Arts Services Inc. Awards $50,000 in Give for Greatness Grants

BUFFALO, NY — Arts Services Inc. (ASI) has awarded 25 Give for Greatness grants, totaling $50,000 in capacity-building support, to small and micro nonprofit arts and cultural organizations across Western New York. The $2,000 grants support investments that strengthen internal operations and long term sustainability, helping organizations better serve their communities. This year’s funding cycle was highly competitive, with 70 organizations applying for support. Grant recipients represent a wide range of artistic disciplines and community centered missions across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, and Niagara counties.

“Small and micro nonprofits are the backbone of our region’s creative ecosystem,” said ASI Executive Director Jen Swan-Kilpatrick. “Representing 76% of the organizations we serve, they play a vital role in community building and cultural representation.” The Give for Greatness grants support capacity building activities such as technology upgrades, consultant support, staff and board development, and infrastructure improvements—often critical needs that are difficult to fund through project-based grants.

For many organizations, these investments have an immediate and lasting impact. At Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, funding supported upgrades to essential technology and shared digital infrastructure. “Capacity-building expenses like computers and shared digital infrastructure may seem small, but for artist-run organizations operating on tight budgets, these are often the costs that get deferred,” said Parrish Gibbons, Executive Director of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center.

“These investments have an immediate, meaningful impact on how we work day-to day and will support our sustainability and growth well into the future.” At the Rich-Twinn Octagon House, operated by the Newstead Historical Society, the grant supports organizational renewal and volunteer engagement. “This ASI Grant affords The Newstead Historical Society’s dedicated and committed volunteers an opportunity to re-energize and renew the focus needed to strengthen our organization going forward,” said Kate Stapleton Parzych, Director of the Rich Twinn Octagon House.

The 2025 Give for Greatness grants are made possible with generous support from Lawyers for the Arts & The Marilyn Gohr McTaggart Reveal Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.