A total of $60,000 in grants will be provided to three local non-profit organizations by M&T Bank to support land and water tours this summer highlighting both Buffalo’s historic assets and its downtown revitalization.



The grants, determined by the Western New York committee of the M&T Charitable Foundation, will go to:

• Preservation Buffalo Niagara: supporting the Buffalo Tours program which educates local residents and tourists about the region’s unique architecture and historic legacy. The hard hat tours feature adaptive reuse of historic buildings and greenspace and also highlight downtown buildings designed by renowned architects, such as E.B. Green and Louis Sullivan. Buffalo Tours hosted 183 tours for more than 11,000 people in 2014.
• Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper: supporting the Buffalo Niagara Water Tours which highlights Buffalo’s place as the queen city of the Great Lakes and the western terminus of the Erie Canal. The organization operates a fleet of 40 vessels, primarily kayaks, and expects to provide tours to more than 600 participants this year. 
• Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy: supporting historic, docent-guided walking tours and a newly launched mobile app self-guided walking tour program that features an audio narrative. Both tours will allow visitors to enjoy various points of interest throughout Delaware Park, part of the park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Pascal Pratt, a co-founder of M&T Bank in 1856, chaired the Buffalo Board of Commissioners from 1869 through 1879 when Olmsted designed the first urban park system in the country.  

“Whether it’s by land or by water, we have an important story to tell in our community. These three groups all have areas of expertise in the rich heritage of Western New York and dedicated staff members and volunteers who can help share our community story in an engaging way with local residents and visitors,” said M&T Charitable Foundation President Shelley Drake.



About M&T 

M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. M&T’s principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, operates banking offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Trust-related services are provided by M&T’s Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank.

 

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