Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Orchard Park, New York. It supports work addressing child hunger, improving families’ access to nutritious food, and promoting healthy eating in Western New York.
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc at a glance
In short: Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc gave $1.9M across 156 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), mostly in New York. 52% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,928,427
- +17.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 156
- -44.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $12,362
- +110.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $3,000
- Total assets
- $4,001,788
- +7.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 52% first-time grantees (53 of 101, 2024)
- Primary geography
- New York (90% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc
- How to Apply
The Foundation’s 2024 filing lists an application contact and requests the organization’s name, address, federal tax ID, director, contact information, amount requested, and program information, including goals,…
The Foundation’s 2024 filing lists an application contact and requests the organization’s name, address, federal tax ID, director, contact information, amount requested, and program information, including goals, summary and timeline, approximate number of people served, and funding sources. Contributions are generally restricted to tax-exempt organizations, with New York-oriented programs preferred. The Foundation’s eligibility information says participating nonprofits must qualify as 501(c)(3) public charities and provide an IRS determination letter, EIN, and most current completed financials. It reserves discretion to decline participation.
- Review Cycle
- March 4, June 3, September 12, and November 6, 2024.
- Deadline
- March 4, June 3, September 12, and November 6, 2024.
- Contact
Application contact: Ms Michelle Roberts
Mailing address: One Bills Drive, Orchard Park, NY 14127-2237
Phone: (716) 648-1800
Website: https://billsfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was United Way of Buffalo & Erie County ($355K across 6 grants). Together the top 10 received $1.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
626 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 588 grants of 626 (94%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Foundation’s website identifies Western New York as the region for its stated food and nutrition focus. In 2024, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in New York; reported shares also included DC (6%), Massachusetts (3%), Georgia (1%), and Mississippi (1%). Percentages are as reported.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 156 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc open to new grantees?
52%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 53 of 101 grantees (52%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $12K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $7K repeat.
- 38% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 176% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $698K (2021) to $2.2M (2022). In 2024 it made 156 grants totaling $1.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| United Way of Buffalo & Erie County Buffalo, NY | 2-1-1 Food Assistance Program | $295,634 |
| Connecting Communities in Action Inc Salamanca, NY | Healthy Cattaraugus Sdoh Accelerator Plan | $165,000 |
| Buffalo Prep Buffalo, NY | Prep Market | $105,000 |
| Buffalo Go Green Buffalo, NY | Nutrition Zone | $100,000 |
| Harvest House Buffalo Inc Buffalo, NY | Food as Medicine Program | $100,000 |
| Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County East Aurora, NY | Health Corner Store Initiative | $93,564 |
| Providence Farm Collective Orchard Park, NY | Supporting Diverse Leadership | $80,000 |
| Police Athletic League of Buffalo Inc Buffalo, NY | Passport to the World Club | $75,000 |
| Share Our Strengthno Kid Hungry Washington, DC | Expand Summer Meal Access in WNY | $50,800 |
| Fanthem Foundation Boston, MA | GIVE 716 | $50,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,001,788 | $3,665,610 | $3,061,690 | $1,928,427 | 156 | $2,071,045 | $176,501 | $192,856 |
| 2023 | $3,741,535 | $3,888,867 | $3,441,425 | $1,646,673 | 280 | $1,784,434 | $87,845 | $166,705 |
| 2022 | $2,861,212 | $4,045,049 | $3,244,945 | $2,223,255 | 92 | $2,298,146 | $48,892 | $123,187 |
| 2021 | $2,262,799 | $1,451,925 | $1,175,859 | $698,204 | 39 | $796,406 | $100,987 | $107,115 |
| 2020 | $1,968,623 | $642,647 | $643,213 | $761,664 | 59 | — | $17,274 | $91,234 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $193K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Foundation describes its focus as addressing child hunger, increasing access to nutritious food for families, and supporting healthy eating in Western New York. Its 2024 grants included food assistance, nutrition, community food systems, health and wellness, youth programming, and educational access.
Grantees’ own descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Buffalo Prep says it promotes educational access and opportunity for students across Western New York. Buffalo Go Green describes providing agriculture and green-industry programming and training to underserved populations. Harvest House Buffalo says it provides holistic support services, including access to basic needs and educational opportunities. Providence Farm Collective describes cultivating community-rooted agriculture and equitable access to food and farmland. The Police Athletic League of Buffalo says it provides youth with leadership, organized activities, and sports events.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Foundation reported 156 grants totaling $1,928,427. Grant amounts ranged from $227 to $295,634, with a median of $3,000.
Among the largest 2024 awards were $295,634 to United Way of Buffalo & Erie County for a 2-1-1 food assistance program; $165,000 to Connecting Communities in Action for a Healthy Cattaraugus social determinants of health accelerator plan; $105,000 to Buffalo Prep for Prep Market; and $100,000 each to Buffalo Go Green for Nutrition Zone and Harvest House Buffalo for its Food as Medicine program. Other notable awards included $93,564 to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County for a health corner store initiative, $80,000 to Providence Farm Collective for supporting diverse leadership, and $75,000 to the Police Athletic League of Buffalo for Passport to the World Club.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Gretchen Geitter as president through July 19, 2024, and Dr. Thomasina Tina Stenhouse as president from July 19, 2024. Michelle Roberts is listed as vice president. Joshua Dziurlikowski is listed as treasurer through December 10, 2024, and as a director. Other listed directors are Chris Jenkins, Bill Kresse, Danielle Shainbrown Esq, Pastor George Nicholas, Anna Stolzenburg, and Laura Pegula.
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc is led by Gretchen Geitter, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); none of the 13 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Gretchen Geitter
President
President & Director → President, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomasina Tina Stenhouse
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Shainbrown Esq.
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joshua Dziurlikowski
Treasurer & Director
Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Anna Stolzenburg
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Kresse
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chris Jenkins
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Pastor George Nicholas
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Laura Pegula
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Penny Semaia
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michelle Roberts
Vice President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jessica Fike
Secretary
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kris Gregory
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: Kathryn D'angelo (2022–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Gregg Brandon (2020–2022) — Secretary & Director
- Former: Jason Sinnarajah (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Christopher Jenkins (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Kim Pegula (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: William Kresse (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc
How much does Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc give each year?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc gave $1.9M across 156 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.6M across 280 grants.
What is Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's typical grant size?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $3,000, and its average grant was $12,362, across 156 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc that year got $12K on average.
Where does Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc give grants?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc gives mostly in New York: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was District of Columbia (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Buffalo, NY (84 grants), Niagara Falls, NY (7 grants), Manhattan Beach, CA (7 grants) and Niagara University, NY (7 grants).
Does Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 3% of Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 156) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "50/50 Charitable Proceeds" (84 grants), "AED Grant" (10 grants) and "Coach of the Week" (10 grants).
Who are Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's largest grantees?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include United Way of Buffalo & Erie County ($355,384 across 6 grants), Connecting Communities in Action Inc ($165,000) and Buffalo Go Green ($110,073 across 3 grants), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc reported $4.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $193K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc fund?
The Foundation describes its focus as addressing child hunger, increasing access to nutritious food for families, and supporting healthy eating in Western New York. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc?
The Foundation’s 2024 filing lists an application contact and requests the organization’s name, address, federal tax ID, director, contact information, amount requested, and program information, including goals,… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's EIN?
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 16-1291395. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/buffalo-bills-foundation-inc-morg_8444f6d2f96d4db29070e479c0af72a3
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_161291395_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/buffalo-bills-foundation-inc-morg_8444f6d2f96d4db29070e479c0af72a3},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Buffalo Bills Foundation Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?