10,000
• Gowanda's Historic Hollywood Theater Ltd. – $9,000
• Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center – $15,000
• Harmonia Chamber Singers Inc. – $10,000
• Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY – $15,000
• Just Buffalo Literary Center – Main – $15,000
• Lock City Glee Club – $7,500
• Locust Street Neighborhood Art Classes Inc. – $15,000
• Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown – $15,000
• Niagara Arts and Cultural Center – $15,000
• Niagara University: Castellani Art Museum – $15,000
• Old Fort Niagara Association – $10,000
• Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective – $15,000
• Roc Arts United – $10,000
• Shake on the Lake – $15,000
• Shakespeare in Delaware Park Inc. – Main – $10,000
• Springville Center for the Arts – $15,000
• Squeaky Wheel | Buffalo Media Resources – $10,000
• Stitch Buffalo Inc. - $10,000
• The Fountain Arts Center Inc. – $15,000
• Vocalis Chamber Choir – $15,000
• WNY Book Arts Center – $15,000
• Writers & Books – $15,000 

Category 2: Multiple arts and culture organizations with collaborative efforts that have a meaningful impact on inclusion and for which small to mid-sized arts and culture organizations receive the majority of the funding requested. Grantees include:

• New York Folklore Society and Tri-County Arts Council: Encountering and Supporting the Folk Arts and Folk Culture of Western New York – $25,000
• Puerto Rican Festival Inc. and Rochester Latino Theater Company: ROCLATINXYOUth: Cultivating the Next Generation of Cultural Makers – $25,000
• The Foundry and The Galactic Tribe: Deepening Collaboration between East Side Arts and Afterschool Organizations – $18,500

The criteria for grant funding was developed in 2021 from input from over 100 arts and cultural representatives across the nine counties. The selection of the grantees was through a committee of arts and cultural leaders representing all the counties. The first round of funding was in 2022.

This second year of funding focused on community-led and community-centered arts organizations with budgets of no more than $2 million. This year, one-time additional support to the fund was also provided by the Sportsman’s Americana Music Foundation.

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Arts & Culture Initiative was established at the Community Foundation to support arts and culture, “in recognition of the key role arts and culture organizations play in a thriving economy.” Part of that announcement includes $500,000 in annual funding to be awarded primarily to support small to mid-sized arts and culture organizations in the nine counties.

To learn more, visit www.cfgb.org/nonprofits/grants/ralph-c-wilson-jr-foundation-arts-culture-initiative/.

For more than a century, the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo has enhanced and encouraged long-term philanthropy in the Western New York community. A 501 (c)(3) organization, the Community Foundation’s mission is: Connecting people, ideas and resources to improve lives in Western New York. Established in 1919, the Community Foundation has made the most of the generosity of individuals, families, foundations and organizations who entrust charitable assets to the Community Foundation’s care. Learn more at cfgb.org.