Grant Details

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation supports organizations with investments channeled through their four core funding areas: Children and Youth; Young Adults and Working Families; Caregivers; and Livable Communities. Within each, they leverage good work already underway in Western New York and Southeast Michigan, collaborating with organizations, communities, and one another to disrupt the cycle of need immediately—and lay the groundwork for change that lasts.

The four key areas of focus of the foundation are:

• Children and Youth: For kids, the foundation is looking for opportunities beyond K-12 education to provide more pathways to success. They focus on strengthening young minds and bodies with early childhood initiatives; after school programs; and youth sports and recreation programs.
• Young Adults and Working Families: Often weighed down by heavy demands and limited resources, working families and young adults can often miss out on career opportunities. The foundation will invest in skills training and education that can lead to sustainable career pathways and good paying jobs.
• Caregivers: The role of caregiver can be rewarding as well as demanding and overwhelming. The foundation supports and honors those who care for others – whether family members, friends or professionals – through efforts that provide needed skills, resources, education and respite. Early opportunities will focus primarily on those caring for older adults.
• Livable Communities: To contribute to strong and sustainable communities, the foundation seeks opportunities to invest in: parks, trails and green design; nonprofit support and innovation; and entrepreneurship and economic development levers that spur regional growth, innovation and equity.

The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that are creative and visionary, bold and dynamic, as well as feasible and realistic. The Foundation acknowledges that some experiments may not succeed, but prefers the risks involved in the new methods and approaches as opposed to the resolute acceptance of the status quo. The Foundation desires to support projects that offer substantial leverage and trendsetting opportunities.