BUFFALO — The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo announced Wednesday that 85 Western New York-based organizations received more than $1.3 million in grant awards from endowment funds created to carry on the legacy of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.
The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation established the Legacy Funds in 2016 as endowments at the Community Foundation to provide annual support to areas that were important to Wilson during his lifetime: Caregivers, Community Assets, Design and Access, and Youth Sports.
Local recipients of grants from the fund for caregivers include:
• HART, Inc., $20,000 for the Niagara County Office for the Aging-Caregiver Gap Response Initiative.
• Health Association of Niagara County, Inc., $10,000 for its Niagara Senior Companion program.
• Hearts and Hands — Faith in Action, Inc., $10,000 for informal caregiver respite: transportation.
• Seneca Nation, $20,000 for Project MOVE (Maximize Our Volunteer Effectiveness).
Local recipients of grants from the fund for youth sports include:
• Friends of Youngstown, $8,000 for Youngstown summer sport sampling and coach development.
• Kenan Center, $10,000 for Sport for All: Developing Access Through Play and Sampling in Kenan ACRES.
• Lockport Ice Arena and Sports Center, $10,000 for 2024-25 Healthy Youth On Ice.
• Police Athletic League of Niagara Falls, $10,000 for Niagara PAL youth sports programs.
• Seneca Nation, $12,500 for a summer sports program.
• YMCA Buffalo Niagara, $6,800 for Y On the Fly in Niagara County.
• Youth Mentoring Services of Niagara County, $10,000 for Summer Adventures.
From the fund for design and access, Friends of Medina Parks received $50,000 for an inclusive playground at State Street Park.
From the fund for community assets, Buffalo Maritime Center received $25,000 for arts education aboard its replica of the Seneca Chief canal boat during the mid-September Erie Canal bicentennial voyage from Buffalo to New York City.
The Legacy Funds are annual grants; for updates on the next granting cycle, visit https://www.cfgb.org/nonprofits/grants/ralph-wilson-legacy/.