BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Together Community Response Fund announced it will begin to distribute initial support to 70 Black-led organizations following the mass shooting at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue on May 14.
Around $560,000 in grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, will be distributed in the coming days. "To date, $3 million has been committed from nearly 50 local and national foundations and corporations, as well as more than 1,100 individuals from all over the country who have donated online or mailed in checks," a release says.
Three general areas of support have been identified for the Buffalo Together Fund:
- Providing important support with a focus on Black-led organizations that are working directly in the community
- Ensuring availability of mental health services
- Addressing longer-term, systemic issues of racial justice
The Buffalo Together Community Response Fund is a collaboration of 15 local funders coordinated by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and United Way of Buffalo & Erie County.
“There was a collective desire by the funding community to come together to support our Jefferson community in the wake of this horrific racially-motivated hate crime, and we recognized that our first priority was to start with support for Black-led organizations that are on the frontlines serving critical needs, often with unequitable resources. We are committed to engaging with the community going forward to address long-term rebuilding.”
Organizers said the fund is meant to complement other fundraising efforts, such as the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund. The Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund will "provide direct financial assistance to the survivors of the deceased and those directly affected by this tragedy."
You can find a full list of the initial 70 grantees of the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund distribution below:
Buffalo Together Fund Phase 1 by Sean Mickey on Scribd
To donate to the Buffalo Together Community Response Fund you can click here.
To donate to the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors Fund you can click here.
To find more information on other ways you can help you can click here.
To find more information if you are in need of help you can click here.
