Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Arts & Culture Initiative

One grant opportunity is available in 2026: 

• General Operating Micro Grants of up to $2,500 for arts & culture organizations with less than one full-time staff member to execute immediate programming. 

Applications will be reviewed by experienced external evaluators who are artists, arts practitioners and arts administrators representing all nine Western New York counties. Each county will be awarded a minimum of two Micro Grants, assuming eligible applications have been received in each county. 

The Capacity-Building & General Operating grant process will open next in 2028. 

• Monday, August 3: Process opens 

• Early June: Please see below for in-person and virtual Information Sessions 

• Friday, September 11, 4 p.m: Process closes, no exceptions 

• Early November: Decision notifications 

• Small to mid-sized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that have arts and culture as core to their mission.
  Exceptions may be made for the core mission in rural communities with limited independent arts and cultural organizations. Exceptions must be granted by the Community Foundation in writing. Please write to Yuki at yukinr@cfgb.org to explain the unique circumstances in your rural community by August 28, 2026. 

• Applicant organizations must be physically located in and/or operate in one or more of nine counties – Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming. 

• Applicant organizations must have had an operating budget of no more than $500,000 in their most recently completed fiscal year. NOTE: We look at the operating expenses when determining the operating budget size of an organization. 

• While organizations undergoing significant capital projects resulting in significantly reduced programming are eligible to apply, organizations with fully active programming will be prioritized. 

• The 13 organizations named by Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation receiving direct, yearly funding are not eligible. 

• Fiscal sponsorships are acceptable; the fiscal sponsor does not need to meet above criteria but the applicant organization does. 

This section will be updated with FAQ’s. 

For arts organizations based in the eight counties (excludes Monroe County):
Please direct all questions to Yuki Numata Resnick, Senior Director of Arts and Culture, at yukinr@cfgb.org. 

For Monroe County arts organizations:
For general questions about the Arts & Culture Initiative, please reach out to Yuki Numata Resnick, Senior Director of Arts and Culture, at yukinr@cfgb.org. 

For specific inquiries about the application and application logistics, please reach out to Annette Jiménez Gleason at ajimenezgleason@racf.org 

• This section will be updated with detailed guidelines and PDF’s of the application and rubric. 
• This section will be updated with In-Person and Virtual Info Session dates, times, and locations.