Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Announces 2025 Grant Awards from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds
Buffalo, N.Y. – The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announced that 85 Western New York organizations received more than $1.3 million in grant awards from endowment funds created to carry on the legacy of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foun dation established the Legacy Funds in 2016 as endowments at the Community Foundation to provide annual support to areas that were important to Mr. Wil son during his lifetime: Caregiv ers, 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 Com munity Foundation complement the work of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and were created to provide immediate impact and long-term benefit in West ern New York. Grant awards are listed alphabetically within each interest area.
RALPH C. WILSON, JR. LEGACY FUND FOR CAREGIVERS
Ardent Solutions, Inc. - $12,000 for Musical Memories Cafe
Chautauqua Hospice & Palliative Care - $12,000 for Short Term Stays at The Star Hospice House
Community Care of West ern New York - $10,000 for The Comfort Connection: Caring for Grievers and Caregivers
Community Connections at Findley Lake - $22,000 for Community Connections at Findley Lake Caregiver Support Program
Enchanted Mountains Village - $25,000 for Enchanted Mountains Village
Every Bottom Covered Inc. - $25,000 for Every Bottom Covered: Caregiver Coverage
Family Service of the Chautauqua Region, Inc. - $25,000 for Supporting Caregivers and Elderly
Gateway Home-Comfort Care, Inc. - $10,000 for Caregiver Wellness
Genesee County Office for the Aging - $17,000 for Support ing Caregivers
Gerard Place - $23,400 for Treasured Memories- respite programming for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers
HART, Inc. - $20,000 for The Niagara County Office for the Aging- Caregiver Gap Response Initiative by HART
Health Association of Niagara County, Inc. - $10,000 for Niagara Senior Companion Program
Healthy Community Alliance, Inc. - $15,000 for Caregiver Tech Solutions – Respite Reimagined
Hearts and Hands--Faith in Action, Inc. - $10,000 for Infor mal Caregiver Respite: Transportation
Interfaith Caregivers - $15,000 for Closing the Loop; Supporting Caregivers in Cattaraugus County
Seneca Nation - $20,000 for Project MOVE (Maximize Our Volunteer Effectiveness)
Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo - $10,000 for JCC of Greater Buffalo Caregiver Support Program
RALPH C. WILSON, JR. LEGACY FUND FOR COMMUNITY ASSETS
BFM Arts Inc. - $11,000 for Arts for Healing: Filmmaking as a Restorative Pathway to Wellbeing for Buffalo’s Underserved Youth
Buffalo Maritime Center - $25,000 for BMC Erie Canal Boat “Seneca Chief” Bicentennial Voyage Arts Education
Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens - $20,165 for Enhancing Accessibility: Door Renovation for Inclusive Access
Buffalo Arts Studio - $11,500 for Jump Start Program
Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology - $13,500 for Opportunity Within Reach: Advancing Access to Arts Education in Buffalo’s East Side
Buffalo String Works - $13,500 for Niagara Street After School Program
Coles House Foundation - $25,000 for Coles House Project
Graycliff Conservancy, Inc. - $12,735 for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff Operating Support
North Park Theater of Buffalo, Inc. - $20,000 for Sustaining Cultural Excellence: Program Director Support for North Park Theater
Pappy Martin Legacy Jazz Collective - $13,500 for Love Supreme School of Music Expansion III
Roycroft Campus Corporation - $10,000 for Restoring His tory in the Print Shop with a Donated Colt’s Armory Printing Press
Squeaky Wheel | Buffalo Media Resources - $11,000 for West Side Studios Apprentice ship Program
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation - $15,000 for Increasing Access at the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site
Ujima Company, Inc. - $12,500 for The Dunbar Youth Program 25/26
RALPH C. WILSON, JR. LEGACY FUND FOR DESIGN AND ACCESS
Buffalo Audubon Society - $44,000 for Beaver Meadow Connector Trails
Buffalo Community Boat house - $15,000 for Dock Improvement
Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation - $35,000 for Chautauqua County Overland Trails Revitalization Project, Phase V
City of Jamestown - $20,000 for Bergman Park Disc Golf
Colored Girls Bike Too - $15,000 for Operating Budget Sustainability
Friends of Medina Parks - $50,000 for State Street Park Inclusive Playground
GLOW YMCA - $30,000 for Oatka Creek EcoPark
Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy - $50,000 for Ralph Wil son Park Public Space Activation & Community Engagement
Richardson Center Corporation - $15,900 for South Lawn Landscape Renewal
Salamanca City Central School District - $30,000 for Outdoor Sports Equipment at Veteran’s Park Walking Trail
The Summit Center - $25,000 for Summit Academy Fitness & Recreation Trail
Town of Hume - $45,000 for Genesee River Hazard Mitigation
Village of Angola - $30,000 for Village of Angola Municipal Pocket Park
RALPH C. WILSON, JR. LEGACY FUND FOR YOUTH SPORTS
716 Squash - $10,000 for Increase Middle School Buffalo Youth Participation in Summer Camp Program
Be-A-Friend Program, Inc., Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier - $10,000 for Sports Buddies in Partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha
Boys & Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County - $16,000 for Empower Her Athletic Club • Buffalo City Swim Racers, Inc. - $10,000 for City Swim Project
Buffalo Community Boat house - $10,000 for Yes, it’s Sailing
• Buffalo Regals - $5,000 for Girls Development 2024-2025
Buffalo Therapeutic Rid ing Center - $8,000 for Sport through Therapeutic Riding for Children with Special Needs • Buffalo Wrestling Foundation - $10,000 for Wrestling for All: Building Confidence and Com munity Through Sport
Chautauqua Striders Inc. - $9,000 for 2025 Youth Track & Field Development Program – Chautauqua Striders
City of Dunkirk Youth and Recreation Department - $10,000 for Dunkirk Sports Sampling
El Batey Inc. - $15,000 for Level Up Sport Mentoring
EPIC – Every Person Influences Children - $12,000 for “Literacy on the Move”: Year-Round Early Childhood Literacy and Movement
First Tee of Western New York - $5,000 for I’m Just a Golf er Free Golf Clinics
Friends of Youngstown - $8,000 for Youngstown Summer Sport Sampling & Coach Development
Full Circle Family Services - $8,000 for EmpowerSports Initiative
GEK In The Game - $10,000 for GEK Bite Size Sports Sam pling
Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council - $25,000 for GO ART! Global Dance Initiative • Girls Sport Foundation - $10,000 for G.I.R.L.S. Sports Foundation Sports Sampling and Mentoring on Campus
GLOW YMCA - $10,000 for Free Youth Sports For All
Harrison’s Playmakers - $10,000 for Harrison Playmakers Every one plays 2025
Karen Society of Buffalo - $12,000 for Buffalo Soccer Society
Kenan Center - $10,000 for Sport for All: Developing Access Through Play and Sampling in Kenan ACRES
Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District - $10,000 for Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda UFSD Before School Sports Equity & Opportunity Expansion Project
King Urban Life Center - $10,100 for Enhancing and Expanding STEAM TEAM Sports at King Urban Life Center
Lockport Ice Arena and Sports Center - $10,000 for 2024 25 Healthy Youth On Ice
Mental Health Advocates of WNY - $10,000 for Sports for Military Children (Operation Children of the Military)
Police Athletic League of Niagara Falls NY - $10,000 for Niagara PAL Youth Sports Pro grams
Resource Council of WNY Inc. - $15,000 for Resource Council of WNY Youth Ice Hockey Program
Seneca Nation - $12,500 for Summer Sports Program
SOLID Foundation Prep, Inc. - $10,000 for SOLID Foundation Prep ACHIEVE Camp and Yearly Programming
The Champion Project - $12,000 for The Champion Project – TCP Plays and High Five • The Salvation Army of Buffalo, NY - $8,000 for Support for Youth Sports at The Salvation Army
Town of Yorkshire - $10,000 for Town of Yorkshire and Village of Delevan Summer Recreation Program
United Somali Alliance of Buffalo - $5,000 for Fun on the Run
West Buffalo Charter School - $12,000 for Embrace the Bear Within: A Sports Sampling
Willie Hutch Jones Educational and Sports Program - $10,000 for East Buffalo Soccer Training & Developmental League
WNY Lacross Foundation - $5,000 for WNY Lacrosse Foundation
YMCA Buffalo Niagara - $6,800 for Y On the Fly – Niagara County
YMCA of the Twin Tiers - $10,000 for Family Free Play Fridays “On The Move”
Youth Advantage/Buffalo Legacy Project - $12,000 for Youth Advantage Free Play Zones
Youth Mentoring Services of Niagara County - $10,000 for Summer Adventures
Since 2016, nearly $13 mil lion has been awarded through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds to support organizations across the eight counties of Western New York.
The Legacy Funds are annual grants; for updates on the next granting cycle, please visit https://www.cfgb.org/nonprof its/grants/ralph-wilson-legacy.