Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222743917
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone
7168522857
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Community Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$48,658,362
Expenses
$46,615,540
Assets
$944,045,975
Liabilities
$213,357,956

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

29 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELIZABETH CONSTANTINE (PRESIDENT/CEO)
  • FELICIA BEARD (ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT, RE PHILANTHROPY AND STRA)
  • HALIMAH MADYUN (ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS)

Highest reported compensation

  • ELIZABETH CONSTANTINE (PRESIDENT/CEO): $466,397 total reported compensation
  • MARIA WHYTE (CHIEF COMMUNITY IMPACT OFF): $318,959 total reported compensation
  • MYRA LAWRENCE (V.P. FINANCE): $238,911 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the community foundation for greater buffalo, inc. (the foundation) is to connect people, ideas and resources to improve lives in western New York. Since its establishment in 1919, the foundation has been committed to helping individuals, families, and organizations make their charitable goals a reality and to providing leadership to help address critical community issues and needs. The foundation provides sound management of charitable assets and a deep knowledge of the western New York community to ensure our grant-making programs and resources are used strategically and most effectively to improve our community.

What it reported doing in 2024

Board directed grants & scholarships: the board of the community foundation directs the use of certain funds (as requested by the client/donor) as follows:(1) changing needs: clients/donors request that their funds be directed by the board to address the changing needs of our community over time. In 2024 the community foundation granted $820,000 to advance the priorities set by the foundation. (2) field of interest : clients/donors request that their funds be directed to a specific area of interest. The grantees receiving these funds are determined by the board of the community foundation. In 2024 the community foundation awarded $3,016,000 from field of interest funds.(3) scholarships clients/donors have established scholarship funds which the foundation awards to residents of western New York. These awards are based primarily on financial need, although the client/donor may have made additional stipulations such as field of study or graduates of a particular high school. In 2024 $2,576,000 was awarded for scholarships, excluding those awarded by say yes buffalo (listed below).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 91% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 93
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.4%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 90.4%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $119.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.2%; rating input score 88; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.2%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 20.25; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.4%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.4% of revenue deployed · 90.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $42.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $466K · 29 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $988K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 37 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 570 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 548 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.