Seneca Babcock is a vibrant neighborhood tucked between Larkinville and South Buffalo that has faced more than its share of challenges with grit and resilience. It’s also home to the Seneca Street Community Development Corporation (SSCDC), a warm and welcoming community hub where progress looks like a teenager landing their first job, a child discovering a new book or a high school graduate leaving a handprint on a wall to mark an important milestone.

For more than three decades, SSCDC has worked to create opportunities for children, teens and families in one of Buffalo’s most underserved neighborhoods. What began as a small after-school program has grown into a year-round organization providing academic support, enrichment, mentoring, employment opportunities and connections to critical community services.

As that work grew, so did the need for organizational capacity to meet the community’s needs. That’s exactly when the SSCDC was introduced to the Western New York Foundation in 2019. SSCDC was originally seeking support for strategic planning but when Foundation leaders visited the organization and learned more about its work, it was suggested that capacity building could be a good first step. The Foundation then encouraged SSCDC leaders to pursue the Foundation’s Impact Capacity Assessment Program (iCAP).

The timing proved significant. The iCAP process began in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic created extraordinary challenges for the children and families that SSCDC served. When students shifted to remote learning, the organization quickly saw the impact. Most of their youth lacked technology, supervision and the support needed to keep up with schoolwork.

SSCDC responded by providing school supplies, technology, food and online staffing. The Western New York Foundation responded too, providing emergency relief funding and later supporting an extended-day program that helped the organization navigate the crisis.

But the Foundation’s role extended well beyond funding.

Through iCAP and subsequent strategic planning, SSCDC’s Board was able to examine its governance, staffing, systems and long-term sustainability. Foundation leaders also helped connect the organization with prospective board members, potential funders and other nonprofit leaders who could offer advice and share their experiences.

Those connections became a valuable part of SSCDC’s growth. The relationship demonstrated what it can mean for a funder to act not only as a source of financial support, but as a connector and community builder.

Today, the organization serves over 100 registered children in its after-school program, with about 75 attending on an average day. Its summer programs reach approximately 90 youth, while its teen employment program provides 15 participants each year with their first work experience.

The results are especially meaningful in the organization’s high school graduation record. For nine consecutive years, every senior who has been part of their teen program has graduated from high school.

For SSCDC, the Western New York Foundation’s impact is measured not just in dollars, but in helping lay the foundation for growth through deeper connections and greater capacity to create lasting change, one child at a time.