Letter from the President and Board President

As Buffalo Prep continues to grow and welcome scholars from Western New York into our highly personalized academic and enrichment programs, we understand that long-term effective capacity management is vital to the success of our organization. Over the past year, Buffalo Prep’s board of directors and leadership staff participated in an intensive Impact Capacity Assessment Program (iCAP) through the Western New York Foundation.

A vital component of this process was to create a mission statement that underscores our academic programming, illuminates our scholars’ brilliance and agency, and reflects Buffalo Prep’s evolution as a social justice organization that promotes educational access and racial justice. After months of discussion and input from a wide variety of stakeholders, our board of directors adopted the following mission statement: With a focus on racially and culturally affirming practices, Buffalo Prep advocates for educational access and equity and provides programming to academically ambitious scholars of color. We strive to nurture our scholars’ brilliance while empowering them to engage civically as their authentic selves.

With this new mission statement as our guiding star, our iCAP plan will dovetail into our strategic planning process as we develop the organization’s roadmap, imperatives, and growth strategy for the next three-to-five years. We are committed to ensuring our work is data-driven, scholar-centered, and mission-focused while adhering to our core pillars of academic excellence, cultural competence, and critical consciousness.

At Buffalo Prep, we envision a future where our scholars have the opportunity to pursue excellence and success in a community that nurtures their individual talents, goals, and authentic selves. Systemic and historic inequities are prominent in our community, placing marginalized youth at a disadvantage. We understand that educational access leads to more opportunities for professional success, and our collective work supporting our scholars has had an incredible impact. Data from the last nine years shows that 85% of High School Prep graduates have obtained a bachelor’s degree or are currently on track to do so*. This level of achievement far outpaces the national average for low-income scholars, as well as the national average for scholars of all demographics. This demonstrates that our work to provide access and opportunities for marginalized communities can and does successfully mitigate barriers to higher education.

Our scholars are exceptionally talented and have a wealth of cultural capital. They are incredibly motivated, possessing an impeccable work ethic and unparalleled resilience. In short, our scholars are superheroes who will change the world. Thank you for your important role as ambassadors of our mission, helping to create the equity from which future leaders, community advocates, and agents of change will grow. It’s all in the Prep!

Mission

With a focus on racially and culturally affirming practices, Buffalo Prep advocates for educational access and equity and provides programming to academically ambitious scholars of color. We strive to nurture our scholars’ brilliance while empowering them to engage civically as their authentic selves.

Vision

We envision a future where all scholars have the opportunity to pursue excellence and success in a community that nurtures their individual talents, goals, and selves.

Grades 5 and 6

Grades 5 and 6

Grade 7