Behind the Scenes, with Purpose

We know many in the community are wondering where the Oishei Foundation is headed. You’ve asked what we’re funding, when new opportunities will open up, and how our strategic direction is taking shape.

We’ve been working steadily and with purpose and have much to share.

Since announcing our strategic direction, we’ve been laying the groundwork to show up more powerfully in partnership with the community. That’s included completing more than $15 million in transition funding, operationalizing our strategic direction through our  new strategic framework to guide our work and beginning to invest in those focus areas, redesigning our internal structure to reflect our values, and evolving how our Board governs to best support our mission.

“We’ve been wrapping up prior commitments with care, creating new systems and structures, and working to create new relationships in the community,” said Christina Orsi, President of the Oishei Foundation. “Now, we’re beginning to move more intentionally into the next phase.”

Honoring our commitments

Even as we’ve sharpened our focus on Buffalo’s East Side and on building community power, we remained committed to long-standing partners across the region. Through the past two years of transition funding, we’ve supported a wide range of initiatives and organizations, allowing them time and space to plan for what’s next.

That transition work, has included:

• Education investments like the Oishei High School Scholarship Program, Buffalo Prep, Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology and Bison Children’s Scholarships
• Basic human needs support to more than 75 organizations across WNY providing food and emergency housing assistance
• Collaborative partnerships like the NonProfit Support Group of Western New York, Regional Revitalization Partnership, United Way Community Resiliency Fund, and the Fund for the Arts 
• Nonprofit capacity-building through microgrants, consulting, workshops, and coaching for more than 35 smaller-budget organizations
• One-time General Operating Support grants to more than 25 longtime partners to strengthen governance, finance, and strategy
• Continued investment in the Oishei Leaders of Color program, as we work with alumni and the Advisory Council to reimagine what’s needed now

So far, our transition support has totaled more than $15 million, helping ensure organizations have a reliable stream of funding to build on. That work is now winding down, and that is making space for our new work, which is emerging.

At the same time, we’ve redesigned the Foundation’s internal structure to better reflect our commitment to equity, relationships, and power-building. While several new team members have joined to focus on community impact, people and culture, and operations—and more positions will be added over the coming months—this next chapter is being shaped just as much by those who’ve been here all along. The wisdom and experience of our longtime team members continue to anchor our work, even as we grow. Together, we’re building a team and culture that’s collaborative, responsive, and rooted in partnership.

And behind the scenes, our Board has been evolving too, moving away from grant-by-grant approvals and toward new roles as strategic thought partners. Their guidance, lived experience, and community leadership are helping us approach governance in ways that support equity-driven change.

Stepping into what’s next

Our commitment to building a thriving and equitable Buffalo-Niagara region is rooted in the belief that community power-building is systems change. This belief is central to our work and guides our vision of a thriving, prosperous community for all, where diversity is our strength. 

Over the past year, we’ve been laying the groundwork for a new way of working, building the infrastructure and developing practices that help drive how we listen, invest, and show up alongside communities, starting on the East Side of Buffalo. Our journey has led to a new  strategic framework centered on racial equity, partnership, and the power of those most proximate to the challenges and opportunities.

As we shift into this next phase, we’ve begun making new investments aligned with our strategic framework, and one of the earliest areas of focus has been Joy, Restoration, and Resilience.

We believe Black joy is a declaration of power and possibility. That restoration and healing are essential to community strength. That resilience is not about enduring injustice, but about reclaiming wholeness and reimagining what’s possible. And that real change begins with what sustains people, because healing, joy, and cultural identity aren’t side projects, they’re the foundation of power-building and systems change.

Our early support of efforts rooted in Joy, Restoration, and Resilience has included:

• Storytelling and healing spaces
• Wellness and mental health initiatives
• Cultural and artistic expression that centers Black joy
• Community conversations with Black men about what joy means to them, what gets in the way of it, and what helps sustain it

These investments are helping us listen more deeply to lived experience, and design future funding opportunities that reflect community-defined priorities around healing, restoration, and resilience.

“Our Joy, Restoration, and Resilience work is helping us reframe what power looks like,” said Pamela Ross, Vice President of Community Impact.  “It’s helping us to support spaces of joy, of wholeness, of community healing, of abundance—and that’s where real, lasting change begins.”

What’s ahead

In the coming months, we’ll continue sharing more about what’s emerging in each of our seven focus areas. We’ll also introduce new ways for community members and partners to stay connected, give feedback, and help shape the work ahead.

You’ll see us making investments that align deeply with our strategic framework focus areas, starting on Buffalo’s East Side, where our work is being informed by community priorities and focused on financial prosperity and power-building. You’ll see us showing up in new ways: partnering differently, sharing influence, and building relationships that prioritize trust and transparency.

As we build the internal infrastructure to support this next chapter, including onboarding new team members and refining our internal processes, we are taking a temporary pause on reviewing unsolicited funding requests through the first quarter of 2026. This intentional pause gives our small-but-growing team the space to do the deep work required to show up more effectively and in partnership with the community.

In the meantime, we invite you to stay connected with us through our website, mailing list, and LinkedIn and facebook channels.We’ll continue to share updates, reflections, and opportunities to engage as our work evolves.

We know change can raise questions. It can be hard to see the full picture from outside the Foundation. But we want you to know: we’re here, we’re working—and we’re committed to doing this differently, together.