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Buffalo Sabres Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Buffalo Sabres Foundation

Stimulate, support and encourage organizations that serve western new york which are committed to youth hockey initiatives; the health, wellness and education of underprivileged / disadvantaged youth and military personnel; and physically and mentally challenged athletes, by providing financial generosity and other platforms for their…

$1.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
34
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$333k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Recreation & Sports$3.0MHealth$1.3MHuman Services$603kYouth Development$486kPhilanthropy$436kArts & Culture$312kCommunity Improvement$310kEducation$300kOther$0
02FY2024 · 34 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 34 grants below total $1,042,099, the rows itemized in this filing. The $1,252,405 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $210,306 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k9 grants · $74k
  • $10k–50k20 grants · $294k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $341k
  • $250k+1 grant · $333k
$10,500
Median grant
2
States reached
$537k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BUFFALO JUNIOR SABRES$333,333
RESOURCE COUNCIL OF WNY INC$129,500
ROSWELL PARK ALLIANCE FOUNDATION$101,751
FANTHEM FOUNDATION INC$60,035
MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES OF WNY$50,000
TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION$28,729
BUFFALO SABRES SLED HOCKEY TEAM$20,000
SABAH$20,000
BUFFALO CITY MISSION$20,000
BUFFALO WARRIORS HOCKEY$20,000
HASEK'S HEROES$20,000
WESTERN NEW YORK SPECIAL HOCKEY ASSOCIATION$20,000
BUFFALO PREP$16,000
MIRACLE LEAGUE OF GRAND ISLAND AND WNY INC$14,550
EVERGREEN HEALTH SERVICES$13,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $198k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%TEACH MY KID TO READ INC: $28k → 14%GERRY HOMES INC: $10k → 18%TEACH MY KID TO READ INC: $11k → 14%WNY HEROES INC: $7k → 13%C-HOPE WNY: $10k → 13%FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER: $6k → 13%WNY HEROES: $8k → 13%WNY HEROES: $8k → 13%WNY HEROES: $8k → 13%COMPASS HOUSE: $6k → 13%BUFFALO CITY MISSION: $20k → 13%BUFFALO CITY MISSION: $20k → 13%BUFFALO URBAN LEAGUE: $14k → 13%BUFFALO CITY MISSION: $10k → 13%BUFFALO CITY MISSION: $10k → 13%RURAL OUTREACH CENTER: $8k → 13%GLIDING STARS INC: $10k → 13%GLIDING STARS INC: $8k → 13%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

83%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$5.7M · 39 repeat orgs$1.2M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +31% since the first grant, against +7% for those funded once.

39 repeat relationships: 20 still active in FY2024, 19 since wound down; 13 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

39
61

Total granted

$5.7M
$1.0M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+31%
+7%

Still filing today

85%
74%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 82% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $192k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Recreation & SportsHealthEducationYouth DevelopmentHuman ServicesPhilanthropyOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • NF
    NIAGARA FRONTIER JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $2.3M · revenue +6% · 29% of their budget
  • RC
    Resource Council of WNY Inc
    8× · 2017–2024 · $568k · revenue +242% · 37% of their budget
  • SAVING GRACE MINISTRIES INC
    3× · 2017–2023 · $191k · revenue +24%

Funded once

  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2020 · $145k
  • KH
    KALEIDA HEALTHgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $70k · revenue +47%
  • EC
    ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER CORP
    one grant, 2020 · $70k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Children's Health Home of Wny Inc

To advance the health of our community by providing care management and support to families experiencing physical, mental, or behavioral issues with their child. this is done by advancing innovative practices, by collaborating with…

Health
2
The Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo

The legal aid bureau of buffalo, inc., a not-for-profit organization, provides legal representation to financially needy men, women and children in western new york. through its skilled staff, the legal aid bureau seeks equal justice for…

Crime & Legal
3
Central New York Quest Inc

Central ny quest has been established to serve the needs of persons with intellectual, developmental and mental health disorders in the central new york region.

Human Services
4
Big Brothers - Big Sisters of York County Inc

To provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported 1-to-1 relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. provides mentoring opportunities to more than 110 youth each year.

—
5
University At Buffalo Pediatric Associates Inc

To assist the faculty of the department of pediatrics at the university at buffalo in the delivery of health care, improve the ability of the faculty to perform clinical research, maximize resources to foster academic, research and…

Health
6
State University College At Buffalo Child Day Care Development Facility Inc

To provide quality, affordable child care for the families of students, faculty and staff of the college, as well as families of other new york state employees and community members.

—
7
Families Together in New York State Inc

Establish a unified voice for children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges. the organizational mission is to ensure that every family has access to needed information, support, and services.

Human Services
8
Invest Buffalo Niagara Inc

To attract new employers to the buffalo niagara region through outreach to growing companies around the world. to support business attraction, expansion and entrepreneurship, invest buffalo niagara collaborates with local businesses,…

Community Improvement
9
Erie Homes for Children & Adults Inc

Erie homes for children and adults operates as a private, non-profit agency providing programs for individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Health
10
The Children's Guild Foundation Inc

To support and advocate for health care, research, education and therapeutic recreation for children with special needs.

Health
11
Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo Inc

We are western new york's community based healthcare organization dedicated to the care and support of individuals with a serious or end of life illness. we represent a passionate and diverse team of professionals dedicated to the holistic…

Health
12
The Western New York Foundation
—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Hospice Foundation of Wny Inc; the most unlike its peers is Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

95 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 95 of the 115 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

6
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
16
Early backer (in before they grew)
91/95
Grantees still filing
54/95
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

NIAGARA FRONTIER JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB INC: $2,306,553 · Recreation & SportsNIAGARA FRONTIER JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB INCDOMINIK HASEK YOUTH HOCKEY LEAGUE INC: $176,530 · Recreation & SportsDOMINIK HASEK YOUTH HOCKEY LEAGUE INCSKATING ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND & HAND: $121,000 · Recreation & SportsWESTERN NEW YORK PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED YOUTH SPORTS ORGAN INC: $102,000 · Recreation & Sports+7 more: $123,348 · Recreation & SportsROSWELL PARK ALLIANCE FOUNDATION: $547,234 · PhilanthropyROSWELL PARK ALLIAN…COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER BUFFALO INC: $352,540 · PhilanthropyCOMMUNITY FOUNDATIO…FANTHEM FOUNDATION INC: $254,288 · PhilanthropyFANTHEM FOUNDATION …UNITED WAY OF BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY: $50,000 · Philanthropy+5 more: $43,552 · PhilanthropyIndividual grant recipient: $145,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipie…WESTERN NEW YORK SPECIAL HOCKEY ASSOCIATION INC: $120,000 · OtherWESTERN NEW YORK SPECIAL…BUFFALO WARRIORS HOCKEY: $100,000 · OtherBUFFALO WARRIORS HOCKEYERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER CORP: $70,000 · OtherCITY MISSION SOCIETY INC: $60,250 · OtherSAVING GRACE MINISTRIES INC: $191,275 · OtherSAVING GRACE MINISTRIES …EIGHT DAYS OF HOPE INC: $72,500 · Other+53 more: $824,576 · Other+53 moreResource Council of WNY Inc: $568,250 · Youth DevelopmentResource C…The Boys & Girls Club Of The Northtowns Inc: $34,393 · Youth DevelopmentPLAYWORKS EDUCATION ENERGIZED: $27,500 · Youth Development+7 more: $67,539 · Youth Development+7 moreKEVIN GUEST HOUSE INC: $128,500 · HealthKALEIDA HEALTH: $70,000 · HealthMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF ERIE COUNTY INC: $50,000 · HealthEHS INC: $35,000 · HealthMAKE LEMON AIDE INC: $29,000 · HealthGIGI'S PLAYHOUSE INC: $25,000 · HealthCOMPEER WEST INC: $18,500 · Health+4 more: $40,000 · HealthEXPLORE & MORE A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $252,100 · Arts & CultureHISPANIC HERITAGE COUNCIL OF WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $50,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $10,000 · Arts & CultureHOUGHTON UNIVERSITY: $37,500 · EducationBUFFALO GO GREEN INC: $32,549 · EducationNiagara Pride Inc: $29,000 · EducationSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $28,729 · EducationBUFFALO STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 · EducationCANISIUS UNIVERSITY: $10,550 · EducationSPECIALIZED EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER OF WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $10,000 · EducationWNY EDUCATION ALLIANCE INC: $10,000 · EducationUniversity at Buffalo Foundation Inc: $10,000 · EducationTHE SUMMIT CENTER INC: $10,000 · Education+1 more: $5,500 · Education
Recreation & Sports$2,829,431Philanthropy$1,247,614Other$1,583,601Youth Development$697,682Health$396,000Arts & Culture$312,100Education$203,828

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetNIAGARA FRONTIER JUNIOR HOCKEY CLUB INC: $2,306,553 over 8y, 29% of budgetResource Council of WNY Inc: $568,250 over 8y, 37% of budgetROSWELL PARK ALLIANCE FOUNDATION: $547,234 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR GREATER BUFFALO INC: $352,540 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetFANTHEM FOUNDATION INC: $254,288 over 4y, 18% of budgetEXPLORE & MORE A CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $252,100 over 5y, 2.6% of budgetSAVING GRACE MINISTRIES INC: $191,275 over 3y, 10% of budgetDOMINIK HASEK YOUTH HOCKEY LEAGUE INC: $176,530 over 6y, 7.9% of budgetKEVIN GUEST HOUSE INC: $128,500 over 3y, 5.5% of budgetSKATING ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND & HAND: $121,000 over 6y, 4.7% of budgetWESTERN NEW YORK PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED YOUTH SPORTS ORGAN INC: $102,000 over 5y, 44% of budgetEIGHT DAYS OF HOPE INC: $72,500 over 4y, 1.2% of budgetKALEIDA HEALTH: $70,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCITY MISSION SOCIETY INC: $60,250 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetGreater Buffalo Adaptive Sports Inc: $50,848 over 3y, 37% of budgetHISPANIC HERITAGE COUNCIL OF WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF ERIE COUNTY INC: $50,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetUNITED WAY OF BUFFALO AND ERIE COUNTY: $50,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetFEEDMORE WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $41,220 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTEACH MY KID TO READ INC: $38,058 over 2y, 33% of budgetHOUGHTON UNIVERSITY: $37,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetEHS INC: $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetBest Buddies International Inc: $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetThe Boys & Girls Club Of The Northtowns Inc: $34,393 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetBUFFALO GO GREEN INC: $32,549 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetWNY HEROES INC: $29,300 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetMAKE LEMON AIDE INC: $29,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetNiagara Pride Inc: $29,000 over 3y, 17% of budgetSTEPHEN SILLER TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION: $28,729 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPLAYWORKS EDUCATION ENERGIZED: $27,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGIGI'S PLAYHOUSE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetGay & Lesbian Youth Services of WNY Inc: $24,000 over 2y, 5.5% of budgetBUFFALO PREP INC: $23,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetWESTMINSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE INC: $20,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetBUFFALO STATE COLLEGE FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetFRIENDS OF NIGHT PEOPLE INC: $20,000 over 2y, 1.0% of budgetBUFFALO BILLS FOUNDATION INC: $20,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetCOMPEER WEST INC: $18,500 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetCAROL MCLEOD MINISTRIES INC: $18,500 over 1y, 8.6% of budgetGLIDING STARSINC: $17,500 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetCITY SWIM PROJECT INC: $17,500 over 2y, 4.2% of budgetPOLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE OF BUFFALO: $15,789 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetPRIDE CENTER OF WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $15,000 over 1y, 2.3% of budgetP2 COLLABORATIVE OF WNY INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetBUFFALO URBAN LEAGUE INC: $13,591 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBE-A-FRIEND PROGRAM INC: $12,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetSISTERS OF CHARITY HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $12,500 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetTHE BISON CHILDREN'S SCHOLARSHIP FUND INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Community Foundation …Buffalo Bills Foundat…First Niagara Foundat…The John R Oishei Fou…The Western New York …The Ralph C Wilson Jr…The Peter and Elizabe…United Way of Buffalo…Children's Foundation…Mother Cabrini Health…James H Cummings Foun…Cullen Foundation
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo IncNY92.7× affinity50 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc · Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc · First Niagara Foundation · The John R Oishei Foundation · The Western New York Foundation · The Ralph C Wilson Jr Foundation · The Peter and Elizabeth C Tower Foundation · United Way of Buffalo and Erie County · Children's Foundation of Erie County Inc · Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Inc · James H Cummings Foundation Inc · Cullen Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Buffalo Sabres Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Buffalo Sabres Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%13%28%50%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 11%
  • City Year Inc: 11% of income from government
  • Best Buddies International Inc: 4% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
33report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Buffalo Sabres Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Buffalo Sabres Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 115 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home