In December 2021, the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation announced a gift to support arts and culture in the eight counties of Western New York, plus Monroe County, in recognition of the key role arts and culture organizations play in a thriving economy. Part of that announcement includes $500,000 in annual funding to be awarded primarily to support small to mid-sized arts and cultural 501(c)(3) organizations in the nine counties. The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is managing and operating the endowment and grants program.

Since the inception of the Arts & Culture Initiative, the Community Foundation has prioritized community feedback in the creation of this annual funding opportunity. The 2022 and 2023 grant processes provided General Operating funding with 2023 highlighting the importance of community-led and community-centered arts organizations.

The result of this work are two funding opportunities for 2024:

Combined Capacity-Building and General Operating Funds for organizations with at least one full-time (or one FTE) staff member to help organizations build the solid foundation necessary to pursue an ambitious mission and vision;
General Operating Micro Grants for organizations with less than one full-time staff member to execute immediate programming.