Student support is front and center during Buffalo State Gives 2026
More than 40 departments and programs will participate in this year’s Buffalo State Gives, the university’s eighth annual Day of Giving, all of them directly benefiting Buffalo State students, programs, and research.
Day of Giving 2026, which runs from noon Wednesday, April 22, to noon Thursday, April 23, will raise funds for an impressive array of campus initiatives, including these critical student support programs:
ACE
The Advancing Completion through Engagement Program (ACE) provides students with intensive academic advisement, career counseling, and financial assistance to help them successfully earn their bachelor’s degree on time. ACE was founded by CUNY in 2007 and recently expanded to the SUNY system.
The Bengal 2 Bengal Fund, also known as the Buffalo State Student Emergency Support Fund, awards short-term emergency grants of up to $1,000 to help students overcome short-term crises that might otherwise derail their path to graduation.
Bengals Career Closet
Buffalo State’s two schools (School of Education and Applied Professions and School of Arts and Sciences) each maintain a free clothing closet for any students needing professional attire to land that first job or internship. Gifts to this fund will help expand and improve the closets to help even more students obtain the confidence they need to make that crucial first impression.
EOP
The Buffalo State Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) provides a path to a better life for thousands of undergraduate students whose economic and educational circumstances place them at a disadvantage when applying to and attending college. Gifts to the Jaelah Yannis Jenkins EOP Fund enhance and supplement EOP resources.
GRIT Scholarship
The GRIT Scholarship (Guts, Resilience, Impact, and Tenacity) provides merit-based awards to Buffalo State students who are faced with financial and personal challenges but are committed to succeed in spite of these challenges. This year, Pepsi Co. has once again generously offered a matching gift challenge for donations made to the GRIT Scholarship Fund during this year’s 24-hour window.
Milligan’s Food Pantry
Milligan’s Food Pantry provides Buffalo State students with convenient, discreet access to nourishing foods and essential items like laundry detergent and basic hygiene products. Gifts to this fund allows hard-working students to concentrate on their studies without worrying about hunger.
Roar 2 Success
Roar 2 Success helps first- and second-year students build academic and professional skills, increase their awareness of campus and community resources, nurture their campus pride, and gain a greater sense of collegiate community and belonging.
Student Transportation Fund
The Undergraduate Student Transportation Fund helps qualifying Buffalo State students purchase and maintain their MetGo passes. This fund helps all students, regardless of their ability to pay, with safe and reliable access to campus, which directly improves their attendance and academic performance.
“Buffalo State Gives is about so much more than raising money,” said Kate Lockhart, director of alumni giving and stewardship. “It’s about rallying our entire community in a shared mission to provide not only an enriching academic experience but also a strong support network for our students, many of whom are studying and often struggling far from home.
“A number of our programs focus directly on student need, which we know is growing all the time,” she said. “Our Day of Giving efforts bring well-deserved attention to the remarkable resources that Buffalo State offers to support our students and see them through, no matter what challenges they may face.”
This year’s Day of Giving will pave the way for the Buffalo State Foundation’s annual scholarship gala, Bengala, and student-produced RUNWAY fashion show on April 25. Proceeds from the Gala support student scholarships across the disciplines, and funds raised during Day of Giving will be counted toward Stand for a Student, Gala’s signature appeal.
Day of Giving runs April 22–23, but donors can give anytime between now and April 29 by visiting the Buffalo State Gives website.
Tickets are still available for Bengala + Runway.
