For Community Missions of Niagara Frontier, growth has always meant more than becoming a larger organization. It means having the people, technology, systems and partnerships needed to respond when the community’s needs change. Over the past 15 years, the Western New York Foundation has been by its side to support building capacity that goes well beyond funding.

Community Missions of Niagara Frontier was founded in 1925 with a simple goal: to help people who were struggling and remind them that they were not alone. What began with a focus on faith and shelter has grown over the years as the needs of the community have changed, expanding into mental health services, residential care and other programs that support people through some of the hardest moments of their lives. At the heart of its mission is “compassion in action” and that’s rooted in meeting people where they are, offering hope and support, and helping them find a path toward a safer, more stable future. 

Since the Foundation first funded Community Missions in 2011, the organization has more than doubled its operating budget and in the last three years its workforce has grown from 135 to 175 employees. Its services have expanded as well, from longstanding shelter and residential programs to specialized work in rapid rehousing, gun violence prevention, youth services, recovery and community-based support. Community Missions now has 24 programs deployed through 14 locations in Niagara County.  In fact, the first grant from the Foundation back in 2011 was for an air conditioner in the community kitchen that is still up and running today!

That growth has brought new opportunities - and new demands. It became clear that Community Missions needed to strengthen its technology infrastructure to support growth. But where to start? The Foundation started by supporting a full technology assessment project. That investment was a game changer, giving the organization a strategic roadmap rather than forcing it to piece together technology upgrades one request at a time. With the assessment in hand, Community Missions had a plan to modernize its phone and computer systems and start replacing outdated computers, servers and equipment. Just as importantly, the Foundation helped the organization develop a plan for continually replacing and upgrading its technology as it grew.

The investment proved especially important during the pandemic. As demand for food assistance surged, Community Missions expanded from serving roughly 250 families a month to as many as 650. The organization remained open and continued responding to people’s needs at a moment when many systems were under extraordinary pressure. The capacity built before the crisis, and the resources and connections mobilized during it, all helped make that rapid response possible.

The Foundation has also understood that sustainable growth requires investing in people too. Through additional capacity building support, Community Missions recognized it needed new leadership positions to support its growth plan and the Foundation provided three years of funding for a new senior-level IT and facilities position.

For Community Missions, the Foundation’s impact is measured not simply by what it has funded, but by what those investments have made possible: an organization that is stronger, more resilient and better equipped, literally and figuratively, to serve its community today and long into the future.