WNY Forward Fund to offer 2nd round of grants for exploration of strategic realignment in nonprofit sector to create strength, stability & sustainability

Local funders collaborative seeks to support community in face of federal cuts & shifting priorities

WNY Forward Fund press release

The WNY Forward Fund, a group of local funders who joined together to support the WNY community and the local nonprofit sector in the face of major shifts in federal funding and priorities since early 2025, has announced its second round of grant opportunities for the exploration of strategic realignment and nonprofit resiliency in the WNY area.

Exploration of strategic realignment and nonprofit resiliency is one of three priority areas designated by the collaboration. A grant application process will open immediately for nonprofit organizations interested in exploring and/or pursuing strategic realignment in varying levels including partnerships, shared services, mergers, and other collaborative models to help organizations adapt to the evolving environment and remain resilient and responsive to community needs. More information and the application can be found at www.WNYForwardFund.org. The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. Friday, July 24.

Grant awards, intended to spur reimagining of service delivery and innovation within the nonprofit sector, will be between $2,500 and $25,000 and will be awarded in early fall. Nonprofits in the eight counties of Western New York are eligible to apply.

In early 2026, the WNY Forward Fund allocated a total of $368,690 to 18 organizations ranging from $2,250 up to $25,000 for their strategic realignment initiatives in the fund’s first round of grantmaking.

To date, 14 local funders have contributed approximately $2.3 million to the fund, created to spark innovation, strengthen capacity, and support nonprofits as they adapt to shifting conditions and explore how to deliver services in partnership.

WNY Forward Fund has most recently awarded $1 million over two years to seven organizations working to improve civic health and build common ground. This priority area is intended to fund and support initiatives that protect access to justice, due process, and legal defense, and build deeper connections between public institutions and the stakeholders they serve. As part of this priority area, WNY Forward Fund also provided support to the Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project. The $150,000 grant was for its participation in the Upstate Immigration Pro Bono Collaborative that recruits, trains and mentors private attorneys to take on immigration cases and ensure that all litigants are adequately represented in the justice system.

The fund is a multi-year commitment to help ensure that the WNY community and the nonprofit sector remain strong, resilient, and equipped to adapt in the face of recent changes that have created financial strain, rapid change, and deep uncertainty at a time when community need is increasing. The philanthropic community’s goal in working together is to help protect and strengthen the community, while encouraging innovation and reimagining how to best use community resources for long-term resilience.

Conversations among local foundations began last year as changes at the federal level began to be put in place. It became clear that the resources of the local funding community would not be near enough to address funding shortfalls, estimated to be approximately $7 billion across New York state to organizations and individuals in the first quarter of 2025 alone. In addition, nearly 70% of the nonprofit sector received some type of government funding.

Despite the daunting numbers, the group remained committed to finding solutions to support nonprofits and the communities they serve.

In addition to the new grant opportunity for strategic realignment and nonprofit resilience and recent grants in civic health and common ground, the WNY Forward Fund will also prioritize Impact data and storytelling. This priority area is intended to support efforts to collect and share critical data on how funding cuts affect organizations and the people they serve, helping the community better understand, communicate and respond to the region’s evolving needs, as well as highlight the critical role that nonprofits play in the community.

WNY Forward Fund collaborators include The Buffalo Bills Foundation, The Celia Lipton & Victor W. Farris Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Fund, James H. Cummings Foundation, The John R. Oishei Foundation, KeyBank, Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, M&T Bank, The Peter & Elizabeth Tower Foundation, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, The Western New York Foundation, and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo will manage the fund.

Interested nonprofits can learn more about the WNY Forward Fund and the grant application process for strategic realignment and nonprofit resiliency at WNYForwardFund.org.