The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds for Nonprofit Organizations – New York

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation established endowment funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to provide annual support for programs and initiatives that reflect the personal passions of Mr. Wilson. These areas of support are: Caregivers, Community Assets, Design and Access and Youth Sports.

Donor Name: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo

State:  New York

Counties: Allegany (NY), Chautauqua (NY), Cattaraugus (NY), Erie (NY), Genesee (NY), Niagara (NY), Orleans (NY) and Wyoming (NY)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/12/2021

Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $50,000

Details: 

The grants made from these Legacy Funds held at the Community Foundation are distinct from the grants made by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation directly. In most cases, the grants made from these Funds at the Community Foundation serve to support localized projects across the WNY region, for which a smaller grant can make all the difference. In some cases, it may also provide an opportunity to test out ideas and programs on a smaller, pilot level.

Funding Information

Grant requests should range between $10,000 and $25,000 for Caregivers, Community Assets and Youth Sports. Design and Access requests should range between $10,000 and $50,000. Funds will be released after grant requirements and obligations have been signed and returned.

Eligibility Criteria

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds support grants in four key areas that honor the lifetime interests of Mr. Wilson:

• Caregivers – Support caregivers – whether paid, voluntary or family – of persons who are unable to fully care for themselves and are part of an underserved community. Preference will be given to organizations or projects that provide support to caregivers of older adults. Requests must address the following objective:
  • Increase opportunities for caregivers to take advantage of resources.
• Community Assets –Support significant cultural and historic assets and/or increase access to long-term arts instruction for youth. Requests must address one of the following objectives:
  • Increase access to long term arts instruction for children and youth living in under-resourced communities
  • Restore and leverage significant historic buildings and architectural landmarks, with a preference for sites that promote cultural tourism
• Design and Access – Support enhancement of community access to spaces and programs that support healthy living. Requests must address one of the following objectives:
  • Support for pre-planning, development and/or construction. This may include projects related to increasing the walkability and bikeability of local communities, and improving waterways, greenways and recreation corridors.
    • It is a preference but not a requirement that these projects:
      • Incorporate green design to be environmentally sustainable
      • Incorporate universal access design to serve people of all abilities
  • Please note: Large sports facilities are not of interest.
• Youth Sports – Support organizations or projects that provide opportunities for all children to be active through sport. Requests to build collaborations among organizations are encouraged. Requests for projects should include the following objectives from the State of Play WNY Report:
  • Ask kids what they want.
  • Reintroduce free play.
  • Encourage sport sampling.
  • Revitalize in-town leagues.
  • Think small.
  • Design for development.
  • Train all coaches.
  • Emphasize prevention.
• Grant requests should range between $10,000 and $25,000 for Caregivers, Community Assets and Youth Sports. Design and Access requests should range between $10,000 and $50,000. Funds will be released after grant requirements and obligations have been signed and returned.
• Requests may be for capital, programming or operating. For Design and Access, this also may include planning.
• For Caregivers, Design and Access, and Youth Sports, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that meet the guidelines described above and reside in Western New York may apply for a grant. Western New York is defined as Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
• For Caregivers, Design and Access,and Youth Sports, government agencies also may apply. The intent is not to replace public funding but to augment and leverage it.
• For Community Assets, only501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that reside in Erie County may apply.
• For Youth Sports, the Fund will not consider requests for traditional sporting goods equipment available through either Good Sports or Victory Sports Global Outreach Inc. Please consult with those organizations prior to submitting your grant request.
• There is a limit to one application per organization per funding category.
• Multi-year requests will not be accepted.
• Requests for endowments, religious purposes, attendance at or sponsorship of events, and for schools not registered with the NYS Education Department will not be accepted.
• For additional information on eligibility for each of the funds, please check the 2022 Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds Goals and Objectives for this grant process.

For more information, visit The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Legacy Funds.