The second half starts now
2025
Halftime
Report
A Lasting Legacy
Our founder Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. loved people. He loved the everyday difference-makers he encountered throughout his life. He loved his hometown in Southeast Michigan and adopted home of Western New York. He was an entrepreneur, an innovator, and a risk taker. He built things, connected people, and lived with joy. In our first 10 years, the Foundation’s trustees and staff have been grounded and guided by Ralph’s values as we’ve worked in service to our two regions. Thanks to Mr. Wilson’s generosity and gift, we have the privilege and opportunity to walk alongside and provide resources to support the incredible work being led by nonprofit organizations and people making a difference in our communities.
OUR
FIRST
10
YEARS
From 2015 to 2024, the Foundation made more than 1,300 grants across our eight program areas totaling $1.2 billion. And in our second half, we are projected to invest an additional $1 billion across our two regions as we spend down our endowment by 2035.
These are just a few examples and highlights of what has been collectively accomplished:
100
created nearly 100 unique play spaces & skateparks thorugh built to play initiative
135
More than 135 organizations collaborative working to provide nearly 40 respite programs for caregivers.
250
Eliminated gaps to connect more than 250 miles of regional trails across 16 counties in our two regions.
$30M
Deployed over $30 million in lending capital for small businesses in under-resourced communities that lack access to capital.
93
Paid $1M directly to teens to share their stories and afterschool ideas leading to more than $4M in grants to 93 afterschool providers.
We are proud of the relationships and partnerships we have forged in our communities across the nonprofit, public and private sectors that have helped to guide our grantmaking strategies, develop community-informed initiatives and coalitions that are driving towards a shared vision. Watch and hear from the people behind this work as we reflect on ‘the first half’.
Making
The most
of the
moment
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
Building equitable pathways to economic opportunity and helping young adults, individuals and families overcome barriers to success can have multi-generational impact. Through coalitions and strategic investments, we’ve helped improve coordination between the private sector, education and training providers through coalition building, particularly to create pathways to middle-skill, middle-wage jobs. As you will read below, the Foundation’s place-based investments include workforce development and entrepreneurial support to revitalize communities and create lasting change.
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
2015
Establish Legacy Funds for Youth Sports: To date, these annual funds, which currently site at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Rochester Area Community Foundation have distributed more than XXX grants to youth sport serving organizations totaling more than $XX million – and will continue to distribute grants beyond the Foundation’s life in perpetuity.
2016
Commission first-ever regional “State of Play” reports: In partnership with the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program and local community foundations, the State of Play reports for Southeast Michigan, Greater Buffalo, and Greater Rochester & Fingers Lakes have served as a rallying cry for our communities and a playbook for the Foundation’s youth sport investments and initiative level work.
2017
Launch Project Play Southeast Michigan & Western New York initiatives: In partnership with the Aspen Institute, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, these localized initiatives are working to create a youth sports environment that ensures that all children – regardless of location, income or ability – can be active through sports. Thousands of youth sports providers, coaches, parents and other stakeholders attended community conversations across the region to determine needs and priorities of the initiative.
2018
Develop the Built to Play initiative in partnership with KABOOM! and Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project: Responding to data from State of Play reports and need for more kid-driven free play, the Foundation invested more than $17M to support the creation of nearly 100 unique play spaces and skateparks across both regions.
2019
Launch award-winning #DontRetireKid public service campaign with Aspen, ESPN and other national partners: Supporting and leveraging the national PSA campaign, the Foundation localizes campaign in Southeast Michigan and Western New York to emphasize the decline on childhood sports participation and connect parents and other stakeholders to resources available through local Project Play initiatives.
2019
Launch “SportPort” equipment sharing pilot with Project Play SEMI and Y on the Fly: Encouraging sports sampling and free play, two key strategies in the Project Play framework, this pilot engaged the Y Positive Play Initiative (YPPI) collaborative of four YMCAs in metro Detroit to reach youth across the region.
2019
Bring Regional Delegation on “State of Play Study Tour” with German Marshall Fund: Take cross-sector group of youth sport practitioners, municipal park managers and other planners on a week-long study to Germany’s Ruhr Valley and Barcelona, Spain to see how youth sports and recreation has successfully been integrated throughout public spaces and society. Long-lasting relationship and connections made across attendees from our two regions impacting ongoing learnings and collaborations to this day
2020
Deliver “Play Kits” to children as COVID-19 pandemic pauses and cancels youth sport programming: Support Project Play teams, in partnership with local nonprofit partners and pro teams, in delivery of more than 40,000 Play Kits with equipment like jump ropes, soccer balls, basketballs, frisbees, activity deck and more, for over six weeks to kids throughout our two regions.
2020
Foundation receives ESPN’s first-ever Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award: Award announced as part of the Sports Humanitarian awards and included a donation from ESPN to support COVID Play Kit distribution in our two regions.
2021
Begin development of localized coaches training pilot programs: As one of the key strategies in the Project Play framework, support coaches training pilot developments in each region over the next several years. Investments have included the Cornerstone Coaches Program at Niagara University in WNY and in Southeast Michigan with the Mac Parkman Foundation.
2022
Support Research in Girls in Sports and Regional State of Courts & Fields Report: Grant to the Women’s Sports Foundation to establish best practices to help identify and remove barriers preventing girls from being involved in sports and recruit and retain more female coaches (link to report). Grant support to commission KABOOM! to develop a “Playbook for Playspace Equity” outlining needs and opportunities in courts & fields investment for the two regions.
2023
Support Leveling the Playing expansion into both regions to improve access to play with sports equipment distribution: The national nonprofit Leveling the Playing Field is bringing its success model to redistribute free sports equipment to PE teachers, coaches and nonprofits, as it builds out new warehouse and distribution locations in Buffalo and Detroit to serve the broader regions and partner with Project Play initiatives on collection and distribution coordination.
2024
Support in-house leagues through launch of Project Play Ball Western New York: Support of Project Play WNY leads to new Project Play Ball initiative to revitalize and strengthen in-house leagues, a key strategy in the Project Play framework. The inaugural season that was provided a no-cost to families drew nearly 600 youth athletes to neighborhood softball and baseball fields through partnerships with Buffalo PAL, Willie Hutch Jones Educational & Sports Programs, River Rock Baseball League, and West Side Baseball, Softball & T-ball League.
2024
Support Modified Girls Flag Football across both regions: Working to get more girls involved in sports, our partnership with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions Foundation is expanding opportunities for more young girls to participate in the growing sport of flag football.
What’s Next?
Capacity building, coaches training, infrastructure connectivity to broader After School ecosystem with sport/play being a critical piece of youth development. I would also add equipment sharing, partnership and collaboration with professional and collegiate teams, system building and working to develop the previous things mentioned to be around after the foundation has sunset.
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
Caregivers
We strive to strengthen the system of support for family caregivers of older adults by elevating their value; building strong and influential networks; and expanding, coordinating, and promoting resources. For paid caregivers, we are piloting and scaling models that help to create a more stable direct care workforce. Our efforts span sectors – from workforce retention and youth caregiving to addressing the broad impact caregiving has on families and communities.
Caregivers
Total Caregivers Grants:
153 GRANTS TOTALING $71,105,243
Total (Inception to 12/31/24)
2015
Establish Legacy Funds for Caregivers
The established funds are held at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. XX grants have been distributed annually to organizations serving caregivers—totaling more than $XX million to date. These funds are designed to continue supporting caregivers in perpetuity.
2016
Determine grantmaking focus on caregivers of older adults
2017
Commision “An Exploration of Family Caregiving” report by Practica
Effort gains broad cultural insight on the joys and challenges of family caregivers.
2019
Launch Exhale: The Family Caregiver Initiative
Exhale pilots in Western New York’s Southern Tier centering caregiver voices in respite program design. It has since grown into a region-wide initiative across Western New York and Southeast Michigan thanks to several philanthropic partners. To date, more than $XXX has been invested to support XXX respite programs supported by XXX organizations.
2020
Debut Tight Knit: Caregivers Series
Commission two documentaries and release a podcast series locally and nationwide to highlight the joys and challenges of caregiving.
2021
Partner with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) to launch Working While Caring initiative
With former first lady Rosalynn Carter as champion, RCI launches the Working While Caring initiative in partnership with the 4Kinds Network, the first-ever national advocacy network for family caregivers – elevating their voices in local and national policy discussions.
2022
Support rollout of Any Care Counts campaign in New York, featuring the Caregiver Intensity Index® (CII®)
Campaign launches in New York, with a focus on the Western region, and then piloted in Detroit in an effort to amplify caregiver voices and connect caregivers to resources. More than XXX caregivers are engaged, and more than XXX CII®are completed.
2024
Launch the Exhale Memory Café Collective
In partnership with the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, distribute grants totaling $323K supporting 11 arts and culture organizations in Western New York to help them establish memory cafe programming for caregivers of older adults with dementia-related illnesses, Initiative will expand to Southeast Michigan in 2025 and 2026.
2018
Establish endowed program officer positions at local foundations
Today, these two caregiver-focused positions reside at the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan to create a legacy in support of caregivers during and beyond the life of the Wilson Foundation.
2019
Launch THRIVE pilot program for caregiver retention
Support a cross-regional, innovative pilot program at three healthcare systems to improve caregiver retention. Retention did not improve, but evaluation provided key lessons to develop the CareFront initiative.
2020
Distribute $1.35M to address frontline caregivers’ emergency-related needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grants to 17 hospitals include direct financial support for nurse aids, environmental and food services staff members, and others in acute care settings.
2020
New York & Michigan Solutions Journalism Collaborative Launches
Effort focuses on increasing the quantity and quality of solutions-oriented coverage of caregiving and caregivers across both regions. To date, more than XX media outlets and XX orgs are reporting on solutions, and XXX articles and broadcast stories have been published with XX emerging journalists who cover caregiving.
2023
Launch CareFront, led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, with seven healthcare systems in Southeast Michigan and Western New York.
An evolution of the THRIVE pilot, the first phase of CareFront is demonstrating impressive outcomes in retention, culture change and health system engagement – including improving retention of direct care staff in the hospital setting by 10-20%.
2024
Expand Detroit Faith Leaders Initiative “Living our Legacies”
Launched in 2019 as a pilot the initiative is building caregiving ministries within congregations that focus on supporting caregivers through faith. The initiative raises awareness, offers support, and connects caregivers to resources.
What’s Next?
Capacity building, coaches training, infrastructure connectivity to broader After School ecosystem with sport/play being a critical piece of youth development. I would also add equipment sharing, partnership and collaboration with professional and collegiate teams, system building and working to develop the previous things mentioned to be around after the foundation has sunset.
-
Active Lifestyles
-
Preparing for Success
-
Entrepreneurship & Economic Development
-
Caregivers
-
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
Building equitable pathways to economic opportunity and helping young adults, individuals and families overcome barriers to success can have multi-generational impact. Through coalitions and strategic investments, we’ve helped improve coordination between the private sector, education and training providers through coalition building, particularly to create pathways to middle-skill, middle-wage jobs. As you will read below, the Foundation’s place-based investments include workforce development and entrepreneurial support to revitalize communities and create lasting change.
Nonprofit Support & Innovation
2015
Establish Legacy Funds for Youth Sports: To date, these annual funds, which currently site at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and the Rochester Area Community Foundation have distributed more than XXX grants to youth sport serving organizations totaling more than $XX million – and will continue to distribute grants beyond the Foundation’s life in perpetuity.
2016
Commission first-ever regional “State of Play” reports: In partnership with the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program and local community foundations, the State of Play reports for Southeast Michigan, Greater Buffalo, and Greater Rochester & Fingers Lakes have served as a rallying cry for our communities and a playbook for the Foundation’s youth sport investments and initiative level work.
2017
Launch Project Play Southeast Michigan & Western New York initiatives: In partnership with the Aspen Institute, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, these localized initiatives are working to create a youth sports environment that ensures that all children – regardless of location, income or ability – can be active through sports. Thousands of youth sports providers, coaches, parents and other stakeholders attended community conversations across the region to determine needs and priorities of the initiative.
2018
Develop the Built to Play initiative in partnership with KABOOM! and Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project: Responding to data from State of Play reports and need for more kid-driven free play, the Foundation invested more than $17M to support the creation of nearly 100 unique play spaces and skateparks across both regions.
2019
Launch award-winning #DontRetireKid public service campaign with Aspen, ESPN and other national partners: Supporting and leveraging the national PSA campaign, the Foundation localizes campaign in Southeast Michigan and Western New York to emphasize the decline on childhood sports participation and connect parents and other stakeholders to resources available through local Project Play initiatives.
2019
Launch “SportPort” equipment sharing pilot with Project Play SEMI and Y on the Fly: Encouraging sports sampling and free play, two key strategies in the Project Play framework, this pilot engaged the Y Positive Play Initiative (YPPI) collaborative of four YMCAs in metro Detroit to reach youth across the region.
2019
Bring Regional Delegation on “State of Play Study Tour” with German Marshall Fund: Take cross-sector group of youth sport practitioners, municipal park managers and other planners on a week-long study to Germany’s Ruhr Valley and Barcelona, Spain to see how youth sports and recreation has successfully been integrated throughout public spaces and society. Long-lasting relationship and connections made across attendees from our two regions impacting ongoing learnings and collaborations to this day
2020
Deliver “Play Kits” to children as COVID-19 pandemic pauses and cancels youth sport programming: Support Project Play teams, in partnership with local nonprofit partners and pro teams, in delivery of more than 40,000 Play Kits with equipment like jump ropes, soccer balls, basketballs, frisbees, activity deck and more, for over six weeks to kids throughout our two regions.
2020
Foundation receives ESPN’s first-ever Sports Philanthropist of the Year Award: Award announced as part of the Sports Humanitarian awards and included a donation from ESPN to support COVID Play Kit distribution in our two regions.
2021
Begin development of localized coaches training pilot programs: As one of the key strategies in the Project Play framework, support coaches training pilot developments in each region over the next several years. Investments have included the Cornerstone Coaches Program at Niagara University in WNY and in Southeast Michigan with the Mac Parkman Foundation.
2022
Support Research in Girls in Sports and Regional State of Courts & Fields Report: Grant to the Women’s Sports Foundation to establish best practices to help identify and remove barriers preventing girls from being involved in sports and recruit and retain more female coaches (link to report). Grant support to commission KABOOM! to develop a “Playbook for Playspace Equity” outlining needs and opportunities in courts & fields investment for the two regions.
2023
Support Leveling the Playing expansion into both regions to improve access to play with sports equipment distribution: The national nonprofit Leveling the Playing Field is bringing its success model to redistribute free sports equipment to PE teachers, coaches and nonprofits, as it builds out new warehouse and distribution locations in Buffalo and Detroit to serve the broader regions and partner with Project Play initiatives on collection and distribution coordination.
2024
Support in-house leagues through launch of Project Play Ball Western New York: Support of Project Play WNY leads to new Project Play Ball initiative to revitalize and strengthen in-house leagues, a key strategy in the Project Play framework. The inaugural season that was provided a no-cost to families drew nearly 600 youth athletes to neighborhood softball and baseball fields through partnerships with Buffalo PAL, Willie Hutch Jones Educational & Sports Programs, River Rock Baseball League, and West Side Baseball, Softball & T-ball League.
2024
Support Modified Girls Flag Football across both regions: Working to get more girls involved in sports, our partnership with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions Foundation is expanding opportunities for more young girls to participate in the growing sport of flag football.
What’s Next?
Capacity building, coaches training, infrastructure connectivity to broader After School ecosystem with sport/play being a critical piece of youth development. I would also add equipment sharing, partnership and collaboration with professional and collegiate teams, system building and working to develop the previous things mentioned to be around after the foundation has sunset.