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Strategic Recommendations

These actions translate the executive summary into a focused pursuit plan—covering where Buffalo Urban League should concentrate cultivation energy, which grants merit exploration, and which opportunities to monitor for later cycles.

Top Must-Pursue Plays

  • Highmark Blue Fund: Anchor a six-figure request around the Community Health Worker model and senior health outcomes, reinforcing alignment with Blue Fund’s health equity and workforce priorities.[1][2]
  • Mother Cabrini Health Foundation: Craft a healthcare access or workforce proposal that complements Cabrini’s statewide focus on underserved New Yorkers, leveraging past support and Catholic Health partnerships for credibility.[3][4][6]
  • NYS Homeowner Protection Program: Position BUL for renewal funding as the Attorney General sets the next HOPP allocations; emphasize foreclosure prevention outcomes and statewide counseling network value.[16][17]
  • John R. Oishei Foundation: Advance a transformational, equity-driven concept (e.g., wraparound expansion) and deepen cultivation with program staff to move from bridge grants to a larger, multi-year investment.[18][19]
  • KeyBank & M&T Foundations: Secure recurring corporate support for workforce and financial empowerment programming, capitalizing on rolling portals and internal champions to lock in $10k–$50k annual gifts.[20][21][22]

Worth Exploring

Bank of America Neighborhood Builders: Treat the $200K unrestricted award as a campaign—activate board champions, refresh impact storytelling, and submit a polished application as the May window opens.[7]

RRF Foundation for Aging: Target the May LOI with a senior economic security or caregiver support project, pairing outcome data with partner letters to stand out in the national competition.[9][10]

HUD Comprehensive Housing Counseling: Assess whether a direct federal award could increase annual counseling resources compared with intermediary pass-throughs, and prepare materials in case the FY25 NOFO drops early.[15]

Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo: Monitor January priorities and pursue if BUL can present a collaborative racial equity project that complements the foundation’s community goals.[11][12]

Skip / Monitor

Buffalo Bills Social Justice Fund: Keep relationships warm, but defer new applications until higher-ROI opportunities are secured.[23]

ESD Workforce Development & DOL Reentry: Large, high-match, and compliance-heavy competitions—track trends and join coalitions, but hold off on prime submissions until additional capacity and match dollars are secured.[24][25][26]

HUD Fair Housing Initiatives & Aging Microgrants: Valuable niches but lower strategic return in 2026; revisit once staffing or project fit improves.[27][28]

Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

  • Send stewardship updates to Community Foundation and United Way program officers, reinforcing 2025 outcomes and setting the stage for future asks.
  • Request an introductory call with Cabrini’s Western NY program liaison to confirm strategic fit and obtain LOI guidance.
  • Hold a Blue Fund planning session with CHW, senior services, and data teams to define project scope and outcome metrics.
  • Engage Bank of America champions—board chair secures a warm intro to the Buffalo market president ahead of the Neighborhood Builders window.[7]
  • Finalize the internal grant calendar, assigning a lead and backup for every priority opportunity.
  • Assemble refreshed financial packets (audit, 990, program budgets) so large applications can move quickly.
  • Update outcome dashboards—job placements, housing counseling saves, senior independence rates—for consistent use across proposals.

Capacity Building Priorities

Relationships to Deepen

  • Invite Highmark community affairs, Cabrini staff, and KeyBank outreach officers for site visits and roundtables.[1][3][21]
  • Stay visible in the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable and other CFGB convenings to reinforce BUL’s systems-focus.[11]

Documentation to Prepare

  • Maintain a grant-ready library: staff resumes, DEI statement, logic models, and partner letters for Catholic Health, Northland Workforce, and Erie County DSS.
  • Package ROI summaries (e.g., foreclosure prevention cost avoidance, workforce wage gains) for quick insertion into proposals.

Partnerships to Formalize

  • Update MOUs with Catholic Health for CHW integration, Northland Workforce Training Center for advanced manufacturing pathways, and Erie County DSS for wraparound referrals.
  • Explore evaluation support with Buffalo State University to strengthen evidence requirements for national funders.