Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo 2023 Annual Report

Asourjourneytowardcreatingavibrantandequitable GreaterBuffalocontinuestounfold,weareinspiredby yourgenerositythatallowsustocreatemeaningful connectionsthatleadtotransformativechange.

Weallshareanunwaveringloveforourregion–thatiswhat bringsustogetherandinspiresustomakeapositiveimpacttoday, tomorrowandforever.Thankyouforyourextraordinarydedication tothegreatergood.TheroadtoabetterWesternNewYorkis possiblebecauseofyou.

Gratefully,

BetsyConstantine President/CEO

Hon.RoseH.Sconiers Chair,BoardofDirectors

COMMUNITYHONORING

CLIENT STORY: Sheldon Smith

In 1999, Sheldon Smith was a law student at the University of Buffalo, participating as a juror in a mock trial for a trial technique class. It was then that he met the Honorable Hugh B. Scott, a United States magistrate judge for the Western District of New York, as well as a law professor at UB.

“I was blown away by his charisma, intelligence and good nature,” recalled Sheldon, now a partner at Harter Secrest & Emery LLP (HSE). “He seemingly bonded with everybody, at all times, and everyone walked away from interactions with him saying, ‘Oh, he likes me. He's my mentor.’ And that never stopped."

Over the next two decades, Judge Scott continued to be a North Star for Sheldon, encouraging him to connect with the community in an authentic way, guiding him in his own legal career and as a husband and father, and all the while keeping him humble. They served on multiple boards together, and their families enjoyed each other’s company at numerous community events.

“Hugh was always giving back and sincerely focused on community and mentorships, exemplifying genuineness, and we owe a lot to his family – Trudy; Hugh, Jr.; and Everet – for sharing such a treasure with us,” Sheldon said.

After Judge Scott passed away in 2021, Sheldon and others at HSE wanted to find ways to help honor the judge’s legacy. They discovered and learned about the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative’s (CGLI’s) Hugh B. Scott Awards, which were established that year to do just that – recognize individuals who exemplify Judge Scott’s spirit of community. The recipient of the Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award is also given $2,500 to award to a local nonprofit of their choice.

“I was happy to see that the awards are given in his name to well-rounded, leading by example, caring and naturally gifted young people in our communities of color. That is a wonderful way to honor a legacy that transcends almost everything,” Sheldon said. HSE reached out to the Community Foundation to establish a fund that supports the perpetuity of the awards, and Sheldon and his wife, Jonelle, provided the establishing gift to launch the fund.

HSE leadership appreciates the longevity of the Community Foundation and its leadership roles in the region and trusts it to carry out its charitable wishes forever. As it so happens, Judge Scott was a former Community Foundation Board member and founding member of both the CGLI and the Racial Equity Roundtable.

HSE leadership hopes that others whose lives were positively impacted by Judge Scott will contribute to the fund so that it can create an even bigger ripple effect in Western New York.

“The ‘mentor of mentors,’ Judge Scott was a beacon for this community for decades, and this is just one important way to recognize and thank him and his family,” Sheldon said.

Learn more about the CGLI on page 31.

Judge Scott was a beacon for this community for decades, and this is just one important way to recognize and thank him and his family.

—

→ Judge Hugh B. Scott

← Pictured here, from left: Sheldon Smith; Sinclair Maclin, recipient of the 2023 Judge Hugh B. Scott Inspiring Youth Award; Yomaris Sanchez, an associate with HSE; and Isaac De Los Santos, recipient of the 2023 Hugh B. Scott Community Service Award.

Sheldon Smith

“When David brought me home to meet his family for the first time, his father was eating an orange, and he just offered me a piece. I think that is a very simple way to talk about what a lovely man he was,” Cynthia said.

For Cynthia and David Silverstein, generosity is part of who they are. David grew up in a city garden apartment in Queens, New York, and Cynthia as part of a large Italian family living in a small house in Olean. Both credit their parents with instilling in them a desire to give back.

David and Cynthia’s paths first crossed as they were both pursuing their medical careers at Buffalo’s former Deaconess Hospital. At the time, David was not planning to stay in Western New York, but he fell in love with the area as well as with Cynthia, and they married in 1982.

“We had a shared experience in providing healthcare in Buffalo’s East Side – people with tremendous needs, medically underserved in a lot of ways. That was a formative element for our relationship,” said David.

The Silversteins started a family and advanced in their respective careers, with Cynthia working in health planning for 25 years and David opening his own medical practice in Kenmore. Today, they still reside in their adopted and beloved hometown of Buffalo.

When it came time for planning their family’s legacy, the Silversteins turned to the Community Foundation and established the Lawrence and Audrey Silverstein Foundation, named after David’s parents. Through their fund, Cynthia and David will make sure the causes they deeply care about – including social justice, asylum seekers, and economic and educational opportunities – will be supported today, tomorrow and forever, and they hope to carry on their family’s legacy of giving by involving their children and grandchildren.

The Silversteins appreciate the partnership with the Community Foundation in carrying out their charitable wishes.

The Community Foundation team is eager to help us do what we want to do. Every conversation has helped us move forward in our charitable giving.

— David Silverstein

→ Through their fund at the Community Foundation, the Silversteins support organizations, including Assembly House 150. Pictured here, David (second from left) and Cynthia (second from right) stand in the spindle area of Assembly House 150 with Dennis Maher, Assembly House 150 Founder/Director (left), and two students.

“The Community Foundation team is eager to help us do what we want to do,” David said. “And we feel so welcomed by everybody we have worked with. Every conversation has helped us move forward in our charitable giving.”

Let us take you back to Niagara Falls in 1981. The Turtle, a landmark that celebrated Native American culture, opened to the public. The holidays brought the inaugural year of the world-famous Festival of Lights that quickly became one of the most popular seasonal attractions in North America. And an inspired love story that has spanned more than four decades began.

Liz and Jerry Canada both grew up in the LaSalle neighborhood of Niagara Falls, although they didn’t meet until high school.

“We met through track and started dating when we were 16 and 17,” Liz said. “We signed each other's yearbooks and the rest is history!”

After high school, Jerry attended Canisius, majoring in computer science, and Liz attended Buffalo State, where she majored in education. In 1986, they married and started a family.

Liz went on to spend 33 years teaching in the City of Niagara Falls, retiring in 2020. Meanwhile, Jerry co-started a successful software company that he and his partners sold in the early 2000s, staying on to work under the new management.

As Liz and Jerry’s love for one another continued to grow, so did their love of the county that they still call home today. They knew they wanted to continue to support the region forever. The Canadas were introduced to the Community Foundation by their tax advisor and were happy to learn more about the Niagara Area Foundation, a division of the Community Foundation focused on strengthening Niagara County.

“One of the values we saw right away from working with the Community Foundation is that it is a good source of coordinating things to connect us to opportunities that will have the impact we want to achieve,” Jerry said.

In 2015, Liz and Jerry established a fund to support causes that were meaningful to them, including cultural events, education and minority entrepreneurship. To date, their fund has supported numerous organizations in Niagara County that align with those causes.

↑ Through their fund, Liz and Jerry Canada support causes and organizations that are meaningful to them, including the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center.

Looking ahead, they hope to get their two grown sons involved to carry on their legacy of giving.

“We rely on the Foundation to educate us a little more as to where the needs are and where we can be supportive so we can truly make a difference in Niagara County and beyond,” said Liz.

Read more about the Niagara Area Foundation on page 38.

← Jerry and Liz Canada share a love of Niagara County and support it in various ways through their funds. They are pictured here at a Niagara Area Foundation event held at the Niagara Falls Country Club overlooking the Niagara Gorge.

We rely on the Foundation to educate us a little more as to where the needs are and where we can be supportive so we can truly make a difference in Niagara County and beyond.

— Liz Canada

Situated on a sprawling 125-acre campus in South Wales, New York, is The Gow School, a premier boarding and day school for students in grades 6–12 with language-based learning differences, including dyslexia, dyscalculia and auditory processing.

“The path to Gow for a lot of families and a lot of children is typically a pretty bumpy one,” said John Munro, Gow’s Head of School who began his tenure in 2023. “It doesn't take long for students to realize they have found their people at Gow – others who learn the same way and with teachers who are expertly trained in the way that they think. The students quickly gain confidence.”

Founded in 1926, the school shifted to a nonprofit in the 1970s and became

Partnering with a local organization is important, and the track record of the Community Foundation builds great confidence in the future of our investments.

— John Munro

part of the New York State Association of Independent Schools. In 2012, it moved from being an all-boys school to coed, and today, it encompasses 30 buildings and serves more than 100 students from Western New York and throughout the United States. Nearly 100 percent of those students go to college after graduating from Gow.

The Gow School’s Board, which includes parents and former students across the country, knew it wanted to build its endowment fund to secure the future of the school and continue to serve students for many years to come. For decades, the Board focused on building a strong base for its endowment and, in 2019, turned to the Community Foundation to ensure its funds would continue to provide a perpetual stream of funding.

"The Board’s primary focus is the fiscal health and the fiduciary responsibilities of running a school, and they care deeply about long-term financial sustainability,” John said. “As such, I had an immediate level of trust in those decisions that happened before me to move in this direction. It's an incredibly thoughtful but also strategic and visionary group.”

As he settles further into his new role at the school, John appreciates having a partnership with such a long-standing organization based in Western New York. “Partnering with a local organization is important, and the track record of the Community Foundation builds great confidence in the future of our investments,” he said.

← John Munro, The Gow School’s Head of School, stands with students at its campus in South Wales.

SUPPORTING THE EVOLVING NEEDS

Growing up in different cities in the 1960s and ʼ70s, John and Elizabeth (Bette) Hulley understand that times change. And with that, so do the needs of a community.

John grew up in Pittsburgh, where the nearby steel mill employed most of the residents. John’s school focused on self-sufficiency and vocational training, and by age 12, he was refinishing furniture, an interest that has stayed with him since. He continued to hone his craft, earning enough to purchase his first house by the age of 19, all while pursuing a business degree, and eventually followed his passion for furniture making to Buffalo.

Bette was born and raised in Western New York, spending most of her childhood living in North Buffalo with her siblings, grandparents and parents. Her father was a schoolteacher and her mother a stockbroker who blazed trails for women working at that time. Bette recalls her parents as hard workers who valued education and giving back. “They led by example. We always volunteered, and we always gave back,” she said. Bette attended Buffalo State and pursued a career in financial planning.

By 1990, the landscape and industry of Buffalo had changed significantly, and it was ready for its resurgence. That year, John and Bette’s paths first crossed at a ballroom dancing class that led to their marriage two years later. John started his own furniture business in Kenmore, and Bette advanced in her career as a certified financial planner.

Recognizing that our region – now well into its resurgence – has faced new challenges along the way, in 2019, the Hulleys established a second fund, the Hulley WNY Changing Needs Fund, to support the changing needs of Western New York.

Today, both nearly retired, the Hulleys appreciate the Community Foundation’s deep knowledge of Western New York, its investment approach and its good stewardship of their funds.

It gives me peace of mind to know that my charitable dollars now and when I’m gone are in good hands with the Community Foundation.

— Bette Hulley

When it came time to plan for their legacy, the Hulleys turned to the Community Foundation, which Bette was familiar with through her work as a financial planner. They knew they wanted to support causes important to them, including food insecurity and the arts, and established the John Hulley and Elizabeth Rydzynski-Hulley Fund, an endowed fund, in 2011 that would do just that, in their names, forever.

“It gives me peace of mind to know that my charitable dollars now and when I’m gone are in good hands with the Community Foundation,” Bette said.

Read more about our Community Goals and the Change Makers who support the changing needs of Western New York over time on page 15.

← Through their funds at the Community Foundation, John and Elizabeth Hulley support both the changing needs of Western New York and causes that are important to them, including food insecurity. They are pictured here at the Response for Love Center, one of the organizations they support. From left: John Hulley;

Mary Johnice CSSF, Executive Director, Response to Love Center; Mubarak, Employee, Response to Love Center; and Elizabeth Hulley.

Sister

Graduates of Breaking Barriers

Buffalo Together Community Response Fund (BTCRF)

↑ Pictured here are members of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund (BTCRF) Steering Committee, from left: Garnell Whitfield; Thomas Beauford, Jr., Co-Chair; Marie Cannon; and Felicia Beard, who conducted a panel discussion about the BTCRF for Community Foundation clients, professional advisor partners and Board members in October.

“The East Side we envision cannot thrive unless long-time residents are part of its future growth and development,”

said Dr. LaVonne Ansari, Co-Chair of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund (BTCRF) and CEO & Executive Director of Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc.

The BTCRF was established by the Community Foundation and the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County in collaboration with 14 local funding organizations following the horrific mass shooting that took the lives of 10 members of our community on May 14, 2022. For more than a year, the BTCRF’s Steering Committee has been thoughtfully developing an investment strategy that is grounded in input from East Side residents and prioritizes representation of the local community in its implementation. That plan is providing a road map to begin investing the remaining $5.6 million contributed to the BTCRF from more than 100 corporations and foundations, as well as over 2,000 individuals from around the country, to create long-term change.

In 2023, the Steering Committee embarked on an ambitious listening and learning journey with Rainbow Research, a Black-led Minneapolisbased consulting firm, to identify critical issues and develop potential solutions that would be incorporated into the investment strategy. It is important to note that Steering Committee members were chosen based on their insight, experience, connection and commitment to Buffalo’s East Side.

The listening and learning journey included dozens of meetings with hundreds of residents and leaders representing the community, from block clubs to religious leaders to business owners to young leaders. Rainbow Research also utilized local lived experience consultants with deep ties to the East Side to listen and provide key input in the process.

Additionally, the Steering Committee learned about community-led development projects from leaders across the country and visited several cities to see initiatives that address housing and food system challenges. These conversations over the course of the year provided invaluable insight into how community governance models work in other cities and what may or may not work on the East Side to inform the community investment strategy.

“The BTCRF is committed to intentional development that cultivates ownership and creates generational wealth for current community residents,” said Thomas Beauford, Jr., BTCRF Co-Chair and President & CEO of Buffalo Urban League. “This is our vision for our community that we want to drive forward.”

For current progress on the BTCRF, visit BuffaloTogetherFund.org.

→ Rainbow Research team members spent time listening, learning and talking with East Side residents about opportunities for growth.

The Community Foundation has been creating meaningful connections that improve lives in Western New York for more than a century.

As our region evolves with time, so does our work to meet its needs, and we focus forward on areas of impact and community change.

To facilitate this long-term transformative change, the Community Foundation prioritizes its leadership work using community goals developed through a strategic planning process led by the Board of Directors every five years. Our current strategic plan, which took effect in 2023, was informed by interviews with community leaders, a sector survey, focus groups and input from 950 residents experiencing financial hardship, as well as publicly available data.

Our leadership work is made possible by the generosity of our Change Makers who serve as catalysts for change in our community.

WE ENVISION A VIBRANT AND EQUITABLE GREATER BUFFALO REGION WHERE EVERY INDIVIDUAL THRIVES.

The following are our current community goals:

Achieve racial/ethnic equity

Steward significant environmental resources in the context of climate resilience

Promote economic mobility through educational achievement, workforce readiness and access to family-sustaining jobs for residents living in low-income households

Promote regional vibrancy through architecture, arts and culture

The following pages list the individuals called Change Makers who support our changing needs work.

Change Makers establish permanent endowments to address the changing needs of our community over time.

1910s

Mr. & Mrs. George F.

Rand Memorial Fund

1920s

William Henry Andrews Bequest

Lilla B. McCready Bequest

Jacob F. Schoellkopf-Jefferson Penn Fund

1930s

Harry S. Hilliker Bequest

Jacob G. Joseph Bequest

Albert J. Klinck Memorial Fund

Richard C.R. Taggesell Fund

1940s

Louis R. Davidson Bequest

William Hengerer Company Fund

Howard Kellogg Trust

Madeline A. Kraft Bequest

Horace L. Mann Memorial Fund

Horace B. Pomeroy Fund

George F. Rand Bequest

Jacob F. and Wilma S. Schoellkopf Trust

Walter H. Schoellkopf Memorial Fund

1950s

M. Florence Fraley Fund in memory of her son, George K. Fraley, Jr.

Charles & Marion Hahn Fund

Edward H. Letchworth Bequest

Edward H. Letchworth Memorial Fund

C. Edgar & Roberta S. Schabacker Trust

J.F. Schoellkopf Jr. Bequest

Special Fund #7

Ellsworth M. Statler Trust

1960s

Anna May Andrews Trust

Thekla R. Groben Bequest

J.F. Schoellkopf IV Memorial Fund

Edna Foster Smith Bequest

1970s

Josephine Biontolillo Bequest

Jean Knowlton Brown Fund

Martin A. Buecking Bequest

Helen Anderson Cobb Bequest

Herbert F. & Bertha W. Darling Trust

Elizabeth Crosby Gardner Fund

Louise Kimberly Bequest

Ralph Kimberly Bequest

Gretchen Rand Penney Bequest

Philip S. Savage Trust

Catherine Swerdloff Bequest

Henrietta M. Wiley Bequest

Judith Abbott Schoellkopf

Memorial Fund

Ruth and Darwin Schmitt Fund

Albert, Maude & Marion

Schuele Memorial Funds

Charles E. Stewart

Memorial Fund

Mr. & Mrs. Franz T. Stone Trust

Polly Rumsey Wolfe Fund

1990s

1980s

Ina D. Alt Trust

Adrian A. & Betsy B. Bennett Fund

Burtsell-Steuernagel

Memorial Fund

Eldon H. Chaddock Bequest

The D-B Trust

Ruth E. Farrington Bequest

William F. Goodson Bequest

Dr. Harry G. LaForge Bequest

Ida M. Mevius Bequest

Open Key Fund

Howard T. Saperston Sr. Trust

Edward C. Schlenker Trust

Judith Abbott Schoellkopf Fund

Leonard L. & Blanche F. Hank Fund

Daphne Hare Fund

Harvey Family Fund

Kittinger Family Fund

Howard C. Laverack Bequest

Dr. Gustave P. Milkey & Janet B. Milkey Fund

Henry M., Patricia A. & Mary Brainard Naylon Bequest

Virgil A. & Margaret L.

Black Memorial Fund

Walter L. Byram Bequest

Sonja H. & Carlton P.

Cooke Jr. Fund

Damon Family Fund

Holly Augspurger

Donaldson Fund

Marjorie & Mary Louise

Emerson Bequest

Peter J. Ferraro Memorial Fund

Fuzak Family/Joan M. & Victor T. Fuzak Fund

G. R. S. Fund

William J.C. & Louise Grupp Memorial Fund

Pearl B. & J. Lawrence

Osborne Memorial Fund

Braman Pomeroy Trust

Natalie Kubera Roth Fund

Gretchen L. & A. Warren Smith

Jr. Changing Needs Fund

Evelyn Stiem Fund

William L. Van Schoonhoven Fund

Wadsworth Fund

William B. Walsh Trust Fund

Eileen and Rupert Warren Charitable Fund

Bernard D. Welt & Ida Z. Welt Fund

Betty Ball Wilder Fund

← In 1919, Edward Letchworth was asked by his client, George F. Rand, Sr., to learn about the concept of community foundations and bring the idea to Buffalo. Edward, a Harvard-educated attorney who worked with Phillips Lytle, shared his legal talent with the Community Foundation from its inception in 1919 until 1958.

Recognizing that Western New York’s needs would change over time, Edward established the Edward H. Letchworth Bequest at the Community Foundation, a changing needs fund that continues to do good in Western New York today, more than 65 years after his passing.

2000s

Anonymous

Elizabeth & John

Angelbeck Foundation

Henry E. & Susan W.

Beamer Endowment Fund

Thelma L. & Milfred R. Beck Fund

Charles A. & Anne L. Bird Fund

Stanley A. Brzezinski Memorial Fund

Michael R. Butler & Glenys Maschoff Butler Fund

Betty Crump Fund

M. Dolores Denman Fund for Community Needs

Heather J. DePaolo-Johnny Memorial Fund

DePerno Family Fund

Eastern Niagara Fund

Barbara Ennis

Endowment Fund

June Farrington Fund

Fischle-Laesser Endowment Fund

Fisher Family Fund

George Family Foundation

Gordon R. & Gretchen S.

Gross Family Fund

Grover & Isabel James Fund

D. Bruce and Gail

Johnstone Fund

Gail Johnstone

Community Leadership Fund

A. David & Heather M.

Jones Advisory Fund

Kreher Family Fund

William F. Long Fund

Arlene & Ruth Mathews Fund

Melson Fund

Niagara Area Foundation Endowment Fund

Norma E. Pfeifer Fund

Herman Spiegel & Amanda Spiegel Memorial Fund

Rosemarie C. Steeb Endowment Fund

Evelyn Swarts Fund

Marjorie and Charles

Van Arsdale Family Fund

Kuang Mei Wang Fund

Alyne D. White Bequest

Wyoming Foundation Endowment Fund

2010s

Anonymous (2)

James & Kristin Allen Fund

Sheriff Michael S. Amico Fund

Joyce & Stuart Angert Philanthropic Fund

Lawrence M. Appleby Fund

Charles and Ione Arrick Charitable Fund

Beard Family – In Honor of Michael Dorian Beard

Belmore Hicks Bridgford Fund

Edna L. Carroll Trust

Centennial Changing Needs Endowment Fund

Beuline Crawford Bequest

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker & Adrian F. Dedecker III

Centennial Endowment

Elizabeth Deichman Fund

Virginia Deuel Memorial Fund

Paul P. Dosberg Charitable Fund

Mary Alice and Ross Jay Eckert Fund

Worth L. Farrington Fund

George Byron Fisher Fund

The Gregory Family Fund

Gross Family Fund

Ilene N. Hein Fund

John Hulley & Elizabeth

Rydzynski-Hulley Fund

Hulley WNY Changing Needs Fund

H. Reed Hunt Fund

Kucera – Graham Family Foundation

Langley Family Fund

Edmond & Margaretha

Lawrence Fund

Sally S. Lenahan Bequest

Angelo and Barbara

Liberatore Family Fund

The Mathews Family Fund

Frank Mesiah

Family Legacy Fund

The Michael E. and Lorrie

Chamberlain Munschauer

Centennial Fund

Normandy Fund

Donald A. Pause Fund

Lois and Thomas Pause

Charitable Fund

Pieroni Greco Family Fund

Reed Family Fund

Gerald F. and Karen Reger

Centennial Changing Needs Endowment

The Thomas K. Singer

Charitable Trust

SJM3 Fund

The Stockton Family

Changing Needs Fund

Jim Y. and Emilia M. Tou Foundation

Vogt Family Foundation Fund for WNY

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for the Community Foundation

When my son passed, my family wanted to start an endowment in his name because he was always doing things to help people, and we wanted that to continue. The Community Foundation is open, friendly and helpful in giving advice.

— Mary Beard

2020s

Lucas, Clayton, and Gabrielle Baumgart

Changing Needs Endowment

Peter W. Bridgford Trust

Rose M. Bridwell Bequest

Amico Castiglione

Charitable Fund

Peter C. Cornell Trust for WNY

Cox-Conant Fund

Joan B. and James L.

Crane, Jr. Fund

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker

Change Maker Fund

Detwiler Family Changing Needs Fund

Isabel R. Hunt Bequest

Raymond and Maryann Laks Foundation

William and Janet Long Fund

Anthony D. Mancinelli Fund

Jean "Gigi" McKeown

Community Service Endowment Fund

Leonard and Lillian Meiselman Legacy Fund

Operation Dinner Out Fund

Malcolm Strachan Bequest

Turin Fund

Arthur Wilk Bequest

Virginia Ziebarth Fund

Annual Change Makers are individuals who gave a gift in 2023 to support the changing needs of our community over time.

Anonymous (2)

Dr. Tamara Alsace

Joyce & Stuart Angert Philanthropic Fund

Ms. Cynthia Appleton

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen C. Ash

Attica Lions Club

Mr. Teo & Mrs. Jennifer Balbach

Barr Foundation

Ms. Melissa Baumgart

Ms. Nancy G. Berg

Mr. Denis and Mrs. Nancy Berwanger

Mr. David J. Blesy

Charities Aid Foundation America

Ms. Frances Cox

Ms. C. Elizabeth Crump

Ms. Laurie Dann and Mr. Tom C. Hunt

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker

Change Maker Fund

Ms. Marie Elena Deeney

Mr. David and Mrs. Sandra DeLavergne

Ms. Mary Lou Detwiler

Mr. Bob Dewey and Mrs. Pamela Van Arsdale

Ms. Barbara Dominesey

Dr. Bonita Durand

Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Laura Dutton

Eastern Hills

Sunrise Rotary Club

Eaton-Watson Funeral Home, LLC.

Sandra R. Eck

Mary Alice and Ross Jay Eckert Fund

Mr. Owen and Mrs. Judith Eddy

Excel Fence, Inc.

Mr. Steven Finch

Mr. Robert Firestine

Mr. Theron Foote

The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies c/o

Michael Cohen Fund

Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Deborah Franco

Mr. James and Mrs. Marjorie Fulmer

Ms. Dottie Gallagher

Eugene Gardner

Scott A. Gardner

Mr. Daniel Gerstman and Ms. Sharon Stern Gerstman

Greene Family Trust

Mr. Michael and Mrs. Patricia Griffith

Pete Grum

← In October, the Community Foundation hosted its Impact Tour for clients, Board members and professional advisor partners. During the three-stop tour, guests heard from panels on topics including how the Racial Equity Roundtable’s Youth Employment Coalition is coordinating equitable career pathways for our youth. Pictured here, from left: Zamoni Johnson, CareerWise Greater Buffalo apprentice, M&T Bank; Glenn Jackson, Chief Diversity Officer, M&T Bank; David Rust, Chief Executive Officer, Say Yes Buffalo; and Jerrell Mason, Senior Director, Buffalo Futures.

Ms. Amy Habib Rittling

Mr. Owen Herne

Mr. Ralph and Ms. Kathryn Houseknecht

Carolyn Human

Ms. Gail Humphrey

Ms. Patricia Humphrey

Isabel R. Hunt*

In. Site: Architecture, LLP

Mrs. Alice F. Jacobs

Cheryl A. Jankowski, CPA

Mr. Robert and Mrs. Carol Johnson

Mr. Jeffrey and Mrs. Susan Katz

Mr. Keith D. and Mrs. Mary E. Kibler

Ms. Sandra Kushner

Mr. Lloyd and Mrs. Rebecca Lane

Myra S. Lawrence

Lynch Park Associates, Inc.

Mr. Timothy and Mrs. Carolyn Lyons

Ruth Mathews

Mr. Gerard and

Mrs. Barb Mazurkiewicz

Ms. Joyce Metcalf

John and Katherine Metzger

Ms. Cheryl Miller

Ms. Joan B. Mokdessi

Mrs. Alex Montante

Michael & Lorrie Munschauer

Mrs. Barbara Myers

Mr. David H. Nelson, Esq.

Ms. Jennifer Pauly

Mr. Hal D. Payne

Ms. Emily Procknal

Ms. Linda Purdy

Dr. J. Thomas and Mrs. Mary Reagan

Robinson and Hackemer

Funeral Home, Inc.

Mr. Luis A. Rodriguez, Jr.

Mary F. Rudgers

Hon. Rose H. Sconiers

The Mark L. Serventi

Family Foundation

Ms. Gail Shadbolt

Mr. John and Mrs. Elaine Sluka

Ms. Eleanor Smith

John Somers

Dr. Richard A. Stockton, Jr.

Malcolm Strachan*

Mr. Edward and Mrs. Beverly Strusa

Ms. Lorraine Sturm

Dr. Joan M. Sulewski

Richard & Nancy Swanson

Swiss Valley Farms LLC

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County

V.J. Gautieri Constructors, Inc.

Ms. Sara Van Arsdale Bliss

Mr. James H. Van Arsdale IV

Mr. George VanArsdale and

Ms. Elizabeth Osta

Mr. Richard and

Mrs. Maria Walczak

Ward & Kutzuba PLLC

Ms. Nancy W. Ware

Mr. Ronald Wert

Arthur Wilk*

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Ms. Cory Zoeller

↑ In April, members of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable’s Reentry Coalition toured the Hampden County jail in Ludlow, Massachusetts. This national best practice Reentry Program has been in operation under the leadership of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department for more than 30 years. This visit will help inform program development and enhancement within the Erie County jail management system. Erie County’s Service Link Stop, a one-stop shop for reentering individuals, located at 120 West Eagle Street, was designed based on a 2018 visit to Hampden County.

Pictured above:

Back row, from left: Michael Phillips, Superintendent of the Erie County Sheriff ’s Office; Pastor Charles Walker, Program Director at Back to Basics Outreach Ministries; Sherene Bennett, Director, Erie County Service Link Stop.

*Deceased

Front row, from left: Julianna Everdyke, Director of Dual Recovery and Community Integration at Coordinated Care Services, Inc.; Lindsey Allen, Director of Community Programs at Peaceprints of WNY; Lisa Chimera, Deputy Erie County Executive; Lt. Jennifer Howell, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, New Dawn Initiative; Felicia Beard, Associate Vice President, Racial Equity Initiatives at the Community Foundation; Thomas Diina, Chief Reintegration Officer, Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Co-Chair of the Reentry Coalition; and Mark O’Brien, Commissioner, Erie County Department of Mental Health and Co-Chair of the Reentry Coalition.

Buffalo Futures

↑ In July, the Racial Equity Roundtable's Youth Employment Coalition launched Buffalo Futures with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the SUNY Erie Campus at 45 Oak Street. The initiative is a collaborative effort created to connect young people ages 16–24 with high-demand career pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and have low barriers to entry in the Greater Buffalo area.

Unlocking the potential of our communityʼs aspiring young professionals is key to future economic growth in our region.

The Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtableʼs Youth Employment Coalition (YEC) has worked tirelessly to find solutions that are grounded in data and rooted in collaboration to address the challenges these young people are facing.

In 2023, the YEC launched Buffalo Futures, a collaborative and cross-sector initiative created to connect young people ages 16–24 with high-demand career pathways that offer family-sustaining wages and have low barriers to entry in the Greater Buffalo area. The focus of Buffalo Futures is to serve a previously unmet need in the region – the nearly 7,400 people in that age bracket that are disconnected, meaning not in school or working.

“For some aspiring young professionals in our area, plans to finish high school or attend college were interrupted, many times by forces beyond their control. Buffalo Futures was designed to meet these bright, talented and creative young people where they are in life and help them find the right career pathway filled with opportunity for growth,” said Jerrell Mason, Senior Director, Buffalo Futures.

The free Buffalo Futures online tool, at BuffaloFutures.com, is the first of its kind in the country, designed as a mobile-first platform to serve as a connection point for aspiring young professionals, local employers and local training providers. Job seekers can create a profile on the website and, through a skills and interest quiz, are matched to a career path with current job opportunities with employers in the Greater Buffalo area. They are then able to explore details about jobs in that pathway, like the salaries and training requirements needed to ensure eligibility for the jobs.

Buffalo Futures encourages follow-up with virtual or in-person meetings at its physical site, located at 45 Oak Street at SUNY Erie’s downtown campus. The Buffalo Futures team assists with career assessments, coaching, mock interviews, networking, program referrals and more.

Youth meet with peer mentors like Leah Strong, who gather information to pass along to the success coaches. “In my role, I bridge the gap between the disconnected youth, Buffalo Futures and all the surrounding organizations as well,” Leah said.

A graduate of Niagara Falls High School who is currently studying at SUNY Erie to become a clinical lab tech, Leah immediately understood the need that Buffalo Futures is helping meet

and cited an example of a youth that Buffalo Futures has successfully worked with. “A young man came in who had dropped out of the 12th grade and didn’t have his learner’s permit. We were able to connect him with the GED program and driving classes,” she said.

“We know that investing in our young people is investing in our future, and we want to ensure the next generation of our city’s workforce has access to the right resources to succeed. That’s what Buffalo Futures was created to do,” said Jerrell.

To learn more about Buffalo Futures, visit BuffaloFutures.com.

↑ Jerrell Mason, Senior Director, Buffalo Futures, talks with media on the day of the launch of Buffalo Futures, which helps aspiring professionals identify, explore and pursue local, high-demand career pathways.

We know that investing in our young people is investing in our future, and we want to ensure the next generation of our city’s workforce has access to the right resources to succeed. That’s what Buffalo Futures was created to do.

— Jerrell Mason

“Building trusted relationships is foundational to the Racial Equity Roundtable’s work to achieve an expanded, inclusive economy. When you foster trust around a table, you open the doors to collaboration to create solutions, which can lead to true systems change in our community,” said Hon. Rose H. Sconiers, Chair of the Racial Equity Roundtable.

Collaboration, trust and partnership set the stage for the Roundtable’s long-term systems change work with its more than 350 community partners. By working in coordinated ways, the Roundtable, convened by the Community Foundation, is focused on a 10-point strategic agenda to close racial equity gaps in our community, intentionally focused on changing systems by changing policies, practices and procedures.

These pages share highlights from some of the Roundtable’s initiatives. To read about all 10 initiatives, please visit RacialEquityBuffalo.org.

BUSINESS LEADERS TASK

FORCE

With a goal of creating more inclusive workplace practices, the Business Leaders Task Force (BLTF) includes 14 major local employers: Catholic Health, City of Buffalo, Erie County Medical Center, Highmark Western and Northeastern NY, Independent Health, Kaleida Health, KeyBank, M&T Bank, Moog, Rich Products, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, SUNY Buffalo State, University at Buffalo and

Wegmans; it also includes three community partners: Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the Community Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

The BLTF established the Buffalo Purchasing Initiative (BPI) to create a convening resource for sharing strategies around inclusive procurement practices and to increase contracts and purchase orders for businesses owned by people of color. Since it began four years ago, the spend with local businesses of color has increased by almost $60 million.

Scan the QR code to learn more about how Mauricio Canton-Diaz coordinates the initiative for major employers and connects them with small businesses owned by people of color.

↓ In October, the Community Foundation hosted its 2023 Impact Bus Tour with a theme of "Coordinating equitable pathways to economic growth."

Pictured here, from left: Mauricio Canton-Diaz, BPI Program Director; Ed Moore, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Rich Products, and BLTF Chair; David Marshall, Owner, Marshall’s Master Cleaning Plus; and Betsy Constantine, President/CEO, Community Foundation.

JUVENILE JUSTICE WORKS

“Relationships, relationships, relationships!” That is what Dina Thompson says is the key to restorative justice. “It’s about building, restoring, maintaining and healing relationships.”

In her role as Executive Director of Erie County Restorative Justice Coalition, Dina partners with the Roundtable’s Juvenile Justice Works (JJW), an initiative focused on reducing contact with and improving outcomes resulting from juvenile justice systems to advance equitable outcomes for young people. This coalition is comprised of 35 partners, including Buffalo Public Schools (BPS), the Erie County Probation Department and the Buffalo Police Department.

In 2023, JJW completed a two-year pilot to implement restorative justice practices in BPS, which resulted in the development of positive relationships between students, parents and staff, and a decrease in short-term suspensions in the five pilot schools.

Additionally, JJW began a three-part restorative justice series with the Erie County District Attorney’s office to find a solution to the dramatic increase in car thefts. It includes a restorative conversation in a circle format with the responsible youth, community members and police officers, and connecting youth with organizations, service providers and potential employment, based on their needs.

NARRATIVE CHANGE

For generations, people have been told what other communities were like, without having any lived, first-hand experience with diverse populations. Those teachings have often unfairly shaped negative perceptions of people of color and is something the Racial Equity Roundtable’s Narrative Change workgroup hopes to change.

The Narrative Change workgroup is developing an accurate, authentic and just narrative to communicate the work of the Racial Equity Roundtable through all of the Roundtable’s initiatives.

To illustrate this, in 2023, the workgroup invited all 350 partners together for the Racial Equity Roundtable Partner Event, held at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. This engaging evening showcased all of the Roundtable’s initiatives through interactive art activities and networking opportunities. The Roundtable’s new logo was also unveiled for the first time that evening.

“Amazing things happen here.”

Those words adorn the walls of Say Yes Buffaloʼs new Little Scholars classrooms, along with sensory tables, arts and crafts spaces, and family walls that celebrate the diverse backgrounds and lifestyles of its students.

Launched in March 2023 in partnership with Buffalo Public Schools and Erie County, Little Scholars is a pre-K readiness program for three-year-old children in our community. It specifically focuses on those whose families are eligible for the daycare subsidy and reside in a “daycare desert,” where the number of eligible children exceeds the number of seats available, directly supporting Say Yes Buffalo’s cradle-to-career continuum for Buffalo students.

“Little Scholars focuses on families who are looking for spaces where there's a combination of purposeful learning through play, socio-emotional development and pre-K readiness,” explained Gellenia Smallwood, Senior Director of Early Childhood Services at Say Yes Buffalo, who spent six years bringing

→ Three year olds participate in Say Yes Buffalo’s Little Scholars, a pre-K readiness program launched in March 2023.

the idea to fruition. “The goal is to help our babies understand how to communicate their feelings, get them adjusted to school buildings, and get the schools acclimated to receiving the students and working with their families.”

Licensed as daycare-regulated classrooms in Buffalo Public School buildings, each of the six current locations serves 14 students with three staff, with more locations planned for 2024 as part of the three-year pilot phase.

A full-year program, Little Scholars runs a six-week summer prep session as students transition to their pre-K classrooms with automatic enrollment into the district's fouryear-old Universal Pre-kindergarten (UPK) classrooms, reducing some of the barriers that come along with registering students for school for the first time. This also includes home visits to support and engage families so they can be invested in their child's education.

After the initial program launch, all students in the first two Little Scholars classrooms –at West Hertel Community School 94 and Community School 59 at the Dr. Charles R.

Drew Science Magnet School – successfully matriculated into their four-year-old UPK classroom for the 2023–24 school year.

Looking ahead, Gellenia hopes to deepen Say Yes Buffalo’s partnerships with other early childhood professionals in our community to shine the light on what is needed to really prepare children for pre-K, including taking a holistic approach of preparing the families and having schools see what is needed to wrap these littlest learners with supports. Gellenia also acknowledges the great work of homebased and center-based daycare providers, many who have partnered with Say Yes for summer camp and virtual learning centers.

“Little Scholars is about preparing these kids so they can be ‘pre-K ready their own way,’” Gellenia said. “It’s not going to be standardized across the board. We know what the expectations are, but we acknowledge and celebrate the growth that each child has individually.”

LEAD POISONING

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force

With over 90 percent of Buffaloʼs housing built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned, lead poisoning, most often caused by chipping and peeling paint, continues to be a major challenge faced by many of our cityʼs residents. Especially dangerous for children under age six, lead poisoning is 100 percent preventable.

To address this, the Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force was convened by the Community Foundation in 2018 to carry out the recommendations of a comprehensive study of lead poisoning in Buffalo. Findings of the study showed 80 percent of lead poisoning occurs in rental singles and doubles. As a result, the Task Force focused on increasing inspections of those properties and advocated for the passage of City legislation to require regular inspections focused on home health and safety.

In 2023, the Community Foundation committed a $1 million investment over five years to implement the Task Force’s new strategic plan, including amplifying the voices of parents with young children, increasing the volume of grassroots engagement and engaging a broad array of stakeholders in making Buffalo lead-safe.

Serving as the hub for the Task Force work is Home HeadQuarters, the administrator of the $3.5 million Landlord Loan Fund, a loan and

grant program to help Buffalo landlords address lead exposure hazards on their properties. Today, the Task Force has tripled in membership and a steering committee is expanding to include the voice of families affected by lead poisoning.

Other 2023 accomplishments of the Task Force include:

Relaunching an expanded and updated GetAheadOfLead.org to centralize lead information for parents to help them identify lead hazards and direct them to resources, as well as help property owners understand regulations on lead hazards and assist them to secure resources for remediation. Part of the relaunch included an advertising campaign to direct people to the website.

Grants of $7,500 each were awarded to four organizations that work with families with young children. Mini-grants support organizations to invite families to share their challenges and co-create solutions. Heart of the City is coordinating this work.

A new workgroup is advocating for policies that protect children from exposure to lead hazards. Since the majority of lead poisoning is caused by deteriorated lead-based paint, code enforcement is critical, including everything from inspections and violations to housing court and resolution. The group has worked closely with the Erie County Department of Health and City of Buffalo Housing Court to improve the Court’s ability to enforce lead violations and ensure lead hazards are remediated.

To learn more about the resources available to help combat lead poisoning in our community, visit GetAheadOfLead.org.

← Pictured here is Ayat, a Buffalo landlord who received financial assistance to help protect his family with new lead-safe windows, doors and siding.

From providing meaningful educational experiences to celebrating outstanding individuals who are paying it forward, the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative (CGLI) continues to focus on lifting up our youth of color and providing unique opportunities that help them soar.

In 2023, the CGLI dedicated a one-time competitive grant process, made possible through the generosity of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to supporting the Buffalo community most directly impacted by the horrific racially motivated mass shooting on May 14, 2022, with preference given to Black-led organizations. Awards totaling $30,000 were awarded to four nonprofit organizations serving youth ages 10 to 17 in the 14208 or 14209 zip codes: Back to Basics Outreach Ministries, Buffalo Inner City Ballet, Home Beneath Our Feet, and SOLID Foundation Prep. The grant supported Home Beneath Our Feet’s Summer Growth Program, which provides platforms for underserved youth to become the best version of themselves, using STEM, agriculture and holistic education initiatives to address financial literacy, academic achievement, behavioral health,

violence prevention, food insecurity and community engagement among at-risk youth on Buffalo’s East Side.

Dwight Lowe, Founder and Executive Director of Home Beneath Our Feet, noted that the impact of the grant extends far beyond the summer months. “It has empowered our youth to develop skills and knowledge that will serve them well into the future, contributing to the overall well-being of our community,” he said.

Other 2023 highlights of the CGLI include:

Celebrating four high school juniors who completed The Young Philanthropists 2023 program at a Capstone Ceremony, during which youth had the opportunity to award $1,500 grants to Confident Girl Mentoring Program and Home Beneath Our Feet, and expanding the program to include a senior cohort for 2023–24.

Sending eight high school students to Washington, D.C., through the Close Up program, where they learned about government and democracy and engaged with peers from around the world.

Recognizing individuals who demonstrate exemplary community service, civic engagement or volunteerism to honor the legacy of the late Judge Hugh B. Scott –the 2023 honorees were Isaac De Los Santos and Sinclair Maclin.

Honoring local trailblazers at the annual Pay It Forward Awards, which recognize personal and professional accomplishments and how those actions increase philanthropy in communities of color – the 2023 honorees were Alexsandra Lopez and Maritza Vega.

To learn more about how the CGLI is cultivating positive change for youth of color in Western New York, visit thecgli.org.

Scan the QR code to watch a video with highlights from the Close Up program’s trip to Washington, D.C.

↑ Oswaldo Mestre, Jr., CGLI Chair, presents Dwight Lowe, Founder and Executive Director of Home Beneath Our Feet, a recipient of the one-time CGLI competitive grant, with a check at the Pay It Forward Awards.

The Community Foundationʼs Investment Committee has oversight of more than $800 million in charitable assets. Members of the Committee are specifically recruited because of their knowledge of investments. They receive advice throughout the year from our independent investment consulting firm, Crewcial Partners LLC, which specializes in advising large endowments and foundations nationwide.

Together, they work to allocate the charitable assets entrusted to the Community Foundation’s care into a highly diversified mix of global equities, fixed income and alternative investment strategies. This includes more than 60 different investment management organizations pursuing strategies within 11 different asset classes. Within each asset class, the Community Foundation seeks to utilize world-class investment managers with the goal of outperforming appropriate target market benchmarks over long periods. The Committee remains focused on maintaining a prudent strategy that is consistently executed.

2023 INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Jennifer Chalmers Balbach Committee Chair & Board Member

Jennifer Chalmers Balbach Committee Chair & Board Member

David Blesy, CPA Board Member

David Blesy, CPA Board Member

Darby Fishkin, CPA Board Member

Darby Fishkin, CPA Board Member

Pete Grum Board Member

Pete Grum Board Member

Luke Jacobs Former Board Member

Luke Jacobs Former Board Member

Bill Joyce Former Committee Chair & Former Board Chair

Bill Joyce Former Committee Chair & Former Board Chair

Gerard Mazurkiewicz, CPA Former Board Chair

Gerard Mazurkiewicz, CPA Former Committee Chair & Former Board Chair

Michael Munschauer, CFP

Michael Munschauer, CFP

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

The investments of the Community Foundation regularly outperform our benchmarks, on average adding 7.3 percent per year over the past 20 years.

Investing in the Community Foundation portfolio provides stability and growth over time. This growth provides significant value to the charitable assets entrusted to the Community Foundation. Long-term returns have been well above market benchmarks and regularly perform in the top 25 percent of endowments and foundations.*

For updated information, visit cfgb.org.

*Per the MSCI InvestorForce Endowments and Foundations Index.

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2023

The size of the Community Foundationʼs investment pool allows us to have a highly diversified portfolio with access to a full range of asset classes and top investment managers, increasing the likelihood of exceeding performance objectives under varying economic and market conditions.

The Community Foundation received an unmodified (clean) audit opinion on its most recently issued audited financial statements. Audited financial statements are available at cfgb.org or by request.

Please contact Emily Wyckoff, Vice President, Giving Strategies, at (716) 852-2857, ext. 217.

HOW WILL YOU BE REMEMBERED?

When you create an endowment fund through the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, you can support the community you love, in your name, forever.

YOUR GIFT IS INVESTED OVER TIME.

Earnings from your endowment fund are granted to support organizations and needs in the community, based on your direction.

YOUR LEGACY IS ENSURED.

Clients who endow gifts can make a difference in their communities during their lifetimes and, at the same time, establish legacies that last forever.

HOW IT WORKS.

This endowment was established with $2.1 million in 1978 through a legacy gift (bequest) to the Community Foundation from a parent in honor of his son, who died tragically as a young man. Today, decades after both father and son have passed on, the initial gift has more than tripled to $8.2 million, all while giving $10.3 million in grants to the organizations they cared about. The fund will continue to honor this family’s charitable giving legacy by making grants to their favorite organizations in their name, forever.

LEARN MORE.

Please contact Emily Wyckoff, Vice President, Giving Strategies, at (716) 852-2857, ext. 217.

For more than 100 years, the Community Foundation has worked alongside attorneys, accountants and financial professionals to create customized solutions with highlevel client service that structure giving and best achieve their clientsʼ charitable goals.

The Community Foundation offers proven success in investment performance that regularly outperforms target market benchmarks and a cost-effective partnership to make the most of professional advisorsʼ clientsʼ generosity today, tomorrow and forever.

The following are professional advisors we collaborated with in 2022 and 2023.

Wyatt R. Arthurs, CFP

Ashley E. Bauer, CPA

Andrew Borowski, CPA

David R. Burgio, CPA, PFS

Daniel Byles-Smith, CPA, CFP

Jill E. Colombo, CPA

Carolyn L. DeVaughn, Esq.

David D. Fenster, Esq.

Lawrence C. Franco, Esq.

Scott A. Gardner

Frederick J. Gawronski

Patricia A. George, Esq.

F. James Ginnane, CLU, CFP

Nicholas G. Gnacinski

Christina L. Good, Esq.

Linda Stravalaci Grear, Esq.

Kenneth A. Grossberg, Esq.

Robert P. Ingrasci, CPA

Laura L. Jabrucki

Cheryl A. Jankowski, CPA

Jeffrey H. Katz, Esq.

Zachary Kieser, Esq.

David J. Luzon, Esq.

Christine Mathieu

Patrick T. McGuire, J.D., CPFA

Nicole N. Mutignani, Esq.

Michē C. Needham, CPA

Paul T. Nesper, Esq.

Andrew J. Pace

Andrew J. Pitt, CPA

Jamie M. Smith, Esq.

Mark A. Stebbins, CPA

Catherine T. Wettlaufer, Esq.

Some clients have specific goals and the Community Foundation can help meet the goals.

Others will say, ‘I have a charitable intention and maybe I want those funds allocated so that charitable objectives are met,’ but they're unsure what those are. So the initiatives that the Community Foundation have are important. Along with the investment options, the way that the funds are managed, the historical performance and the diversification – all of that is really important to have under one umbrella.

— Greg Urban, CPA, Dopkins & Company

Our Professional Advisor Council is a group of accountants, attorneys and financial professionals who work toward gaining a deeper understanding of the Community Foundation’s services and its role in Western New York and provide feedback to enhance its ability to be a preeminent resource on charitable giving for the professional advisor field.

→ Pictured here is the Professional Advisor Council, from left: Carolyn DeVaughn, Mark Stebbins, Eric Soro, Andrew Borowski, Ashley Bauer, Kenneth Grossberg, Linda Stravalaci Grear, Dan Byles-Smith, Cheryl Jankowski and David Burgio.

Niagara County is a majestic region with so much to see and do for visitors and residents alike. To make a positive impact in the county, the Niagara Area Foundation (NAF) was established in 2000 as a division of the Community Foundation with a goal to provide support for nonprofit organizations and philanthropic initiatives for Niagara County residents.

In 2023, through the collective generosity of its clients, the NAF announced awards totaling more than $60,000 to eight Niagara area nonprofit organizations: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northtowns of WNY; Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper; Francis Center; Kenan Center; New Directions Youth and Family Services; Niagara Falls Boys & Girls Club; WAHI Studio; and Western New York Land Conservancy.

The grants will support programs with maximum positive impact in Niagara County that align with one of the Council’s two goals:

Youth Enrichment: To build stronger communities through the enrichment of youth, positive youth development and equity and inclusion.

Environment: To support and enhance education and awareness about the importance and creation of a healthy, vibrant and safe ecosystem for Niagara County residents.

Since it was established in 2000, the NAF has awarded more than $4.6 million in grants to numerous organizations located in – and supporting – the Niagara region. The NAF has also grown its assets to more than $8.5 million with more than 35 funds under its umbrella.

NIAGARA AREA FOUNDATION FUNDS

Henry E. & Susan W. Beamer Endowment Fund

Thelma L. & Milfred R. Beck Fund

Martha H. Beeman and Judge

William L. Kellick Endowment Fund

The Lorraine M. & Eugene P. Brady Memorial Scholarship Trust

Barbara C. and Edward M.

BRI-NK Foundation

Agnes Clarke Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund

Stanley A. Brzezinski Memorial Fund

Jerry and Liz Canada Fund

Joanne and Franklyn Collins Fund

Eugene A. DeFelice, M.D. & Maryanne Harvey Fund

Eastern Niagara Fund

Ross & Mary Alice Eckert Fund

Barbara Ennis Endowment Fund

Grace Foundation

Theresa Elizabeth Insana Memorial Scholarship Fund

Laird Family Foundation

Lockport Public Library Endowment Fund

Stephen C. McKinney Scholarship Fund

Joseph and Riva Mehr Fund

Niagara Area Foundation Endowment Fund

Niagara Education Foundation Fund

Fund for Niagara Hospice

Elsie & Eugene Oliver Memorial Scholarship Trust

Our Lady of Lebanon Fund

Patricia L. Parkinson Scholarship Fund

Positive Youth Development Philanthropic Fund

The Thomas K. Singer Charitable Trust

Daunt & Irene Stenzel Scholarship Fund

Jacklin B. Stopp Bequest

Fern J. White & Neva A. Jackling Scholarship Fund

Wilson Free Library Forever Friends Endowment Fund

Youngstown Free Library Foundation

YWCA of Niagara Fund

YWCA of Niagara Munk/Human Memorial Scholarship Trust

YWCA of Niagara Ruth N. Downes Fund for Domestic Violence

→ Niagara Area Foundation Council members (pictured here), clients and guests met for a September Social at the Niagara Falls Country Club. Attendees heard updates about the Niagara Area Foundation and its commitment to strengthening Niagara County by addressing critical needs to improve lives.

Wyoming County is a place of fabled history and exceptional natural beauty. In addition to the countless visitors it hosts each year, it is home to nearly 40,000 people.

To improve the lives of its residents, the Wyoming Foundation was created in 1976 by Dr. James MacCallum. Today, as a division of the Community Foundation, it continues to serve as a trusted partner to provide deep local knowledge and a vehicle through which individuals give to causes and organizations they care about. In addition to the work that the Wyoming Foundation does assisting generous individuals and families make a difference through their giving, each year it runs a competitive grants process where funding is distributed to support local nonprofit organizations.

In 2023, the Wyoming Foundation announced awards totaling more than $21,000 to six Wyoming County nonprofit organizations for its 2023 grant cycle. Grants were awarded to programs in Wyoming County with a preference for requests that either increase job readiness for youth or connect residents to the County’s arts and cultural gems. The awardees include Arts Council for Wyoming County, Eagle Free Library, Perry Rotary Foundation/Perry Family Literacy Center, Shake on the Lake, WNY Rural Area Health Education Center, and Wyoming Free Circulating Library.

Additionally, a new strategic plan will be rolled out in 2024. The plan will inform the work of the Wyoming Foundation, including its 2024 competitive grants process.

WYOMING FOUNDATION FUNDS

Michael & Elaine Almeter Fund

Lawrence M. Appleby Fund

Leonard M. Barkin

Environmental Conservation Trust for Youth

Dr. Charles E. Bartlett

Memorial Essay Contest

Russell C. Christ Jr. Fund

James and Ethel DeAmesy Fund

DeLaVergne Family Fund

Sam and Cherie Gullo Foundation

Katharine Pingrey Hopkins

Memorial Scholarship Fund

Mabel Mason Fund

Middlebury Historical Society Fund

Mr. and Mrs. George Schaumleffel Scholarship Fund

Silver Lake Institute Fund

Mark E. Strome Scholarship Fund

Marjorie and Charles Van Arsdale Family Fund

Marjorie Z. Van Arsdale Fund

Warsaw Cemetery Nevinger Fund

Gary Weidman Fund

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center Fund

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center –Scholarship Fund

Wyoming Foundation Endowment Fund

Wyoming Free Library Fund

↓ In June, Wyoming Foundation Council members met at the Wyoming County Agriculture and Business Center in Warsaw, with some members joining virtually, for a strategic planning session.

Mr. Paul Carroll

Joanne Castellani & Michael Andriaccio

Jerry* & Barbara Castiglia

Dr. Irwin H. Cheskin* & Mr. Edward Koryl

The Community Foundation Legacy Society was created in 1999 to acknowledge individuals who have committed to supporting the community in the future through a planned gift. According to their specific directions, the Community Foundation will support the organizations, issues and communities these individuals care about, in their names, forever, in Western New York and beyond.

Anonymous (11)

Mr. Edward Adamczyk

Richard B. Adams

Robert A. & Ruth E. Allen*

Mr. & Mrs. H. John Angelbeck

Mr. Lawrence Appleby*

Mr. & Mrs. C. Dixon Arrick*

Mr. Stephen C. and Mrs. Eleanor C. Ash

Jeff Bagel & Maryalice Nowak

Mr. Charles E. Balbach

Ms. Mary L. Banks

Allene C. Barans

Ms. Linda M. Basher

Marion* and Alan Baumgardner

Henry & Susan Beamer

Thomas R. & Judy* Beecher

Ms. Dianne Bennett & Mr. William Graebner

Mr. Harry J. Beu*

Dr. Mary H. Botsford*

Mr. James A. Bourne

Mr. Richard W. Bowen*

Mr. Davis Bradley

John F. Briggs

Ms. Mary L. Brink

Mr. & Mrs. Gary M. Brost

Jean M. Brown*

Keirn C. Brown, Sr.*

Mr. & Mrs. Henry W. Bruner

Ruth D. Bryant

Mr.* & Mrs. Charles Burdette

Jane & Jerry Burzynski

Michael & Glenys Butler*

Mr. Lewis Buttery

Martha Buyer, Esq.

Mrs. Helen M. Callan*

Mr. John M. Callan

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cardamone

Leslie Carraway & B.J.* Verts

Ms. Mary E. Clemesha*

Robert & Patricia Colby*

Robert T.* & Sylvia R. Coles

Carmela M. & Anthony* J. Colucci, Jr.

Elizabeth B. Conant, Ph.D.* & Camille Cox

Mrs. James L. Crane, Jr.*

Ms. Beuline Crawford*

Ms. C. Elizabeth Crump

Mrs. Wilma T. Csont*

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Cyran*

Mr. & Mrs. Matthew J. Czajka

Eleanor C. Daigler

Chet & Delight Dann*

Ms. Laurie Dann

Ms. Elizabeth Deichman*

Ms. Sandra Demus

Miss Virginia Deuel*

Larry R. & Sheila Drake

Judith & Alan Duchan

Ross & Mary Alice Eckert

Dr. Kenneth H., Sr. & Marjorie B. Eckhert*

Mr. Robert J. Ellis

Miss June M. Farrington*

Miss Ruth Farrington*

Mr. Worth Farrington*

Mrs. Dorothy T. Ferguson

Dr. Edward A. Fial*

Ms. Anne Catt Filer*

Max* & Shirley Fischer

Dr. Mildred J. Fischle*

We’ve worked hard all our lives, and the Community Foundation has given us an opportunity to take some of what we have and put it into the future of our area and into things that matter to us, like the environment and culture.

— Jay Wopperer and Linda Schmieder-Wopperer

Paula C. Flynn

Mr. Bob Fortenbaugh

Ms. Carol A. Fowler

Jean S. Frederick

Mr. Fred* & Mrs. Fay Friedman

Dennis J. Galucki

Mr. Andrew C. Giarrizzo

Mr. & Mrs. Robert D. Gioia

Mr. Kevin K. Gluc

Barbara Goldman & Linda Banas

Barbara Ina Goldstein

Paul & Joyce Golibersuch

Aimee Gomlak

Jane Taylor Goraj*

Dr. Susan P. Graham & Dr. Jon C. Kucera

Marion V. Grimes

Gordon & Gretchen Gross*

John Gucwa & William Majuk

Mr. Michael Hamann

Thomas J. Hanifin*

Mr. Daniel E. Hannah

Mr. Hans Heckelman

Ms. Marsha S. Henderson

Ms. Alice B. Hilborn

Ms. Judith A. Hirsch

Mr. & Mrs. L. Nelson Hopkins, Jr.*

Mary Louise Hopkins*

Phillip & Jayne* Hubbell

Ms. Ellen E. Hughes

John & Bette Hulley

Mr. & Mrs. H. Reed Hunt*

W. Russell Hurd

Rev. Dr. Leona M. Irsch

Ms. Mary Jarecki

Gail* & Bruce Johnstone

Mr.* & Mrs. A. David Jones

Dr. Jeffrey and

Mrs. Dougie Kashin

Ms. Suzanne Kashuba

Mrs. Nancy Kent*

Ms. Jane B. Kinkead*

Mr. & Mrs. Irvine J. Kittinger, Jr.*

Mr. & Mrs. George F. Koch*

Dr. Kenneth A. Krackow

Bruce A. Kratzenberg*

Leonard H. & Sylvia J. Kratzke

Rev. & Mrs. Warren W. Lane*

Mr. Harry H. Lang ,Jr.*

Mr. Frank P. Langley, Jr.*

Wilfred & Joan Larson*

Ms. Lisa A. LaTrovato & Mr. Todd D. Schupbach

Mrs. Margaretha Lawrence*

Mr. Almon E. Leach*

Mr. & Mrs. Julian & Barbara Leggett

Gerald A. & Barbara E. Lipa

Mr. & Mrs. Martin J.

Littlefield, Jr.

Philip C. Lombardo*

Ms. Jo Ann Long*

Mrs. William F. Long*

Jean Maday

Mr. David W. Marshall

Ruth Mathews

Charles* & Cara Matteliano

Dr. Keith F. & Mary E. McBride*

David E. & Andrea J. McGeein

Sheldon E. Merritt & Anne S. Merritt

Mr. Ronald V. & Kathleen A. Metzger

Karin Michelson & Russell Deer

Barbara D. Mierzwa

Mary Ann Milak-Young

Jock & Betsy Mitchell

Mrs. Kathleen Modd*

Richard E. Moot, Esq.*

Ms. Albertine K. Moran*

Mr. John J. Myers, Jr.*

Mr. Robert North, Jr.*

James R. Owen*

Ms. Linda Pratt Page

Jane M. Pattison

Mr. Donald A. Pause*

Lois & Thomas Pause

C. Jane Pendergast

Dr. Charles D. Perry*

J. Warren Perry, Ph.D., D.Sc.*

Mr. Arlan Peters & Mr. Dominick T. DeFillippo

Mrs. Barbara Pickburn*

Edwin & Georgina Polokoff

Mr. & Mrs. Braman Pomeroy*

Becky M. Powell

Jayne K. Rand

Ms. Dorothy Rapp

Mr. Alfred H. Rasp

Gerald F. & Karen Reger

Luke & Molly Rich

Mrs. Lynn Robillard

Alexandra Romanczuk*

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur H. Rosche*

Ms. Doris F. Rosen

Dr. Andrew J. Rudnick

Ms. Geraldine N. Ryder

Mr. & Mrs.* James M. Sampson

Carmelo Scaccia

Mr. Robert A. Scharf & Dr. Lawrence Van Heusen

Dr. Gilbert Schulenberg

Ms. Melba Y. Seibold*

Mr. & Mrs. Henry B. Sheets, Jr.*

Mary B. Sippel*

Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. Smith

A. Warren & Gretchen L. Smith, Jr.*

Mr. William H. Smith

Ms. Susan M. Spadinger

Rosemarie C. Steeb*

Richard A. & Ruth V. Stockton*

Dr. Richard A. Stockton, Jr.

Mr. Franz T. Stone*

Cheryl S. Strub

Father F. Norman Sullivan*

Mr. Peter W. Swanson, Jr.*

Evelyn Miller Swarts

Dr. Walter* & Jeanie M. Sy

Stanley A.* & Sharon K. Tirrell

Deborah & Susan Torres

Mr. William Townsend*

Mr. Charles L. Van Arsdale*

Mr. William L. Van Schoonhoven*

Mr. Steven Vathy and Ms. Leslie Fox

Mr. Raymond C. & Ms. Sheila M. Vaughan

James & Michal Wadsworth

Dr. & Mrs. John M. Wadsworth*

Ms. Carol A. Wagner*

Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Wagner*

Ms. Karen E. Waible

Emily W. Wettlaufer

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher J. Whiteford

Tom & Diana Witkowski

Mr. Jay Wopperer & Ms. Linda Schmieder-Wopperer

Mr. Charles E. Wright*

David & Susan* Zebro

Mr. Eddie Zewin* & Mrs.

Christine Zewin

Barbara M. Ziegler*

*Deceased

POWER OF ENDOWMENT

This endowment was established with $287,000 through a bequest to the Community Foundation in 2006. Since that time, the fund has grown in value to $415,000 while awarding $197,000 in grants.

Anonymous

The Stuart and Joyce Angert Fund

Andy T. Anselmo Music Fund

Arts & Culture Initiative Support Fund

Henry and Susan Beamer

2023 Response Fund

Buffalo City Parks Support Fund

Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network Fund

Buffalo Prep

Capital Campaign Fund

Buffalo Prep Scholarship Fund

Build Promise Fund

East Side Parks Fund

Mary Alice and

Ross Jay Eckert Fund

Gold Fund

Nathan Goldin Research Fund

The Gow School Contingency Fund

The Gow School Unrestricted Fund

Marion V. Grimes Fund

Isabel R. Hunt Bequest

W. Russell Hurd Legacy Fund

Jackson Family Fund

Jankowski Family Fund

Jewish Heritage Day School of Buffalo Fund

Linda Angert Kahn & Kenneth R. Kahn Fund

Klonsky-Vedovato Social Justice Scholarship Fund

Kruger Endowment Fund

Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund

Leonard and Lillian Meiselman Legacy Fund

Thomas R. Modd

Memorial Fund

NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo Scholarship Fund

Providence Farm

Collective Farmer Directed Endowment Fund

P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer

Collaborative Fund: Helping

Hands and Ultimate Compassion

Riester Collins

Family Foundation

Casimiro D. Rodriguez Sr.

Legacy Fund

Alexandra and Michael Romanczuk Endowment Fund

Margaret M. and Robert T. Rougeux Scholarship Fund

Andrew J. Rudnick Fund

Judge Hugh B. Scott

Legacy Fund

St. John Baptist Church Fund

Jacklin B. Stopp Bequest

Malcolm Strachan Bequest

Supporting Softball & Baseball on the East Side Fund

Ware Charitable Fund

Warsaw Cemetery

Nevinger Fund

Western New York Rural Area

Health Education Center –Scholarship Fund

Arthur Wilk Bequest

Michael and Constance

Wilk Endowed Fund

Mary Wilson Girls Golf Endowment Fund

Woike-Ganga Family Foundation

Virginia Ziebarth Fund

The Community Foundation provides great guidance around opportunities for giving in the community that fit my values, as well as making it super easy through the portal to find organizations to donate to and quickly help facilitate those donations.

— Liz Woike-Ganga

Anonymous (5)

21st Century Fund

Acacia Park Fund

Advancing Arts & Culture Endowment Fund

African American Veterans Monument Inc.

AIA Buffalo/WNY Bethune Lecture & Scholarship Endowment

The AJL Fund

Akron, NY Community Band Fund

Charlotte Albright Fund

Dorothy & Eugene Allbert Fund

James & Kristin Allen Fund

The Robert A. & Ruth E. Allen Memorial Fund

Allentown Art Festival, Inc. Scholarship Fund

Michael & Elaine Almeter Fund

Paul & Jean Almeter Fund

Ina D. Alt Trust

Amherst Central Alumni Foundation

Amherst South Rotary Club Endowment Fund

Sheriff Michael S. Amico Fund

Anna May Andrews Trust

Joseph & Margaret Andrews Educational Trust Fund

Nora Shea Barnwell Endowment Fund

James M. and Barbara J. Barrett Family Foundation

Dr. Charles E. Bartlett

Memorial Essay Contest

Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts

William Henry Andrews Bequest

Elizabeth & John Angelbeck Foundation

The Stuart and Joyce Angert Fund

Joyce & Stuart Angert Philanthropic Fund

Annual Odd Fellows-Rebekah Award

Andy T. Anselmo Music Fund

Lawrence M. Appleby Fund

Richard C. Arena, Sr. and Anne Sweeney Arena Charitable Fund

Charles and Ione Arrick Charitable Fund

Arts Academy Fund

Arts and Culture Initiative Support Fund

Augustine Family Fund AV3 Foundation

Emily E. Babchak

Memorial Fund

Cameron Baird Endowment Fund for BP Chorus

Cameron Baird Fund

Dara L. Barker Memorial Fund

Leonard M. Barkin Environmental Conservation Trust for Youth

C. Edgar Barlow Scholarship Fund

Lucas, Clayton, and Gabrielle Baumgart Changing Needs Endowment

Henry and Susan Beamer 2023 Response Fund

Henry E. & Susan W. Beamer Endowment Fund

Beard Family – In Honor of Michael Dorian Beard

Thelma L. & Milfred R.

Beck Fund

George E. Becker Fund for Heart Research

Beechwood/Blocher Fund

Martha H. Beeman and Judge William L. Kellick

Endowment Fund

Bell Fund Trust #1

Bell Fund Trust #2

Grover E. Bell Award

Lawrence D. Bell Bequest

Edgar Bellersheim

Scholarship Fund

Benaiah Fund

Lana and Howard Benatovich

Philanthropic Fund

Matthew Benedict's One Last Goal Fund

Adrian A. & Betsy B.

Bennett Fund

Bennett Alumni Association Foundation Fund

Bennett Alumni Endowment Fund

Bennett High School Alumni Scholarship Fund

The Berardi Fund

The Hubert & Dennis Bernhardt Foundation

The Better Buffalo Fund

Harry J. Beu Scholarship Fund

Rosemary P. Biddle Fund

Alanson C. Bigalow Scholarship Fund

Josephine Biontolillo Bequest

Charles A. & Anne L. Bird Fund

Corrine G. Bird Bequest

Reverend A. Joseph Bissonette Memorial Fund

Peter D. Blacher Health Care Fund

Virgil A. & Margaret L. Black Memorial Fund

Blackchief Family Foundation

Brian H. Blesy Memorial Scholarship Fund

Anna Kowalska Bley Music Memorial Award

Maurice G. Bley Drama Memorial Award

BlueCross/BlueShield Physicians Fund for Children's Health

↑ In November, the CGLI hosted its annual Pay It Forward Awards. Pictured here, from left: Ruth D. Bryant, CGLI Immediate Past Chair; Dr. Anne Saldanha, former CGLI Council member; Trudy Scott, wife of the late Hon. Hugh B. Scott, a founding member of the CGLI; and Karen Lee Spaulding, a founding member of the CGLI.

ALL FUNDS

The Robert Bodkin Foundation

Jule Bogner Philanthropic Fund

Robert Bojdak & Sarah Williams Fund

Bollier Family Fund

Dr. Germante L. Boncaldo Scholarship Fund

Book and Material Buying Endowment Fund

Boubaris Family Foundation

Richard Boyd Bowen Memorial Scholarship Fund

Kathleen M. Box-Krycia Memorial Scholarship Fund

Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo Fund

Boys & Girls Club of Eden Fund

BP/Carborundum Scholarship Fund

The Lorraine M. & Eugene P. Brady Memorial Scholarship Trust

Irma Brand Bequest

James E. Braunberns Bequest

Anthony A. Brese Scholarship

Rosalie H. Bretzfelder Fund

John Bridge Memorial Fund

Belmore Hicks Bridgford Fund

Peter W. Bridgford Trust

Rose M. Bridwell Bequest

BRI-NK Foundation

↑ In June, the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable received the Buffalo NAACP’s Rufus Frasier Award at the 55th Annual Medgar Evers Awards Gala. The award is given to an individual or organization that has done a significant amount of volunteer service for the betterment of human or race relations.

Barbara C. and Edward M. Brink Fund

Maureen E. Brinkworth

Memorial Scholarship

Agnes Clarke Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund

Jean Knowlton Brown Fund

Jean M. Brown Fund

Henry W. & Martha L. Bruner Philanthropic Fund

Stanley A. Brzezinski Memorial Fund

Brzezinski Philanthropic Fund

BTF Make a Dream Come True Scholarship Fund

Martin A. Buecking Bequest

Buffalo Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Endowment Fund

Buffalo Audubon Endowment Fund

Buffalo Bills Social Justice Fund

Buffalo City Mission Fund

Buffalo City Parks Support Fund

Buffalo Eye Bank Foundation Endowment Fund

Buffalo Forward Foundation

Buffalo Green Fund

Buffalo Green Fund –

Moscicki Fund

Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park Fund

Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing

Alliance Scholarship Fund

Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy Fund

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

Permanent Endowment Fund

Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society Endowment Fund

Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network Fund

Buffalo Prep

Capital Campaign Fund

Buffalo Prep Endowment Fund

Buffalo Prep Scholarship Fund

Buffalo Renaissance Foundation Endowment

Buffalo Rotary Foundation Fund

Buffalo Seminary Alumnae Association

Buffalo Seminary Board

Designated Investment Fund

Buffalo Seminary Brown Funds

Buffalo Seminary Core Investment Fund

Buffalo Seminary Historic Dollar Value Preservation Fund

Buffalo Seminary Carin Wyckoff

Phillips ’51 Scholarship Fund

Buffalo Together Community Response Fund (BTCRF)

Buffalo Yacht Club Fund

Build Promise Fund

Built to Play Fund

Joseph E. Buran Music Fund

Burtsell-Steuernagel Memorial Fund

Michael R. Butler & Glenys Maschoff Butler Fund

Walter L. Byram Bequest

Callan Family Scholarship Fund

Christopher Callan Memorial Scholarship Fund

Calpin Family Fund

Jerry and Liz Canada Fund

Elizabeth J. Cappella

Birthday Trust

Cappuccino Family Foundation

Career Aspiration Scholarship Fund

Cargill Scholarship Fund

Gustaf & Sigrid Carlson Memorial Fund

Margaret E. Carnahan Bequest

Edna L. Carroll Trust

Mary B. Cassata Library Studies and Information Department Scholarship Fund

S. J. Cassata and Mary B. Cassata Communication Department Scholarship Fund

S. J. Cassata Memorial Scholarship Fund at Depew High School

Jerry and Barbara Castiglia Family Fund

Amico Castiglione Charitable Fund

Leonard M. Castrianno Scholarship Fund

Keith Celniker Memorial Fund

Philip & Joyce Celniker Family Fund

Centennial Changing Needs Endowment Fund

Center for Elder Law and Justice Fund

Center for the Study of Art, Architecture, History and Nature Fund

Eldon H. Chaddock Bequest

Robert J. Chambers, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund

R. Mark Chandley Scholarship Fund

Clifford C. Chapman Memorial Fund

Dr. Norman Chassin Endowment Fund

Irwin H. Cheskin Fund

Child Care Resource Network

Children's Programming & Resources Endowment Fund

Willis E. Chilson Memorial Fund

Mark Chowaniec Memorial Fund

Russell C. Christ Jr. Fund

William & Ida Christie Fund for Music

Mary & Robert Chur Healthcare Scholarship Fund

Frances G. Churchill Bequest Fund f.b.o. the Churchill Memorial United Methodist Church

Helen Anderson Cobb Bequest

Velma C. Cobb Scholarship Fund

The Ilka Cohn Fund

The Ilka Cohn Health Fund

Colligan Family Fund

Bronson & Margaret Collins Scholarship Fund

Joanne and Franklyn Collins Fund

Michael Collins and Kathleen O'Leary Charitable Fund

James and Judith Collord Fund

Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative Endowment Fund

Community Impact Fund

Community Owned Resiliency and Empowerment (CORE) Fund

Community Services

Support Foundation

Conable Family Foundation Fund

Angela Y. Coniglio Memorial Scholarship Fund

Mildred Bork Conners & Joseph E. Conners Fund

Mildred Bork Conners & Joseph E. Conners Scholarship

Owen D. Connolly Flex Fund

Gerhard A. & Lura L. Cook Educational Fund

Cook Family Foundation

Sonja H. & Carlton P.

Cooke Jr. Fund

Joseph & Bernadette S. Corcoran Fund

Peter C. Cornell Trust for WNY

Russell E. Corser Fund

Kathryn R. Cottrell Scholarship Fund

Cox-Conant Fund

Joan B. and James L.

Crane, Jr. Fund

Beuline Crawford Bequest

Gary M. Crosby Endowed Scholarship Fund

Betty Crump Fund

Wilma T. Csont Fund

Jeanette Marie Daigler, Aldine M. Tarbell and Alan T. Karcich Scholarship Fund

Damon Family Fund

Mason O. Damon Endowment Fund

Grace Neff Daniels Memorial Fund

Dorothy C. Darlak Memorial Fund

Herbert F. & Bertha W.

Darling Trust

Louis R. Davidson Bequest

Ethel M.C. Davis Scholarship Fund

↑ In December, Aaron Hord, Director of Project Play WNY, met in Ellicottville with school and organization leaders for a brainstorming session to explore the potential opportunity to innovatively serve more kids during out-of-school time in areas between Olean and Holland, N.Y.

Pictured, from left: Nicholas Silvaroli, Superintendent of Schools, Pioneer Central; Don Putnam, Superintendent of Schools, Franklinville; Brian Tavernier, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Holland; Eric Lawton, Superintendent of Schools, Holland Central; Amy Santiago, Boys & Girls Clubs Collaborative of WNY; Tracy Bradshaw, Boys & Girls Clubs Collaborative of WNY; Carlos Gildemeister, Superintendent of Schools, Cuba-Rushford; Aaron Hord, Director, Project Play WNY; and Jeff Townsend, Chief Executive Officer, YMCA of the Twin Tiers. Not pictured: Dr. Genelle Morris, Superintendent of Schools, Olean.

Madeline Davis LGBT Archives Endowment Fund

The D-B Trust

Eaton Deabold Scholarship Fund

Deaconess Hospital Nurses Alumni Fund

James and Ethel DeAmesy Fund

Decillis Family Philanthropic Fund

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker & Adrian F. Dedecker III Centennial Endowment

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker Change Maker Fund

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker

Say Yes Forever Fund

Dedrick Family Foundation

Eugene A. DeFelice, M.D. & Maryanne Harvey Fund

Elizabeth Deichman Fund

Elizabeth Deichman Fund f.b.o. Buffalo Animal Shelter

DeLaVergne Family Fund

M. Dolores Denman Fund for Community Needs

Heather J. DePaolo-Johnny Memorial Fund

DePerno Family Fund

Derby Fund

Detwiler Family Changing Needs Fund

Virginia Deuel Memorial Fund

Loraine Altro Dietz Scholarship Fund

Alfred H. & Irene N. Dobrak Trust

David Donald Fund

Holly Augspurger Donaldson Fund

Dopkins Philanthropic Fund

Stu & Nancy Dorfman Foundation

Jeffrey T. and Jeanne R. Dorn Fund

Paul P. Dosberg University of Pennsylvania Scholarship

Paul P. Dosberg Charitable Fund – Endowed

Paul P. Dosberg Charitable Fund – Non-Endowed

Francis P. Douglas Memorial Fund

Henry and Constance Drew Foundation for Children

Jerome Dreyfuss Scholarship Fund

Peter Dominik, Helen & Paul

Leon Drumsta Memorial Fund

Charles G. Duffy Jr. and Virginia Leahy Duffy Scholarship Fund

↑ In January, the Community Foundation joined three other community foundations from across New York State to host the National Day of Racial Healing. Hundreds of guests joined virtually and heard from bestselling author Heather McGhee (pictured above, right) about the devastating true cost of racism – not just for people of color, but for everyone.

Participants also heard from Hon. Rose H. Sconiers, Chair, Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable; and Felicia Beard, Associate Vice President, Racial Equity Initiatives at the Community Foundation. Felicia is pictured above, left, as she moderates the question and answer portion of the event.

Drs. Bonita R. & Henry J. Durand Fund

Eagan Family Endowment Fund

East Side Collaborative Fund

East Side Parks Fund

Eastern Niagara Fund

Ross & Mary Alice Eckert Fund

Mary Alice and Ross Jay Eckert Fund

Dr. Kenneth H. Sr. & Marjorie B. Eckhert Fund

Economic Self-Sufficiency Endowment Fund

Eden Community Foundation

EHS, Inc. Reserve Fund

Darwin E. & Evelyn E. Ellis Fund

Pauline Ellis Scholarship Fund

Marjorie & Mary Louise

Emerson Bequest

Christine Holly Emery Scholarship Fund

Esther Link Emig Fund

Empire of America Federal Savings Bank Scholarship Fund

Barbara Ennis Endowment Fund

Erie County SPCA Fund

Herman G. & Emma A. Ernst Fund

Herman G. and Emma A. Ernst Fund for Catholic Charities

Josephine & Michael Ervolina Charitable Fund

Evans Bank Foundation Fund

Everywoman Legacy

Fagin Family Foundation

Fair Buffalo Fund

The Evelyn Falk Fund for the North Collins School District

Derek Falkenbach Scholarship Fund

Family Promise of WNY Endowment Fund

FANA Adoption Support Fund

FANA Scholarship Fund

Emmons B. Farrar Scholarship Fund

June Farrington Fund

Ruth E. Farrington Bequest

Worth L. Farrington Fund

The Celia Lipton Farris & Victor W. Farris Foundation

Home Community Fund

Victor W. Farris Textbook Scholarship Fund

Theodore S. Fassett Memorial Fund

Paul S. Feinstein Scholarship Fund

David R. Fendrick Theatre Fund

Peter J. Ferraro Memorial Fund

Edward A. & Stephanie E. Fial Fund

Robert J. and Martha B. Fierle Scholarship Fund

Anne Catt Filer Fund

First Niagara Foundation in Partnership with Key Bank for WNY Impact Investment Fund

Fischle – Laesser Endowment Fund

Fischle Scholarship Fund

Fischle-Swartney Scholarship Fund

Fisher Family Fund

Daniel C. and Beatrice M. Fisher Fund

George Byron Fisher Fund

Burt Flickinger Jr. Leadership Fund

Doris L. Flierl Trust

G&W Follies Scholarship Fund

George & Lydia Richards Form Endowment Fund

Frank S. Fosdick Scholarship Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies Fund

M. Florence Fraley Fund in memory of her son, George K. Fraley, Jr.

The Philip Frandina Scholarship Fund

Harriet Frank Scholarship Fund

Fay & Fred Friedman Family Foundation Fund

Friends of Night People Endowment Fund

Marjorie D. Frink Scholarship Fund Fund for the Arts Fund for the Environment

The Fund for Nature Future Growth Fund

Fuzak Family/Joan M. & Victor T. Fuzak Fund

Galbraith Family Fund

Sean P. Galliher Jr. Scholarship Fund

Kelly Diane Galloway Legacy Fund

William Paul Ganley Scholarship Fund

Elizabeth Crosby Gardner Fund Garman Family Foundation

Richard and Patricia Garman Endowment for Lutheran Organizations

Richard and Patricia Garman Endowment for Outdoor and Environmental Education

Richard and Patricia Garman Scholarship for East Aurora Union Free High School

Helen S. Garms Bequest

Gateway – Longview Future Fund

Gelman-Koessler Foundation

Eleanor M. and Willard A. Genrich Scholarship Fund

George Family Foundation

Joseph G. Giambra Legacy Fund

J. Giles Foundation

The Anthony H. and Richard E. Gioia Fund

Robert and Sally Gioia Fund

The Gisel Family Fund

GLYS WNY

Gold Fund

Peter Gold & Athalie Joy Fund

Norman Goldfarb Award Fund

Nathan Goldin Research Fund

Dena Goldstein

Memorial Scholarship Fund

Gondree Family Fund

The Lillian Lewandowski

Gondree Scholarship Fund

Diane J. Goodberry Memorial Scholarship Fund

William F. Goodson Bequest

Josephine Goodyear Foundation

The Gow School Contingency Fund

The Gow School Fund

The Gow School Unrestricted Fund

Grace Foundation

Graham-Kucera Philanthropic Fund

Joanne Champion Granger Fund

Grassroots Gardens

Legal Defense Fund

Grassroots Gardens J. Milton

Zeckhauser Memorial Fund

Graycliff Conservancy Endowment

Great Lakes United Endowment Fund

Greater Buffalo Alumnae Panhellenic Scholarship Fund

Greater Buffalo Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Fund

The Wilbert H. Green Jr. Charitable Fund

Greene Family Fund

The Gregory Family Fund

Grelick Family Foundation

Marion V. Grimes Fund

Elmer P. Groben Memorial Fund

Thekla R. Groben Bequest

Gronk Nation Youth Foundation

Dr. Alan J. Gross

Dental Student Fund

Gross Family Fund

Gordon R. & Gretchen S.

Gross Family Fund

Lou and Marv Gross

Memorial Fund

Grosvenor Society Endowment Fund

Seth Grosvenor Book and Material Endowment Fund

G. R. S. Fund

Joan Willard Gruen Philanthropic Fund

Lillian M. Gruener Business Education Scholarship Fund

William J.C. & Louise Grupp Memorial Fund

Ray and Doris Guenter Scholarship Fund

Sam and Cherie Gullo Foundation

Charles & Marion Hahn Fund

Joan Hetzelt Hanifin Memorial Fund

Rae A. Hanigan Memorial Fund

Leonard L. & Blanche F. Hank Fund

Andrew C. Hansen Scholarship Fund

Daphne Hare Fund

Harvard Summer Community Service Fund

Harvey Family Fund

Dominik Hasek Sports & Scholarship Fund

Hawk Creek Foundation Fund

HealthNow Healthy Living Endowment Fund

HealthNow Healthy Living Fund

Healthy Community Alliance

William J. & Frieda H. Heckelman Memorial Fund

Leo J. Winter & Marie R. Winter Heim Fund

Leo J. Winter & Marie R. Winter Heim Fund II

Ilene N. Hein Fund

Loren Hendrix Memorial Award

William Hengerer Company Fund

Herbst-Miller Family Fund

Heritage Christian Services –Anne Wolf Quality of Life Fund

The information the Community Foundation sends on a continual basis helps us understand what’s going on and where the needs are. I wanted to be involved with an organization that services Western New York. This is where I grew up. This is where I went to school, and this is where I want to share because all the context and all the education I had was here in Buffalo, and I think that they’re deserving of receiving back what they gave to me.

—

Lillian and Howard Gondree

ALL FUNDS

Margaret Bierl Herr Memorial Fund

Jean Bernecky Hess Fund

Herbert A. Hickman Fund

Mildred T. Hill Fund

Harry S. Hilliker Bequest

Hispanic Heritage Council's Ralph R. Hernandez Bilingual Education Scholarship

Hispanic Women's League Endowment Fund

Historic & Architectural Landmarks Endowment Fund

Carolynne Schutz Hoddick Memorial Campership Fund

Katharine Pingrey Hopkins Memorial Scholarship Fund

L. Nelson Hopkins Jr. Family Fund

L. Nelson Hopkins, Jr. and Jane D. Hopkins Designated Advised Fund

The Mary Lou Hopkins Fund

The John R. Hotchkin Memorial Endowment Fund

The Houston Family Fund

Marie S. and Frederic K. Houston Fund

Dr. Irene Hu and Ronald Chang Scholarship Fund

Jayne & Phil Hubbell Foundation

Margaret Huffman Scholarship Fund

Martin R. Hughson Memorial Fund

Hull House Foundation

Geoffrey Hull Memorial Scholarship

John Hulley & Elizabeth Rydzynski-Hulley Fund

Hulley WNY Changing Needs Fund

Isabel R. Hunt Bequest

H. Reed Hunt Fund

W. Russell Hurd Legacy Fund

Hurwitz-Kucera Fund

Hutch-Tech Alumni Scholarship Fund

Nick Iannarelli Memorial Fund

Increasing Racial & Ethnic Equity Endowment Fund

Industrial Educational Fund

Ingleside Home Memorial Fund

Theresa Elizabeth Insana Memorial Scholarship Fund

International Association of Administrative Professionals Scholarship Fund

Mariann Inzinna Camp Good Days & Special Times Fund

Mariann Inzinna Extra Mile Fund

Irish Classical Theatre Company Fund

Bill and Jean Irr Family Foundation

Irsch Fund

Jackson Family Fund

Jacobs Endowment Fund

The Jacobs Foundation

Grover & Isabel James Fund

Jankowski Family Fund

Jewish Heritage

Day School of Buffalo Fund

A. Wesley Johns Fund (as established in the Will of June B. Johns)

D. Bruce and Gail Johnstone Fund

Gail Johnstone

Community Leadership Fund

A. David & Heather M. Jones Advisory Fund

Blanche B. Joseph Trust

Jacob G. Joseph Bequest

Jacob G. Joseph Bequest (Camp)

Jacob G. Joseph Bequest –Jewish Federation

The Joy Family Foundation

The William and Anne Joyce Fund

Junior League of Buffalo 1919 Fund

Just Buffalo Literary Center Legacy Fund

Kenneth R. Kahn & Linda Angert Kahn Fund

Linda Angert Kahn & Kenneth R. Kahn Fund

Peter G. Karamanos II Scholarship Fund

Nellie Karlak Scholarship

Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Karsten Scholarship Fund

Ruth M. Keeney Bequest

Howard Kellogg Trust

Kensington High School

Alumni Association Fund

George and Nancy Kent Endowment Fund

Jenna Kern Memorial Scholarship Fund

Kevin Guest House Endowment Fund

C. Taylor Kew Memorial Fund

KeyBank Inclusive

Economy Fund

Ahmed & Farhana Khan Fund

We feel very confident that our funds at the Community Foundation are safe and secure and are being used wisely.

—

Elizabeth and John Angelbeck

James William Kideney & Isabel Houck Kideney Fund

Donald E. Killingbeck

Memorial Fund

Louise Kimberly Bequest

Ralph Kimberly Bequest

Kinerk Family Fund

Barbara King & Marion Mabee Memorial Fund

Jane B. Kinkead

Community Service Fund

Alfred H. & Emma M. Kirchhofer Fund

Kirchner Family Fund

Kirchner Family Scholarship Fund

Kittinger Family Fund

Kiwanis Club of Kensington Fund

Klein Family Foundation

Klein Family Philanthropic Fund

Kleinhans Music Hall Endowment Fund

Albert J. Klinck Memorial Funds

Bruce Klonsky Psychology Scholarship Fund

Klonsky-Vedovato Social Justice Scholarship Fund

Charles M. Knapp Educational Memorial Fund

Florence L. Knorl Memorial Kensington High School Scholarship Fund

Howard J. Knorl Scholarship Fund

The Seymour H. Knox Foundation

John T. and Carol V. Kociela Endowment

John and Byron Koekkoek

Endowment for Fair Housing Education

John and Byron Koekkoek Fund for Fair Housing Education

Madeline A. Kraft Bequest

Leslie Shuman Kramer

Lion of Judah Endowment

Kreher Family Fund

Howard G. Kreiner Bequest

Krieger Family Fund

Albert P. & Maryon C. Krueger Fund

Kruger Endowment Fund

Kucera – Graham Family Foundation

L414 Children's Memorial Fund

Columbus McKinnon Herbert P.

Ladds Jr. Scholarship Fund

Allen & Lillian Laese Memorial Fund

Allen & Lillian Laese Scholarship Fund

The LaFalce Foundation

Lafayette High School Scholarship Fund

Dr. Harry G. LaForge Bequest

Laird Family Foundation

Raymond and Maryann Laks Foundation

Harry H. Lang, Jr. Staff Scholarship Fund

Langley Family Fund

Frank P. Langley Jr. Fund

Edith Haake Lankler Scholarship

Janet K. Larkin & John D. Larkin III Fund

Wilfred and Joan Larson Fund

Albert H. Laub Bequest

Robert and Tammy Laughlin Fund

Howard C. Laverack Bequest

Lawley Insurance Scholarship Fund

Edmond & Margaretha

Lawrence Fund

Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund

Leadership Buffalo Legacy Fund

David & Marie Leamy

Endowed Fund

Legacy II Fund

Hubert George & Alice Shyne Leising Fund

Sally S. Lenahan Bequest

Edward H. Letchworth Bequest

Edward H. Letchworth Memorial Fund

Mrs. Rosemary LoDestro Lett Memorial Fund

Lewis Family Fund

Angelo and Barbara Liberatore Family Fund

Library Foundation of Buffalo & Erie County Anonymous Donor Endowment Fund

Library Foundation of Buffalo & Erie County, Inc. Fund

Library Foundation of Buffalo & Erie County, Inc Permanent Endowment Fund

Life Storage Foundation For A Better WNY

Olga Murray Lindberg –National League of American Pen Women Scholarship Fund

Lions Blind & Charity Fund

Andrée and Joel Lippes

The Stanford and Judith C. Lipsey Capital Endowment Fund

Stanford Lipsey Fund

L.K.P. Trust

Lockport Public Library Endowment Fund

Lockport Public Library Endowment Fund –Andrews Fund

Locust Street Art Classes

Forever Foundation

Phillip C. and Josephine R. Saglibene-Lombardo Endowment Fund

Jo Ann Long Charitable Fund

William F. Long Fund

William and Janet Long Fund

Long Pond Fund

Maria M. Love Endowment Fund

Maria M. Love Long-Term Fund

George and Teresa Lukis Family Fund

Edward P. Lupfer Memorial Scholarship

Lutheran Charities of Western New York Endowment Fund

↓ In 2023, the Community Foundation team participated in several community events that promote a vibrant and equitable Greater Buffalo region where every individual thrives.

Juneteenth Parade

Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade

Day of Caring

ALL FUNDS

Lutheran Foundation of Western New York

Endowment Fund

Sam Lux Fund

Katherine & John

MacDonald Foundation

Norman E. Mack II Fund

The Maclay Family Foundation

R & J Magavern Fund

Samuel D. Magavern Fund

Make a Difference –

UB MSW Scholarship

Antoinette Malanowicz Fund for Cancer Research

Anthony D. Mancinelli Fund

Horace L. Mann Memorial Fund

The MaK Foundation

Julia W. Marks Fund

Marie A. Marshall Fund

Martin House Endowment Fund

Mabel Mason Fund

Katherine "Kat" Massey Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Mathews Family Fund

Arlene & Ruth Mathews Fund

The Maverick Foundation

Raymond F. May, M.D. Memorial Scholarship Fund

McBride Veterinary Scholarship Fund

Belton & Mabel McCarley Scholarship Fund

Lilla B. McCready Bequest

The Michael J. McDermid Exemplary Citizenship Fund for the Theodore Roosevelt

Inaugural Site Foundation

Heather A. McGowan Scholarship Fund

Frank and Donna McGuire Fund

Jean "Gigi" McKeown Community Service Endowment Fund

Stephen C. McKinney Scholarship Fund

Grace Fallon & Rapier Hayden McMenamy Fund

Arthur J., Alice M. & Dr. James McMullen Memorial Fund

The Marilyn Gohr McTaggart Reveal Fund

Barbara T. Meech & Robert B. Meech Fund

Joseph and Riva Mehr Fund

Robert H. & Rita Meier

Memorial Scholarship Fund

Leonard and Lillian Meiselman Legacy Fund

Melson Fund

Frank Mesiah Family Legacy Fund

Ida M. Mevius Bequest

MIBBS Fund

Middlebury Historical Society Fund

Benjamin Milak Memorial Scholarship Fund

Military & Veterans Fund

Thomas and Jennie Militello Family Foundation

Dr. Gustave P. Milkey & Janet B. Milkey Fund

Alice Greger Miller

Memorial Fund

Lloyd A. Miller Scholarship Fund

Susan & Richard Minekime

Family Fund

Sperry W. Miner Bequest

Amos J. & Leigh Hunt Minkel

Memorial Student Fund

Minority Bar Foundation Fund

Marcella & Felix Mioducki Fund

Mitchell Family Philanthropic Fund

The MJA Wildlife Fund

MJH Fund

Edward H. Moeller

Scholarship Fund

Mildred Moffat Bequest

Carol and Carl Montante Fund

Thomas R. Modd

Memorial Fund

Albertine K. Moran Fund

Richard H. Morse Fund

Mothers' Club of Buffalo Scholarship Fund

MPZ Endowment Fund

The Michael E. and Lorrie

Chamberlain Munschauer

Centennial Fund

Dr. Carol A. Munschauer

Charitable Foundation

Sarah & Richard Munschauer Fund

Muto Charitable Fund

The Myszka Family Foundation

Nativity Fund

NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo Fund

NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo Scholarship Fund

Henry M., Patricia A. & Mary Brainard Naylon Bequest

Robert B. Newcomb Trust

Jon Newman Memorial Scholarship Fund

The NFJC of WNY Fund

Niagara Area Foundation Endowment Fund

Niagara Education Foundation Fund

Fund for Niagara Hospice

Niagara Relicensing Environmental Coalition Fund

The Rosa L. and LaMarr

Norman, Sr. Education Fund

Normandy Fund

Robert and Marion North Fund

North Park Lutheran Church Fund

NTHS Alliance for Higher Education & Development Fund

NYS Opportunity Grant Fund

NYSUT Memorial Scholarship

Fund for the Buffalo Victims and Families

The O’Neil-White Family Fund

The John R. Oishei Foundation Scholarship Program Fund

Nathalie Hawthorne

Olena Bequest

Elsie & Eugene Oliver Memorial Scholarship Trust

Mary Louise Olmsted Fund

O’Loughlin Charitable Fund

Open4 Fund

Open Key Fund

Operation Dinner Out Fund

Orchard Park Lions Club Trust Fund

Orchard Park Public Library Endowment Fund

↑ The Community Foundation celebrated the retirement of Kate Masiello, who served as Senior Director, Client Relations, for nearly 20 years.

Robert Oristaglio Humanitarian Award

Pearl B. & J. Lawrence Osborne Memorial Fund

Our Lady of Lebanon Fund

James R. Owen Scholar/ Athlete Cross Country Award Scholarship

The Park School Foundation of Buffalo

Patricia L. Parkinson Scholarship Fund

Vivian E. Pater Memorial Scholarship

Donald A. Pause Fund

Lois and Thomas Pause Charitable Fund

Norma & Samuel Payne Fund

Gretchen Rand Penney Bequest

The Ralph F. Peo Fund

People Inc. Foundation Endowment Fund

People Inc. Foundation Support Fund

The Perelandra Fund

J. Warren Perry & Charles

Donald Perry Memorial Trust

Michael J. Perry Scholarship Fund

Pet Emergency Endowment Fund

Hanna Peters Trust

Norma E. Pfeifer Fund

PFLAG Buffalo/Niagara Endowment Fund

Albert & Mildred

Pfrender Bequest

Phillips Lytle Foundation

Alexander & Irene Phillips Scholarship Fund

Pickburn Memorial Fund for Wildlife

Frederick S. & Phyllis W.

Pierce Family Fund

Pieroni Greco Family Fund

Pinto Foundation Fund

Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York Fund

Polish Arts Club of Buffalo Endowment Fund

Benny J. Polizzi Memorial Award Fund

Edwin Polokoff Fund

Georgina Polokoff Fund

Braman Pomeroy Trust

Horace B. Pomeroy Fund

Edgar F. Pope Scholarship Fund

Positive Youth Development Philanthropic Fund

David C. Prahler Baseball Scholarship

Susan Harvey Prentis Fund

Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Inc. Fund

Professional Engineers Fund

Providence Farm

Collective Farmer Directed Endowment Fund

P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative Fund: Helping Hands and Ultimate Compassion

David and Molly Quackenbush Fund

Lawrence Quinn Fund

Marnie Currie Quinones Scholarship Fund

Mary A. Hodson & Josephine E. Radziwon Memorial Scholarship Fund

Raina Family Fund

Elizabeth A. Rambo Bequest

George F. Rand Bequest

Mr. & Mrs. George F.

Rand Memorial Fund

George F. & Isabel W.

Rand Memorial Fund

Rare Book and Special Collections Endowment Fund

Gregory K. Raynor Memorial Fund

Read to Succeed Buffalo Endowment Fund

Reed Family Fund

Gerald F. and Karen Reger Centennial Changing Needs Endowment

Gerald F. and Karen Reger Family Foundation

Douglas L. Rehlaender Trust

Reilly Family Foundation

Patrick Reilly Foundation

Ruth B. Reinhardt Memorial Scholarship Fund

Eugene T. Reville Memorial Scholarship Fund

Charles Elbert Rhodes Scholarship Bequest

Molly & Luke Rich Mental Health Fund

Sara B. Richmond

Scholarship Fund

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond J.

Riefler Memorial Fund

Mr. & Mrs. Raymond J.

Riefler Scholarship Fund

Riester Collins

Family Foundation

Mary N. Riggs Library Fund

Casimiro D. Rodriguez Sr.

Legacy Fund

Charles and Alice Rolland Scholarship Fund

↑ In August, CGLI network partners met at the Community Foundation for an opportunity to share ideas about how to engage with trailblazing youth of color in Western New York and continue moving the CGLI’s mission forward.

Alexandra and Michael Romanczuk Endowment Fund

Arthur H. & Olga M. Rosche Environmental Education Fund

The Sylvia L. Rosen Philanthropic Fund

Ross Family Fund

Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted Ross Fund

Natalie Kubera Roth Fund

Natalie Kubera Roth Fund for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

Margaret M. and Robert T. Rougeux Scholarship Fund

Andrew J. Rudnick Fund

Rudzinski Family Foundation

Jane Ruff Memorial Fund

Rumsey Fund

The Rung Family Foundation

Rupp Scholarship Award Fund

Rural Outreach Center (ROC)

Michael W. Russell Fund

The Nelson Russell Memorial Fund

C. Gordon Ryther Memorial Scholarship Fund

Axel Sack Memorial Fund

Salem UCC Endowment Fund

Salem UCC Reserves Fund

John P. Samson Memorial Fund

Sandstone Trust

Howard T. Saperston Sr. Trust

Philip S. Savage Trust

Savarino Community Investment Fund

Estelle Sawyer Writing Award

Say Yes Buffalo Endowment Fund

ALL FUNDS

Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Distribution Fund

Carmelo A. and Lynn L. Scaccia Fund

C. Edgar & Roberta S. Schabacker Trust

Scharf-Van Heusen Fund

Mr. and Mrs. George Schaumleffel Scholarship Fund

Alan and Michele Scheff Family Fund

Hy & Marjorie Scheff Foundation

Stuart Scheff and Lori Morreale Philanthropic Fund

Edward C. Schlenker Trust

Harley J. & Alice M. Schlieder Scholarship

Ruth and Darwin Schmitt Fund

Schneider Family Fund

Norman A. Schoell Charitable Fdtn Inc. Philanthropic Scholarship Fund

Norman A. Schoell Scholarship Fund

Alfred H. Schoellkopf-Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted, M.D. Center for the Visually Impaired

Alfred H. Schoellkopf-Roswell Park

Emmie F. Schoellkopf Fund

Jacob F. Schoellkopf-Jefferson Penn Fund

The Jacob F. Schoellkopf Trust for the University of Buffalo

Jacob F. & Wilma S. Schoellkopf Foundation Fund

Jacob F. and Wilma S. Schoellkopf Trust

J.F. Schoellkopf Jr. Bequest

J.F. Schoellkopf IV Memorial Fund

Judith Abbott Schoellkopf Fund

Judith Abbott Schoellkopf Memorial Fund

Walter H. Schoellkopf Memorial Fund

Laura C. Scholl Memorial Fund

Albert G. Schuele Scholarship Fund (Albert), Maude & Marion Schuele Memorial Fund

Albert, Maude, & (Marion)

Schuele Memorial Fund

The Schultz Family Fund

S & J Schwartz Fund

Richard G. Schwind & Rhoda

Robertson Schwind Fund

D. Sinclair Scott & Dorothy Doane Scott Fund

Judge Hugh B. Scott Legacy Fund

Dr. & Mrs. Roy E. Seibel Philanthropic Fund

Melba & Richard Seibold Fund

Irene Klingener Selover Fund

Albert R. & Alma E. Shadle Endowment Fund

Shakespeare in Delaware Park

Forever Free Fund

Shakespeare in Delaware Park Forever Free Fund –Board Restricted

Brenda Kurtz Shelton & Harry C. Shelton Fund

Sherwood Family Fund

↑ In May, the Wyoming Foundation, a division of the Community Foundation, and the Allegany County Area Foundation hosted a special event at the Humphrey Nature Center at Letchworth State Park called Impact Toolkit: A Key to Successful Capacity Building for Rural Nonprofits. Dozens of nonprofit representatives across Allegany and Wyoming counties were in attendance to learn about various capacity-building topics, such as grantmaking/grant writing, strategic planning and building a board.

Pictured here, from left: Megan Sommerfeldt, Director, Gift Planning, Community Foundation; Laura Dawidowicz, Director, Client Relations, Community Foundation; Tracy Sawicki, Workshop Facilitator; Bruce Campbell, Executive Director, Allegany

Area Foundation; Scott Garder, Chair, Wyoming Foundation; and Darren Penoyer, Director, Community Impact, Community Foundation.

Bernard and Carolyn Shilt

Scholarship Fund

Shoemaker Family Foundation

Amy & Ken Shuman Fund

Bernard & Estelle Siegel Fund

Sigma Alpha Nu Scholarship Fund

Leonard S. Sikora Scholarship Fund

Silver Lake Institute Fund

Audrey and Lawrence Silverstein Foundation

Marjorie Joyce Simmons Memorial Medical Fund

Simon Family Foundation

The Thomas K. Singer

Charitable Trust

H. William and Mary B. Sippel Fund

Michele Sirianni Resident Education Fund

SJM3 Fund

Joe & Brett

Ski Scholarship Fund

Dr. Barnett A. Slepian Memorial Fund

Edna Foster Smith Bequest

Gretchen L. & A. Warren Smith

Jr. Changing Needs Fund

A. Warren Smith Jr. & Gretchen L. Smith Fund

Harris N. Snyder Fund

Society of Financial Service Professionals Buffalo Chapter Endowment Fund

The Somers Foundation

Christina M. Sonne Fund

Elizabeth & Mary June Sonnenberg Scholarship Fund South Buffalo Community Association

Robert G. Sr. & Loretta L. Spampata Fund for Education Special Fund #7

Dr. Ralph and Lynn Sperrazza Family Scholarship

Herman Spiegel & Amanda Spiegel Memorial Fund

Janet M. Sporleder Scholarship Fund

St. John Baptist Church Fund

Janina B. Staniewicz Scholarship Fund

Barbara C. Stanikunas Scholarship Fund

Ronald A. Stanke Foundation

Lucie M. Stanton Memorial Trust

Lucie M. Stanton Scholarship Fund

Ellsworth M. Statler Trust

Rosemarie C. Steeb Endowment Fund

Lee Ann Steiner / James A. Bourne Fund

Daunt & Irene Stenzel Scholarship Fund

The E.W. Dann Stevens

Perpetual Endowment Fund

Charles E. Stewart Memorial Fund

Charles F. Stewart Scholarship Fund

Grace & Francis Stewart

Humanities Scholarship

Evelyn Stiem Fund

The Stockton Family Changing Needs Fund

The Stockton Family Fund

Mr. & Mrs. Franz T. Stone Trust

Jacklin B. Stopp Bequest

Morton & Joan Stovroff

Children's Programming Endowment Fund

Malcolm Strachan Bequest

Daniel W. Streeter Memorial Fund

Ralph W. & Jane P. Strobel Memorial Fund

Mark E. Strome Scholarship Fund

Studio Arena Theatre School Fund

Adele W. & Francis X. Sturner Trust

Judy Summer Library Endowment Fund

Supporting Softball & Baseball on the East Side Fund

Sustainable Use Fund of WNY

John P. & Lorraine Altwater

Sutkus Charitable Fund

Swain Family Fund

Thomas Swan Fund

Swanson Community Fund

Joseph & Loretta Swart Fund

Evelyn Swarts Fund

Catherine Swerdloff Bequest

Walter P. Sy, M.D. Scholarship Fund

Richard C.R. Taggesell Fund

Diann R. Takens Endowment Fund

The Talboys Family Fund

Peter G. Taylor Endowment

Ambassador Paul D. Taylor ’56 Scholarship Fund

Cecil J. Terwilliger Scholarship Fund

Edna M. Theobald Trust

William F. Thiel Trust

Richard E. Thoma, DVM Endowment Fund

Richard E. Thoma, DVM Small Animal Clinical Sciences Fund

Richard E. Thoma, DVM Unrestricted Fund

Lisa Georger Thompson Memorial Fund

Tifft Nature Preserve Fund

Stephen W. Tilton Bequest Fund

Richard Tobe and Susan B. Tobe Donor Advised Fund

Tobin/Filvaroff Family Endowment

Robin & Sharon Tomasula Foundation

Margaret & Glenn Tome Scholarship Fund

City of Tonawanda Library Endowment Fund

Tops Friendly Markets Art & Music Scholarship

Jim Y. and Emilia M. Tou Foundation

Elinor Townsend Trust

Ethel Vick Wallace Townsend Memorial Fund

Townson Family Foundation

Eleanor R. Treiber Art Scholarship Fund

Trinity Episcopal Church of Buffalo Fund

Trocaire College Endowment Fund

Turin Fund

Dr. Clarence A. Tyler Scholarship Fund

Jim & Donna Tyrpak Family Fund

United Fund of Orleans County

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County Endowment

United Way Human Services Fund

Urban Christian Ministries Fund

Marjorie and Charles Van Arsdale Family Fund

Marjorie Z. Van Arsdale Fund

William L. Van Schoonhoven Fund

Blanch H. Van Valkenburgh Scholarship Fund

Variety Club Foundation Fund

Gertrude Angert Victor Child Development Fund

Amy J. Vilz Fund

James W. Vogel

Memorial Scholarship Fund

Vogt Family Foundation

Vogt Family Foundation Fund for WNY

Frederick A. Vogt Scholarship Fund

Wadsworth Fund

The James and Michal Wadsworth Fund

Wagner Family Fund

Carol G. Wagner Fund for Historic Research & Preservation

Norman F. Walawender Fund

Aaron Matthew Waldeck Scholarship Fund

Elizabeth DeWees Walker Scholarship Fund

Helen V. Walker Bequest

William B. Walsh Trust Fund

Kuang Mei Wang Fund

Margaret M. Ward Bequest

The Ward Family Fund

Ware Charitable Fund

Dr. Paul L. Warner

Memorial Chemistry Award

Edward and Kathleen Warnke Foundation

Eileen and Rupert Warren Charitable Fund

↑ In August, the 21st Century Fund, a giving circle open to anyone who wants to give back in Western New York, hosted a Summer Social for current and prospective members.

During the event, guests heard a brief update about the fund and about its two most recent grantees, FeedMore WNY and Mercy Flight Inc. Pictured here are 21st Century Fund Steering Committee members, from left: Jayne Rand, Carolyn Human, Ted Borowiak and Michele Schmidt.

ALL FUNDS CONT.

Warsaw Cemetery

Nevinger Fund

Watson Billings

Family Foundation

Frieda W. Waugh

Memorial Fund

Frieda W. Waugh Memorial Student Fund

Monica M. Weidenbach Memorial Scholarship Fund

Gary Weidman Fund

With all of the ongoing changes in the philanthropy sector, keeping abreast of regulations and requirements can be a full-time job. Evans Bank has found the Community Foundation to be extremely helpful in allowing us to fulfill our philanthropic goals. We can focus on the intent of our giving and on the beneficiaries themselves and less on bureaucracy.

— Kathleen Rizzo Young

Walter Wiles Charitable Fund

Henrietta M. Wiley Bequest

Arthur Wilk Bequest

Michael and Constance Wilk Endowed Fund

Wilson Free Library Forever Friends Endowment Fund

Mary Wilson Girls Golf Endowment Fund

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Endowment Fund for the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Wish Gift program to benefit Hunter's Hope Foundation

The Weiss Family Fund

Bernard D. Welt & Ida Z. Welt Fund

Western New York Land Conservancy Endowment Fund

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center Fund

Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center –Scholarship Fund

Spc. Blake D. Whipple

Memorial Award

Spc. Blake D. Whipple Memorial Scholarship

Charlotte Potter Whitcher Trust

Alyne D. White Bequest

Fern J. White & Neva A. Jackling Scholarship Fund

Fred H. & Lorene L. White Fund

Betty Ball Wilder Fund

William and Betty Wilder Scholarship Fund

Dorothy Barrow Wilding Fund

James Wilding Fund

WNY COVID-19 Community Response Fund – Moving Forward Together

WNY MEET Fund

WNY Women's Foundation

Dick Wohler Hutch-Tech Professional Engineering Scholarship

Woike-Ganga Family Foundation

Paul Wojtaszek Scholarship Fund

Genevieve Wojtusiak Fund

Polly Rumsey Wolfe Fund

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Explore and More Endowed Fund

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Fund to benefit Western New York Amateur Football Alliance

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Inclusive Arts & Culture Initiative

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for Caregivers

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

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Fund for the Community Foundation

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

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

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Park Endowment Fund

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Trails Endowment for Western New York

Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy

Tom and Diana Witkowski Endowment Fund

Wyoming County Medical & Nursing Scholarships

Wyoming Foundation Endowment Fund

Wyoming Free Library Fund

Lucinda Yang Scholarship Fund

YMCA Buffalo Niagara Agency Endowment Fund

Youngstown Free

Library Foundation

YouthTime

YWCA of Niagara Fund

YWCA of Niagara Ruth N. Downes Fund for Domestic Violence

YWCA of Niagara Munk/Human Memorial Scholarship Trust

David Zapfel Charitable Fund

Virginia Ziebarth Fund

Gustav & Grete M.

Zimmer Bequest

Laurette Zwelling Fund

These individuals contributed $1,000 or more in 2023.

Anonymous (9)

African American Veterans Monument Committee Inc.

Allegany County

Area Foundation

Mr. James and Mrs. Kristin Allen

American Arbitration Association, Inc

American Endowment Foundation

Mr. Stuart and Mrs. Joyce Angert

Mr. Richard Arena, Sr., and Mrs. Anne Sweeney-Arena

Mr. Stephen C. and Mrs. Eleanor C. Ash

Dr. Fred Atkins and Mrs. Mary Ervolina

Mr. Peter and Mrs. Kimberly Augustine

The Cameron and Jane Baird Foundation

Mr. Teo and Mrs. Jennifer Balbach

Bank of America

Charitable Foundation

Allene C. Barans

BASF Corporation

Ms. Melissa Baumgart

Henry & Susan Beamer

Benevity Community Impact

Bennett Alumni Association, Inc.

Mr. Robert Bernecky

Ms. Barbara Billings Neal

Mr. Robert Bojdak and Ms. Sarah Williams

Dr. Allison Brashear

Mr. Keirn C. Brown, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Henry W. Bruner

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills Foundation

Buffalo Naval Park Committee

Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network, Inc.

Buffalo Prep

The Buffalo Seminary Build Promise, Inc.

Glenys Butler*

Mr. Dan and Mrs. Jill Byles-Smith

Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Patricia Calpin

The Annie E. Casey Foundation

David J. Colligan, Esq.

Collins Foundation

Mr. Michael Collins and Dr. Kathleen O'Leary

Community Resources for Justice, Inc.

Dr. Elizabeth B. Conant*

Mr. Angelo F. Coniglio and Ms. Angela Y. Coniglio

The Cravens Foundation

Ms. C. Elizabeth Crump

Ms. Laurie Dann and Mr. Tom C. Hunt

Deaconess Alumnae Association

Adrian F. & Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker

Paul and Eden Dedrick

Charitable Lead Annuity Trust

AND

↑ In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Betsy Constantine, President/CEO of the Community Foundation, joined other community leaders at the Michigan Street Baptist Church for an exciting announcement about the next phase of renovations at this historic Buffalo church.

For more than 20 years, the Community Foundation has supported the Michigan Street Baptist Church and the African American Heritage Corridor.

2023 CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING PARTNERS

CONT.

Delaware North Companies, Inc.

Ms. Mary Lou Detwiler

Ms. Bridget Dolan

Mr. Donald Dudley and Ms. Janet Currie

Dr. Bonita Durand

East Aurora Union Free School District

Mr. Ross Eckert

Eden Community Foundation, Inc.

Mr. Michael Eichler and Ms. Patricia Libby Erie-Niagara Chapter of the NYS Society of Professional Engineers

Mrs. Ann Marie Ervolina

Ms. Susan Ervolina

Mrs. Joan Ess

Kevin and Jennifer Ess

Kim & Robert Ess Donor Advised Fund

Ethan Allen of WNY

Evans Bank, N.A.

Dr. Marshall and Mrs. Gail Fagin Families of FANA-WNY, Inc.

The Celia Lipton & Victor W. Farris Foundation

Ms. Mary Ferguson

Robert J. & Martha B. Fierle Foundation

Mr. Steven Finch

Robert Fink

Five Star Bank Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies

The Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies c/o Michael Cohen Fund

Mr. Kenneth and Mrs. Donna Franasiak

Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Deborah Franco

Joseph and Anna Gartner Foundation

Mr. Scott W. Gehl

Mr. Timothy R. George

Mr. and Mrs. William G. Gisel, Jr.

M. McCormack Gisel and W. Gisel Family Foundation

Mr. Peter Gold and Dr. Athalie Joy

Dr. Samuel Goodloe, Jr.

The Gow School

Joe Graham

Susan Graham Revocable Trust

Graycliff Conservancy, Inc.

Greene Family Trust

Marion V. Grimes

Mrs. Gretchen Gross*

Ms. Amy Habib Rittling

Heritage Christian Services Foundation

Hispanic Heritage Council of WNY, Inc.

HITS Foundation

Housing Opportunities

Made Equal (HOME)

Mrs. Marie S. Houston

Mr. Philip H. Hubbell

W. Russell Hurd

Isabel R. Hunt*

Irr Supply Centers, Inc.

Ms. Evette L. Jackson

← As an initiative of the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable, the Youth Employment Coalition (YEC) was developed to create a coordinated approach for youth ages 16–24 to access career pathways leading to family-sustaining jobs.

To further this work, a collaborative application was submitted to the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration Youth Systems Building Academy, and the Buffalo team was one of only 10 Workforce Investment Boards selected into the Academy. A cross-sector team of YEC members traveled to Washington, D.C., for the first convening in early 2023.

The Buffalo team is pictured here, from left: Kate Sarata, Executive Director, The Service Collaborative of WNY; Jacqueline Hall, LMSW, Executive Director, Buffalo & Erie County Workforce Investment Board, Inc.; Maria Whyte, Chief Community Impact Officer/Chief of Staff, Community Foundation; Karen Rybicki, Erie County 1st Deputy Commissioner – Social Services; and Dixie Farr, Deputy Director of Buffalo Employment & Training Center.

↑ In August, the Community Foundation hosted three information sessions across Western New York for its Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Arts & Culture Initiative grants process, which was open to arts and culture 501(c)(3) organizations with a budget of no more than $2 million in their Fiscal Year 2022.

Pictured above: Yuki Numata Resick, Director of Arts and Culture, Community Foundation, at one of the sessions held at the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Mr. Jeremy and Mrs. Alice Jacobs, Jr.

Anne T. Jalali

Mr. Thad and

Mrs. Cheryl Jankowski

Junior League of Buffalo, Inc.

Dr. Kenneth R. Kahn

Mrs. Linda Kahn

Mr. Emil J. Karcich

Mrs. Nancy Kent*

Kensington High School Alumni Association

KeyBank Foundation

Mr. Harry H. Lang, Jr.*

Mr. Ronald Langfitt

Lawley Insurance Inc.

Myra S. Lawrence

Learfield Communications, LLC

Mr. Paul Liberatore

Mrs. Kathleen Murray

Mrs. Rosanne Muto

Mr. Kenneth and

Mrs. Mary Jane Myszka

Kenneth Myszka Charitable

Lead Annuity Trust

National Grid USA Service Company, Inc.

NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo

Katharine Fleischer Newman

Nichols School

North Park Lutheran Church

Northern Trust Charitable Giving Program at the Chicago Community Foundation

Northwest Charitable Foundation Inc.

Ohr Temimim

The John R. Oishei Foundation

Bruno A. Lombardo

M&T Charitable Foundation

Mr. Sam Magavern II and Ms. Monica Angle

Anthony D. Mancinelli*

Martin House Restoration Corporation

Ruth Mathews

Mr. Gerard and Mrs. Barb Mazurkiewicz

Ms. Jean McKeown

Ms. Janet Meiselman

John K. Metzger

Mid-America Football Officials Association

Elizabeth S. Mitchell

Revocable Trust

Mrs. Kathleen Modd*

Michael & Lorrie Munschauer

Mr. David Rogers

Alexandra Romanczuk*

Theodore Roosevelt

Inaugural Site Foundation

Robert T. Rougeux

Memorial Scholarship Fund

Ms. Jeanne Rougeux

Dr. Andrew J. Rudnick

Rural Outreach Center, Inc.

Salem United Church of Christ, Tonawanda, New York

Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc.

Carmelo Scaccia

Mr. Robert A. Scharf & Dr. Lawrence Van Heusen

Mr. Alan and Mrs. Michele Scheff

Mr. Jason Scheff

Mr. Jake and Mrs. Katie Schneider

James R. Owen*

P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative

The Park School of Buffalo

Donald A. Pause*

Mr. Richard and Mrs. Karen Penfold

Katharine C. Pierce

Mrs. Priya Pinto

Ms. Anne Postyn

Providence Farm Collective Corp.

Ms. Alicia A. Quinones

Mr. Nagendra and Mrs. Susan Raina

Dr. J. Thomas and

Mrs. Mary Reagan

Rich Family Foundation, Inc.

Luis Rodriguez, Jr.

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

Dr. Richard A. Stockton, Jr.

Ms. Jacklin B. Stopp*

Malcolm Strachan*

Dorcas B. Taylor, Ph.D.

Mr. Samuel Tilton

Town of Warsaw

Mrs. Patricia Tufillaro

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County

Mr. George VanArsdale and Ms. Elizabeth Osta

Ms. Marleen Varner

Mrs. Sandra Vedovato

Ms. Jeanne Vilz

John A. and Mary Clare Ward Family Foundation, Inc.

Nancy & Don Ware

The Norman A. Schoell Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Drs. Jeffrey and Susan Schwartz

The Mark L. Serventi

Family Foundation

Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Inc.

Arthur M. Sherwood Revocable Trust

Karen H. Sherwood Revocable Trust

Mr. Ken and Dr. Amy Shuman

Dr. David and Mrs. Cynthia Silverstein

Ms. Jacqueline Simon

Mr. Sheldon K. Smith

Mr. James Sorrentino

Spaulding Family Foundation

Sportsmen's Americana Music Foundation

St. John Baptist Church

Nancy and Donald Ware Charitable Fund

Mr. Peter Weinmann and Mrs. Amelida Ortiz-Weinmann

Mr. Steven and Mrs. Ellen Weiss

Mr. Christopher Wende

Western New York Foundation

Arthur Wilk*

Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

WNY Rural Area Health Education Center Inc. (R-AHEC)

Ms. Elizabeth Woike-Ganga

Mr. Charles E. Wright*

Youngstown Free Library

Mr. Paul Ziebarth

*Deceased

We honor the legacy of Gail Johnstone, a beloved member of the Community Foundation family and a true champion of Western New York, who passed away in late 2023.

Gail served as President/CEO of the Community Foundation from 1997 to 2007. Gail truly understood the good in people and the power of generosity and community to effect change. She believed in the value of collaborative partnerships and strived to ensure that those who were affected by a particular policy or decision were given a seat at the table.

Gail brought her collaborative methodology for creating community change to new heights when she was chosen to lead The Buffalo Foundation. She immediately got to work developing a plan to restructure the institution, which was one of the oldest community foundations in the

nation and the first community foundation ever established in New York State. Gail understood that charitably minded people could accomplish much more together than they ever could separately, and she set about transforming The Buffalo Foundation into what would soon become a model for the nation. Her tenure also included leading the charge to adopt a new, more modern and descriptive name for the Foundation and in 1998, The Buffalo Foundation became the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

During the decade that Gail led the Community Foundation, she oversaw the completion of a transformational strategic plan, assets more than doubled, and more new funds were opened than had been established during the Foundation’s first 78 years. She co-founded the WNY Women’s Fund, which eventually evolved into the WNY Women’s Foundation; convened the Black Philanthropy Initiative, which grew into

the Communities of Giving Legacy Initiative; and helped launch the 21st Century Fund.

When Gail retired, the Gail Johnstone Community Leadership Fund was established at the Community Foundation to support the changing needs of Western New York, in her name, forever. After her passing, the Community Foundation Board made a significant contribution to her fund in recognition of her numerous inspiring contributions to the Community Foundation and to Western New York.

We will remember Gail for her genuine warmth, her visionary outlook and her ability to welcome everyone into our work. Her impact will continue to be felt for many generations to come.

TAMARA O. ALSACE, PH.D.

ALLEN “PETE” GRUM

JEFFREY H. KATZ, ESQ.

LUIS RODRIGUEZ

JENNIFER CHALMERS BALBACH

BONITA R. DURAND, PH.D.

OWEN HERNE, ESQ.

ALEX MONTANTE

HON. ROSE H. SCONIERS, CHAIR

MELISSA BAUMGART

STEVE FINCH LAWRENCE C. FRANCO, ESQ.

ALICE JACOBS, J.D.

HAL D. PAYNE

JOHN F. SOMERS

DAVID J. BLESY

DOTTIE GALLAGHER

CHERYL A. JANKOWSKI

AMY HABIB RITTLING, ESQ.

NANCY WARE

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