Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Scholarship Program

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo runs a single online application that matches graduating seniors to dozens of scholarship funds, with individual awards of roughly $1,000 to $6,000. It's open to permanent residents of the eight Western New York counties with at least a 2.0 GPA who are headed to an accredited nonprofit college full-time; strong preference goes to Pell-eligible applicants. The foundation distributed about $3 million to nearly 3,000 students in 2025.

Eligibility

DemographicsMust be a permanent resident of one of the eight Western New York counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, or Wyoming.

Applying

Awarded through one common application matching students to multiple underlying funds; strong preference for Pell-eligible applicants. Most awards are need-based but some funds weigh scholastic achievement or service instead.