The Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo (CRGB) is a left-of-center organization originally named the Buffalo Foundation. CRGB’s original intent was to invest in making the city of Buffalo, New York a more livable place. Education, the arts, and public health dominated early grant efforts, but in recent years the foundation has migrated to making grants to left-of-center organizations in the areas of equalizing racial outcomes, economic revival, and environmentalist homes. ¹

CRGB sources its revenue via endowments that it directs and manages at the direction of grantors. Its investment advisors have historically produced endowment returns above the norm. ²

Organization

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo (CFGB) is a left-of-center organization founded by George F. Rand Sr. and Edward H. Letchworth and initially funded by the Mr. and Mrs. George F. Rand Fund. ³

CFGB acts as an advisor, manager, and developer of charitable giving plans for endowments, foundations, and businesses. It is allied with the Niagara Area Foundation and the Wyoming (Wyoming County, New York) Foundation and manage endowments and foundations for several hundred other entities. ^{4 5 6 7}

The foundation supports racial equity, education, access to environmental resources, and arts and culture causes in western New York state. Its goals include the reduction of lead poisoning that results from old housing stock that used lead paint, increasing equity in access to environmental resources, inspiring philanthropy to communities of color, equalizing racial outcomes, economic revitalization to strengthen the workforce, and building environmentalist-aligned housing through its Green and Healthy Homes Initiative. ⁸

CFGB is recommended as a “progressive” foundation by Blue Tent, a left-progressive outlet founded by David Callahan, the founder of Inside Philanthropy with support from former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.^{9 10}

Leadership

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker is the president and chief executive officer of Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and is paid $470,292 in annual compensation. She is past chair of the Foundation Center, which merged with Guidestar to form Candid, a nonprofit data collection organization. Dedecker is a member of the White House Council on Service and Civic Participation and co-chair of the U.S. Committee of the United Nations International Year of the Volunteer. ^{11 12}

Finances

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo reported revenue of $60,605,250 in 2019 sourced from contributions and grants of $62,751,762 and a loss on investments of $2,320,123. The organization’s expensed totaled $22,578,040 with grants paid totaling $29,408,427. ¹³

CFGB reported net assets of $451,960,065 in 2019 an increase of $76,819,209 from 2018. ¹⁴

Grants

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo made a grant in 2018 of $144,000 to the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor commission, to promote the significance and impact of Buffalo’s black population on the city’s history.

Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York, now a part of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, received $159,110 in 2018 from CFCB; the Tony Hawk Foundation received a $250,000 for a youth skateboard park; and the left-of-center Tides Foundation received $5,000 for advocacy training. ¹⁵

1. “History.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. April 15, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/about/history/.
2. Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo 2019 Annual Report. Accessed October 16, 2021. https://issuu.com/cfgbadmin/docs/community_foundation_2019_ar_final_6.10.
3. “History.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, April 15, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/about/history/.
4. “How We Help.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. March 19, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/donors/how-we-help/.
5. “Niagara Area Foundation.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. August 2, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/about/niagara-area-foundation/.
6. “Wyoming Foundation.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. September 30, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/about/wyoming-foundation/.
7. “The Centennials.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. March 19, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/the-centennials/.
8. “Goals – Community Change.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. October 16, 2019. https://www.cfgb.org/community-change/goals/.
9. “Progressive Foundations.” Blue Tent. December 20, 2020. https://bluetent.us/funding/progressive-foundations/.
10. “David Callahan.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 16, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-callahan-ip-blue-tent.
11. “Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker.” Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. March 17, 2021. https://www.cfgb.org/about/staff/clotilde-perez-bode-dedecker/.
12. Community Foundation For Greater Buffalo, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part VII.
13. Community Foundation For Greater Buffalo, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part I, Lines 12, 8, 10, 18, 13.
14. Community Foundation For Greater Buffalo, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2019. Part I, Line 22.
15. Community Foundation For Greater Buffalo, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990-PF), 2019. Schedule I, Part II.