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William F. Thiel Grants
Making Significant Impact in Wyoming County Healthcare
William F. Thiel was a long-time philanthropist in Wyoming County. He was well known for his generous monetary gifts to the hospital, fire departments and other Wyoming County nonprofit organizations. He left a significant legacy to the County through the creation of the William F. Thiel Trust at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo which continues his legacy of giving.
When he created his fund, Mr. Thiel specified that distributions “from this gift shall be used and applied by the Governing Committee of The Buffalo Foundation (now the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo) for the use and benefit of the health requirements of the residents of Wyoming County, New York.”
How to Apply
Applications are submitted electronically online through the Foundant Grant Lifecycle Manager. No paper, emailed, or pdf applications are accepted.
Grant Opportunity
In 2023, the Community Foundation worked with consultants A2 Associates and Wyoming County healthcare providers and experts to develop new 2024 to 2028 Thiel Funding Priorities.
Requests to the Foundation must align with one of the six key categories which include:
- Access and Navigation
- Chronic Disease and Related Health Behaviors
- Emergency Assistance for Low-Income Residents
- Food Security
- Mental Health/Behavioral Health
- Transportation
The 2024 to 2028 Thiel Funding Priorities give specific information regarding each priority listed above. The document should be reviewed in full before any application is considered and submitted.
Detailed Guidelines/Additional Information
Please click here to download the detailed 2026 Thiel Trust competitive process general information and guidelines.
Please click here to download the 2024 to 2028 Thiel Trust Funding Priorities.
Please click here to view the Wyoming County Health Trends and Impacts Report 2023.
Timeline
- Application available online November 17, 2025.
- Application due December 15, 2025, by 4 p.m. No exceptions.
- Decision notification Mid-February 2026.
Eligibility
- Grants are awarded only to organizations that have current Section 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service
- Applicants must be located or delivering services in Wyoming County
- At any given time, organizations can only have one open competitive grant with the Thiel Trust.
Questions? Reach out to our team.
