John R. Oishei Foundation

A founding bet, still holding

Oishei's relationship with EdCo stretches back to the organization's very founding — originally established in 1998 as BISSNET in partnership with the Foundation itself. After five grants totaling $7,786,427 between 2020 and 2024, peaking at 109% of EdCo's budget in a single year, the consortium has grown its revenue at a 4% CAGR and continues to serve students and teachers across 12 member schools through scholarships, technology grants, software, and training. Recurring deficits and shrinking net assets (now approximately $436K) signal that EdCo's cost base has outpaced its revenue growth, making Oishei's sustained conviction a defining factor in the organization's continuity.

• 1998The organization was established in 1998 under the name Buffalo Independent Secondary School Network (BISSNET), created in partnership with The John R. Oishei Foundation as a network of private and independent high schools in Western New York.
• 2015The organization was renamed the Education Collaborative of WNY, Inc. (EdCo) in 2015, reflecting its evolved mission and broader scope as a consortium of accredited educational institutions.
• 2021Provided scholarships, technology grants, software and training to students and teachers across 13 member schools.
• 2022Provided scholarships, technology grants, software and training to students and teachers across 13 member schools.
• 2023Provided scholarships, technology grants, software and training to students and teachers across 12 member schools.
• 2024EdCo operates a scholarships, technology grants, software, and training program serving students and teachers across its 12 member institutions, distributing $1.2 million in grants to 12 grantees in filing year 2024.

Small early bet, remarkable growth

A single $5,000 grant in 2020 — representing up to 59% of Group Ministries' budget at the time — came to a Buffalo organization with three decades of quiet, street-level presence in a drug-affected neighborhood, and cumulative community contacts surpassing 150,000 people. In the years since, Group Ministries' revenue has risen 1,260% alongside an expanding program footprint that now spans pastoral care for HIV-positive patients, transitional housing for people leaving incarceration, detoxification support, and AIDS education across Western New York. Recurring deficits and single-source income concentration suggest the organization's ambitions continue to outpace its financial footing, even as its reach has grown dramatically.

• 1992-04-04GROUP Ministries opened its offices at 1333 Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo on April 4, 1992, beginning community outreach in a drug-affected neighborhood.
• 1992-06-15GROUP MINISTRIES, INC. was incorporated in New York State as a domestic not-for-profit corporation on June 15, 1992.
• 2021-01-27A filing period showed total revenue of just $100 against $67,410 in expenses, yielding net assets of negative $5,827, reflecting structural financial stress.
• 2024Provided pastoral care and counseling services to HIV positive patients.
• 2024Provided spiritual support and guidance for persons undergoing detoxification.