BUFFALO HEALTHY LIVING: Health Foundation Awards $500,000 to Strengthen Health Care Workforce and Nonprofit Sector
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Health Foundation Awards \$500,000 to Strengthen Health Care Workforce and Nonprofit Sector
BUFFALO AND SYRACUSE, NY – The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York is awarding $500,000 as part of an annual initiative made possible by a 2022 gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The grants include support for nonprofit organizations working to address workforce shortages in the health care industry across central and western New York. Other funds will be used to address the impact of recent federal policy decisions on the region’s nonprofit sector.
These awards are the result of an unrestricted gift of $9 million to the Health Foundation from Scott in 2022. Since receiving the gift, the Health Foundation has chosen to use a portion of the funds each year for special initiatives outside of the organization’s typical strategies.
The focus for 2025 is on helping solve the health care workforce shortages, which have short- and long-term consequences for both urban and rural communities. According to a 2024 study from the Center for Health Workforce Studies, pervasive shortages in New York State are continuing across a variety of roles in health care, including registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, aides, psychiatrists and behavior health professionals, and home health care workers.