Community Foundation Competitive Grants (US)

Deadline: 3-Feb-25

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is committed to making grants that maximize impact on the eight counties of Western New York within four Community Goals.

These goals were selected by the Board of Directors as a result of a thorough strategic planning process using community input along with the most up-to-date data and information available.

Goals

• Achieve racial/ethnic equity
  • Requests must address one of the following Solutions:
    • Increase interaction and bridge racial/ethnic divides between residents and organizations throughout WNY.
    • Promote civic engagement and leadership in communities of color.
• Promote economic mobility through educational achievement for residents living in low-income households.
  • Requests must address one of the following Solutions:
    • Improve the school readiness of children (ages 5 and under) living in communities of poverty.
    • Improve the academic achievement and postsecondary completion of students living in low-income households.
• Steward significant environmental resources.
  • Requests must address one of the following Solutions:
    • Protect and restore the region’s waterways.
    • Strengthen individual environmental organizations and support a more racially inclusive and collaborative environmental community.
• Promote regional vibrancy through architecture, arts, and culture.
  • Requests must address one of the following Solutions:
    • Increase access to long term arts instruction for children and youth living in low-income households.
    • Strengthen race equity through the arts.
    • Restore and leverage significant historic buildings and architectural landmarks, with a preference for sites that promote cultural tourism. (Defining historic as official recognition by State/National Register of Historic Places or local preservation ordinance.)

Funding Information

• The historical average for a competitive grant through this process is in the $18,000 to $20,000 range.
• General operations grants will not exceed $20,000.
• Special funding available to support the following:
  • Programs that serve the visual, speech or hearing impaired ($5,000).

Eligibility Criteria

• Grants are awarded only to organizations that have current Section 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service.
• Applicants must be located in or serving one of the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming

Application Requirements

• LOI must be submitted electronically online utilizing the Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager. No paper or emailed LOI will be accepted. The following questions are provided for your reference when completing the LOI online.
  • Mission statement
  • Amount requested
  • Annual operating expenses
  • Community Goal(s)/Solution(s) your grant addresses (pick no more than two)
  • Type of support requested (choose one):
    • Program
    • General operations
• If this is a general operations request, you will be asked this set of questions:
  • Outline how you address the specific Solution(s) you selected above (1,500 character limit)
  • Describe your mission (1,000 character limit)
  • Please describe the population you serve (1,500 character limit)
  • What organizational outcomes will you accomplish in 2024? (1,500 character limit)
• If this is a Program request, you will be asked this set of questions:
  • Program name
  • Outline how this program addresses the specific Solution(s) you selected above (1,500 character limit)
  • Target audience for this funding (1,000 character limit)
  • Number served with this funding (numeric response)
  • What will change in the lives of the people you serve as a result of this funding? (1,500 character limit)
  • What are the outcomes?
  • Please specify (1,500 character limit):
    • Frequency
    • Duration
    • Other applicable measures

For more information, visit Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.