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The Aquarium of Niagara (File photo)
The Aquarium of Niagara (File photo)

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announces grant awards from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. legacy funds

Submitted

Tue, Apr 27th 2021 02:30 pm

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announced 90 Western New York organizations received more than $2 million in grant awards from endowment funds created to carry on the legacy of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.

Established in 2016, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation created the legacy funds at the Community Foundation to provide support to areas that were important to Wilson during his lifetime: caregivers, community assets, design and access, and youth sports. Endowment funds are designed to grow over time and provide funding for charitable causes according to a client’s wishes, forever.

The legacy funds at the Community Foundation were established to complement the work of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and to create immediate impact and long-term benefit in Western New York. The organizations that were funded and the grant amount are included below. Grant awards are listed alphabetically within each interest area.

•Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Caregivers

  • Accountable Health Community Inc. – $12,500
  • Brian Moorman’s P.U.N.T. Foundation – $10,000
  • Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers – $24,529 
  • Center for Elder Law & Justice Inc. – $12,500
  • Empower – $10,000
  • Gateway Home-Comfort Care Inc. – $21,730
  • Gerry Homes Inc. – $11,500
  • HART Inc. – $22,900
  • Hearts and Hands: Faith in Action Inc. – $25,000
  • Hospice of Orleans Inc. – $12,500
  • Interfaith Caregivers – $25,000
  • Kevin Guest House – $15,000
  • People Inc. – $4,945 
  • Rural Revitalization Corp. – $25,000

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Community Assets

  • Ballet Artists of WNY Inc. – $12,500
  • Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens Society Inc. – $12,500
  • Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society – $12,500
  • Buffalo Arts and Technology Center Inc. – $17,000
  • Buffalo Arts Studio – $10,500
  • Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society – $12,500
  • Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences – $25,000
  • Buffalo String Works – $12,500
  • Explore Buffalo – $10,000
  • Hostel Buffalo Niagara – $12,500
  • Hull House Foundation – $10,000 
  • Just Buffalo Literary Center – $11,000
  • Karen Society of Buffalo – $12,500
  • Kleinhans Music Hall – $25,000
  • Locust Street Neighborhood Art Classes Inc. – $25,000
  • North Park Theatre of Buffalo Inc. – $12,500
  • Old First Ward Community Association – $12,500
  • Our Lady of Victory Homes of Charity – $25,000 
  • Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective – $12,500
  • Peace Of The City – $12,500
  • People Against Trafficking Humans Inc. (P.A.T.H. Inc.) – $8,500
  • Shea’s Performing Arts Center – $12,500
  • Squeaky Wheel|Buffalo Media Resources – $12,500
  • Torn Space Theater – $12,500
  • WNY Book Arts Center – $10,000
  • Young Audiences WNY – $10,000

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Design and Access

  • Alfred Almond Community Sports Association Inc. – $50,000
  • Allegany Trails Inc. – $20,000
  • Aquarium of Niagara – $50,000
  • Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus Inc. – $49,880
  • Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper – $49,298
  • Buffalo Urban Development Corp. – $50,000
  • Chautauqua County – $7,000
  • City of Salamanca Youth Bureau – $50,000
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County – $10,000
  • Cuba Friends of Architecture – $20,000
  • Ellicottville-Great Valley Recreational Trail Inc – $50,000
  • Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail – $20,400
  • Friends of Letchworth State Park – $50,000
  • Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway Inc. – $50,000
  • Genesee County Highway/Parks – $46,493
  • Girl Scouts of Western New York Inc. – $26,875
  • GLOW YMCA Inc (dba Orleans County YMCA) – $47,671
  • GObike Buffalo (aka Green Options Buffalo) – $49,990
  • Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency (JURA) – $17,343
  • Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority – $50,000
  • Shared Mobility Inc. – $49,982
  • Town of Hamburg Department of Youth, Recreation, & Senior Services – $50,000
  • Village of Perry – $50,000
  • Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association – $25,000


Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Youth Sports

  • Algonquin Sports for Kids Inc. – $13,920
  • BestSelf Behavioral Health, Inc. – $22,500
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northtowns of WNY – $17,936
  • Boys on the Right Track – $19,180
  • Buffalo Collegiate Charter School – $12,600 
  • City of Lackawanna – $10,540
  • Confident Girl Mentoring Program Inc. – $20,500
  • Cradle Beach Camp – $15,429
  • Daemen College – $8,071
  • Gillam Grant Community Center – $23,000 
  • Girls Sport Foundation – $20,000 
  • Green Options Buffalo (aka Gobike Buffalo) – $23,260
  • Kids @ Promise – $13,000
  • Medaille College – $20,000
  • Northlake Family Recreation Center – $5,500
  • Peace Of The City – $15,000
  • Pinnacle Community Services – $18,400
  • Planned Parenthood of Central & Western New York – $18,000
  • Police Athletic League of Buffalo Inc. – $25,000
  • Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped Inc. – $17,500
  • University District Community Development Association – $18,332
  • Victory Sports Global Outreach Inc. – $15,000
  • Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Program – $20,500
  • WNY Lacrosse Foundation – $10,000
  • WNY-LOC Foundation Inc. – $15,769
  • YMCA of the Twin Tiers – $25,000
  • Youth Advantage/Buffalo Legacy Project – $15,000
  • Youth Mentoring Services of Niagara County Inc. – $14,275 

The legacy funds are annual grants. For updates on the next granting cycle, visit https://www.cfgb.org/nonprofits/grants/ralph-wilson-legacy/.

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 www.cfgb.org.

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation is a grantmaking organization dedicated primarily to sustained investment in the quality of life of the people of Southeast Michigan and Western New York. The two areas reflect Wilson’s devotion to his hometown of Detroit and greater Buffalo, home of his Buffalo Bills franchise. Prior to his passing in 2014, Wilson requested a significant share of his estate be used to continue a lifelong generosity of spirit by funding the foundation that bears his name. The foundation has a grantmaking capacity of $1.2 billion over a 20-year period, which expires Jan. 8, 2035. This structure is consistent with Wilson’s desire for the foundation’s impact to be immediate, substantial, measurable, and overseen by those who knew him best. For more information, visit www.rcwjrf.org.

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