Combined Capacity-Building and General Operating Funds

Combined Capacity-Building and General Operating Funds is sponsored by Arts Services Inc. of Western New York. Combined Capacity-Building and General Operating Funds is a grant from Arts Services Inc. of Western New York, distributed through the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Arts & Culture Initiative in partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Give for Greatness GrantsJen Swan2026-09-10T09:17:05-04:00 The Give for Greatness grant provides $2,000 capacity building grants to micro and small nonprofit arts and cultural organizations located in the New York State counties of Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara, and the Native nations that share this geography. Capacity Building is a focus on improving the effectiveness and sustainability of a nonprofit.

It strengthens a nonprofit by creating balance and alignment between its management, governance, technology, and other structures, which enhances their ability to fulfill their mission. The goal of this fund is to strengthen established arts and culture organizations, and to support their efforts to grow, expand, or improve their work. **Questions?

Contact our Grants and Programming Director, Holly Grant, at holly@asiwny. org. ** **Applications Open**Monday, September 14, 2026 **Application Deadline**Friday, November 13, 2026 by 11:59 pm **Funding Announcements**Mid-December 2026 The Give for Greatness grants provide **$2,000 in capacity building support to micro and small arts or culture focused nonprofit organizations** across Western New York.

* Has arts or cultural activity and programming as primary purpose and mission; * Has 501c3 or NYS CHAR 500 status; * Is located in the New York State counties of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, or Niagara, or the Native nations that share this geography; and * Has a current operating budget of under $500,000.

### Examples of eligible requests * Updating your organization’s legal documents or required annual filings * Training for your board or staff * Updating or purchasing new software or programs * Updating your website or completing an organizational rebrand * Purchasing new computers or other small equipment * Support of regular or ongoing operations * Programmatic, event, or project support * Programs that are social service focused, recreational, rehabilitative, or therapeutic in nature * Startup or contingency funds, or increasing profits * Paying off debt or filling a deficit Descargue las pautas de subvención y elegibilidad en español haciendo clic en el botón a continuación.

Applicants are asked to tell us how they will use the funding to enhance their day to day operations and strengthen their organization for long term sustainability. Requests should not include support for ongoing operations, programs or events, or capital projects.

In an effort to help people better understand what types of projects are eligible for this funding, we broke up the most common requests into three (3) categories: * **Technology:** Examples include small equipment such as computers, monitors, cameras, or tablets, or new software licenses and subscriptions.

* **Administrative Systems:** Examples include fund development, staff training, website upgrades, organizational rebranding, or temporary support for data collection, organization, and/or management. In addition to a brief organization overview, this application will ask three (3) primary questions. * List your organization’s mission and vision, and outline your mission-driven activities and programs.

* Describe the primary community or audience your organization services. * Explain how you plan to use these funds to build your internal capacity. We also require at least one attachment that backs up your request.

This can be a price quote, invoice, agreement, budget, scope of work, or some other detail that demonstrates your research on and preparedness for this project. There is an additional optional space for other attachments related to your request that could include current strategic or business plans, annual reports, marketing materials, or more. **All applications are to be completed through our online grants portal.

** The button below allows you to preview the application, set up an account in the grants portal, and complete the application. Learn more about ASI’s Give for Greatness capacity building grants and how to submit an application below. Our grants portal,_Foundant_ has a new look, but functionality remains the same.

For a quick overview of the updates, please watch the video below. Grants are due by 11:59 pm on Friday, November 13, 2026. Meet the 2025 Give for Greatness grant recipients!

* African American Veterans Arts & Culture Corp * American Legion Band of the Tonawandas * American Scandinavian Heritage Foundation * Buffalo Opera Unlimited * Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus * Camerata Chamber Orchestra * Center for Exploratory & Perceptual Arts (CEPA) * Gardens Buffalo Niagara * Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center * Newstead Historical Society * Polish Arts Club of Buffalo * The Fountain Arts Center * The Springville Center for the Arts Since 2014, ASI has distributed over $360,000 to more than 149 different arts and cultural organizations across WNY!

Generous support for Give for Greatness is provided by; * The Marilyn Gohr McTaggart Reveal Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Visit our Sponsorships Page to learn how you can contribute to greatness!