In a city where nearly a third of the residents are living in households under the poverty rate, there are plenty of vulnerabilities and priorities to address.
For a second year, the New Stadium Community Benefits Oversight Committee gave residents and community organizations the opportunity to tell the Buffalo Bills about their efforts to address some of these needs and the funding they require to help in that effort.
Bills playing by CBA rules with in-kind spending on community initiatives
While some residents and Community Benefits Oversight Committee members may want to see more cash or grant spending by the Buffalo Bills as part of the $3 million it has been tasked with spending annually in the community, the team is playing by the rules of the CBA with how it is allocating those funds.
Fourteen people, representing 11 different community groups, spoke during the public forum Tuesday evening at Agustin Olivencia Community Center, 261 Swan St.
They talked about the services and programs needed to address issues surrounding youth, women, military veterans and people with mental and physical disabilities. For those living in poverty, the needs are as basic as food, clothing, housing and health care access, they said.
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But the team and oversight committee made it clear that the more than $3 million the Bills have committed to community initiatives annually for 33 years as part of the Community Benefits Agreement tied to the building of the new $2 billion-plus stadium can only go so far and to so many groups.
“There are so many needs, and we’re conscious of that, but we’re also conscious that we can’t fill all of them,” said Penny Semaia, vice president of new stadium relations for the Bills. “But, at the very least, we want the opportunity to discuss it to see if there are synergies,” he added.
CBA oversight committee public hearing
Rev. Mark Blue, committee chair of the Community Benefits Oversight Committee, speaks to the crowd at the public forum. Michael Petro
Committee chair Rev. Mark Blue said the oversight group is trying to do its part to make an impact. There is a misconception that the team only supports certain organizations, he added.
“There’s a lot to consider, and we’re going to do our best to help where we can,” Blue said. “All these needs are very important. Working in the community, I see firsthand all of what everyone here talked about.”
About 33% of Bills annual community spending is in donated tickets, items and experiences
The Buffalo Bills have again reported investing more than $3.6 million as part of community initiatives and a third of that spending was in-kind support. The team spent around $748,000 in donated tickets, over $383,000 in experiences and events and nearly $132,000 in donated items.
Organizations brought their stories – both of perseverance and hardship, plans for the future and programming they’re initiating to pitch to the Bills in hopes that they will throw their support behind these visions.
Annette Lock, executive director of operations for The Salvation Army in Erie County, sees it as an opportunity for “big wins for Buffalonians.”
“We believe that community can come together and celebrate these big wins, not just on the field, but what is happening in the lives of families and youth and our neighbors who need hope the most,” Lock said. “And right now, our neighbors are facing an uphill battle.”
The Bills say they invested more than $3.6 million as part of community initiatives in the past year, with a third of that spending coming from in-kind support on donated tickets, items and experiences.
The latest investment included more than $1.9 million for community and civic programs, more than $975,000 for economic development, and more than $697,000 for youth and education. The report notes what the Bills spent in the community from March 29, 2024, to March 28, 2025.
Bills will include more details on community spending in annual report
The Buffalo Bills agreed to provide greater detail on their annual community spending report, including a breakdown of whether spending was made on an in-kind or cash basis as part of community initiatives the team supports each year. The decision comes in response to months of inquiries and requests by Community Benefits Oversight Committee members asking that the Bills provide more information about the annual community spending required as part of the CBA over the 33-year life of the stadium lease and construction period.
The team has now invested more than $7.2 million in the community through fiscal years 2023 and 2024, required as part of a CBA over the 33-year life of the stadium lease and construction period.
The Bills community investment is expected to total more than $120 million over 33 years, and the oversight committee was formed to provide monitoring and accountability in connection with that spending, as well as the construction, maintenance and operations of the stadium project.
The focus of last year’s public forum was on providing youth services and helping to revitalize the East Side neighborhood that the Bills left when they moved from Buffalo to Orchard Park more than 50 years ago. More than 20 people spoke during the longer than two-hour public forum held in December.
Again, during this year’s program, there was a major focus on youth and providing them with essential needs to live and go to school, as well as the need to participate in athletics and recreation, educational programming, apprenticeships, mentoring and job opportunities.
CBA oversight committee public hearing
Cait Evans, chief development officer of Feedmore WNY, discusses the needs of the organization during Tuesday's public forum. Michael Petro
Where does the Buffalo Bills $3 million in CBA spending go? The team isn't fully saying
The Buffalo Bills were asked by the Community Benefits Oversight Committee to present a more thorough breakdown of their annual community contributions and whether the spending represents a donation, gift or service or if it was in cash.
Organizations that depend on federal funding, such as Feedmore WNY and Veteran’s One Stop Center, talked about their needs, with financial assistance from the federal government at risk from decisions of the current administration.
“Listening to everyone tonight, I realize that there are so many organizations that do the work to fill gaps, and my direct ask is that you find a way to sustain those organizations,” said Darryl Gaines, chief impact officer at Open Buffalo and a small business owner.
Semaia said he will continue to do his best to answer every email from organizations asking for help and meet with everyone interested in talking. The Bills have the final say in how the money is spent in the community.
“You can imagine how many requests come in,” Semaia said.
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