Frequently Asked Questions

The Buffalo Together Community Response Fund was formed through a collaborative effort of 14 local funding organizations in the aftermath of the 2022 racially motivated massacre at Tops Market on Buffalo’s East Side. The collaborative effort, soon joined by many additional organizations and individuals, was established to create a more just and equitable community by addressing challenges on the East Side and investing in organizations and projects that strengthen the community.

Initially, $6.3 million was raised and this collaborative provided emergency response grants immediately after the tragedy and another round of grants in early 2025 to local organizations serving the East Side community.

Although we provided immediate response grants after the tragedy, and held a competitive funding opportunity in May 2025, the funding is connected to the recently developed plan that addresses a long-term community investment strategy to address systemic issues on the East Side. Led by a steering committee of community stakeholders and in partnership with Rainbow Research, an outside consulting firm, we engaged the community, conducted research, and developed strategies to address key issues on the East Side. A report outlining key initiatives was released in 2025 and can be found here.

No. While there were several funding sources set up to address issues that came to light amid the tragedy, The Buffalo Together Fund operates independently, is not affiliated with, and has no responsibility for any other funding initiative. The sole purpose of the Buffalo Together Fund is to support the long-term investment strategies as prioritized in the report released in February 2025 to and lift the neighborhoods east of Main Street.

The Buffalo Together Fund is not a spend down fund, nor was it intended to provide individual financial support. As an organizational fund it is not allowable for the dollars to go to individuals.

We have outlined key long-term strategies designed to address root causes that create barriers to residents on Buffalo’s East Side from achieving health, wealth and opportunity.  Now, we are creating the infrastructure necessary to begin implementing those strategies.

Now called Buffalo Together, a Board of Directors was established, and transitioned into a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and is hiring staff.  We are committed to long-term strategies that are community-led and community-informed to uplift and strengthen Buffalo’s East Side.

While rooted in the tragedy and trauma of the 5/14 mass shooting, Buffalo Together is committed to building and funding long-term strategies to uplift and strengthen Buffalo’s East Side that are community-led and community-informed.

We aim to address the root causes that prevent residents of Buffalo’s East Side from achieving health, wealth, and opportunity.

We know there are no quick fixes. We will support and invest in people through organizations, and neighborhoods for long-term change on the East Side, while honoring the culture and strengths of this unique community. The decline and disinvestment of the East Side did not happen overnight, and solutions will take time.

We are primarily a convener and a resource for the East Side.  While we have provided direct grants to East Side organizations, our role is much broader than grantmaking and we will function as a central hub for resources, capacity building, and connecting partners dedicated to supporting and investing in the East Side.

In addition to our initial grantmaking in the wake of the tragedy and in 2025 that invested a total of $1.25 million in East Side organizations, our work includes:

  • With the guidance of a national consulting firm, the Buffalo Together steering committee embarked on a deep learning journey to better understand the best practices for dismantling the conditions that have led to systemic oppression, disinvestment, and disenfranchisement.
  • We released a report with the results and outlined specific strategies to transform our community, to build generational wealth, and to ensure development without displacement.
  • We are now a 501c3 nonprofit organization, in the process of hiring staff, and creating the infrastructure necessary to begin to implement the outlined strategies that include addressing housing, food access, fundraising and investment strategies and more.

Our history page provides a more detailed list of our work to date.

We are not offering grant opportunities at this time.  We encourage you to sign up for our e-newsletter to stay informed about our work and any future grant or partnership opportunities.

For any questions, please email BuffaloTogetherFund@cfgb.org.