Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
The mission of the say yes buffalo partnership is to remove barriers to educational attainment, workforce participation and economic mobility for students in public and charter schools in buffalo and niagara falls, ny. Our collective impact partnership, centered on racial equity and inclusion, provides a postsecondary tuition promise and cradle to career comprehensive supports to increase the rates of high school and postsecondary completion and the achievement of fulfilling professional employment. Our vision is a more equitable and thriving western New York economy in which all students will have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc at a glance
In short: Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc gave $3.7M across 1 grant in 2025 (avg $3.7M), mostly in New York. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,748,506
- -9.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 1
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,748,506
- -9.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $3,748,506
- Total assets
- $61,073,030
- +6.9% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New York (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Open Grants
7 open opportunities from Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Barbering and Cosmetology Scholarships
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
CareerWise Greater Buffalo Apprenticeship Program
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Amount
Paid apprenticeships (earn-while-you-learn)
Deadline
Deadline not published
Say Yes Buffalo Choice Grant
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Amount
Up to $5,000 per year
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top recipient in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc ($3.7M).
Grant Size Distribution
5 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $1–5M range: 5 grants of 5 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2025 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
States
Cities
How Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc gives
- Giving grew 54% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.0M (2023) to $4.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 1 grant totaling $3.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc Buffalo, NY | To Fund Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Assistance Program | $3,748,506 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61,073,030 | $18,105,764 | $19,124,108 | $3,748,506 | 1 | $14,297 |
| 2024 | $57,135,656 | $53,004,184 | $19,664,688 | $4,135,744 | 1 | $14,986 |
| 2023 | $34,528,536 | $13,631,405 | $13,856,857 | $1,025,092 | 1 | — |
| 2022 | $30,795,509 | $16,266,147 | $12,104,830 | $2,438,224 | 1 | — |
| 2021 | $26,879,466 | $14,014,941 | $13,504,263 | $1,550,830 | 1 | — |
| 2020 | $19,335,165 | $10,447,829 | $7,297,598 | $1,539,969 | 1 | — |
| 2019 | $6,220,474 | $5,050,737 | $2,644,066 | $1,079,473 | 1 | — |
About Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
Based on IRS filings
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in Buffalo, NY. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $61.1M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 1 grant totaling $3.7M. Net investment income was $14K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc is led by David Rust, Chief Executive Officer since 2021 (on filings since 2020); 12 of 29 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Rust
Chief Executive Officer
Executive Director → Chief Executive Officer, 2021
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$297K (2023) → $343K (2025)
Bill Gisel
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tanya Staples
Senior Director of Community Schools
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$116K (2023) → $122K (2025)
Amanda Paul
Senior Director of School-Based Services
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$120K (2024) → $119K (2025)
Christopher J. Lee
Data Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$108K (2024) → $109K (2025)
Collin S. Gehl
Human Resource Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$104K (2024) → $108K (2025)
Gellenia Smallwood
Senior Director Early Childhood Services
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$113K (2024) → $114K (2025)
Daniel Robertson
Director of Bmoc
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$107K (2025)
Elizabeth Behrend
Senior Director of Scholarship Administration
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$104K (2025)
Stephanie Peete
Senior Director of Workforce Development
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$104K (2025)
Sylvia Lloyd
Senior Director of School-Based Services
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$105K (2025)
Katie Schneider
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Trina Burruss
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jack Walsh
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Temara Cross
Director
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Gretchen Geitter
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kendra Brim
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kenya K. Hobbs
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Marsha Sullivan
Director
On filings since 2023
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Matt Connors
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Umesh Babaria
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Alice Jacobs
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Besty Constantine
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chantele Cambell
Director
New on the 2025 filing
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Laura Deluca
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$157K (2023) → $169K (2025)
Daphne Ross
Chief Impact Officer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$104K (2023) → $156K (2025)
Brigid Doherty
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer & Vice Chair, 2022
Treasurer & Vice Chair → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Yvonne Minor Ragan
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2022
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Michelle-Marie Gant
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (25)
- Former: Melissa Baumgart (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Stephen Swift (2019–2024) — Chair
- Former: Francisco M. Vasquez (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Betsy Constantine (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Michael J. Edbauer (2023–2024) — Director
- Former: Betsy Behrend (2024) — Senior Director of Scholarship Administration
- Former: Michael P. Maley (2024) — Director of Accounting
- Former: Gary Quenneville (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Emily Wycoff (2023) — Senior Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships
- Former: Lidia Torres (2023) — Say Yes Nyc Chapter Director
- Former: Michelle Morales (2023) — Say Yes Nyc Managing Director of Student Svcs
- Former: Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Hugh M. Russ III (2019–2022) — Secretary
- Former: Nick Sinatra (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Peter F. Hunt (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: Rachelle Sat'chell Robinson (2019–2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: William L. Joyce (2019–2022) — Chair
- Former: Daniel Lewis (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Danis J. Gehl (2019–2021) — Vice Chair
- Former: Alphonso O'Neil-White (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Eugene Chasin (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Hugh Scott (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Jeremy Jacobs Jr. (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Roger Hungerford (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Luke Jacobs Esq. (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $343K, to David Rust (Chief Executive Officer). 12 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc
How much does Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc give each year?
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc gave $3.7M across 1 grant in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.1M across 1 grant.
How large is Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc?
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc reported $61.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $18.1M.
What is Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc?
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in Buffalo, NY. It holds $61.1M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc operate?
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc has awarded grants in New York.
What is Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc's EIN?
Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-2867677. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 25, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 5, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Say Yes Buffalo Scholarship Inc down — hundreds of funders to go?