The Oliver G. & Sarah Sloan Bauman Fund for the Arts is accepting grant applications for its 2026 grant Program.
Donor Name: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
State: New York
County: Allegany County (NY), Cattaraugus County (NY), Chautauqua County (NY), Erie County (NY), Genesee County (NY), Niagara County (NY), Orleans County (NY), Wyoming County (NY)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/13/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Bauman support shall be in the form of a grant, preferably matching funds.
- Tier 1
- Awards will be prioritized first for performances of “traditional, classical ballet and opera on the living stage, and preferably of the English, European, or Russian schools.” Qualifying performances should “preserve the originality of their composition, so the ballets are presented in their traditional choreography, and operas are sung in the language in which they were composed (except certain operas which may be customarily be rendered in English and are regarded as ‘traditional’ by the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York).”
- In honor of the donor’s original intent, classical is defined as the period up to the start of World War I (1914).
- Tier 2
- If any funds remain after awards have been made to all ballet and opera nonprofits eligible under Tier 1, awards will be prioritized for qualifying performances presented through the encouragement and support of responsible music or theater nonprofits. Qualifying works shall “preserve the high quality of performance of traditional or classical works” of music, theater, or ballet from the repertories traditionally considered classical for each medium.
Funding Information
Approximately $66,000 is available for granting in 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
- Grants are awarded only to organizations that have current Section 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service.
- Applicants must be located or delivering services in at least one of the eight counties of Western New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.
- At any given time, organizations can only have one open competitive grant with the Bauman Fund.
For more information, visit CFBG.
