Updated:
Health Foundation for Western & Central New York
Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, led by Nora OBrien-Suric, deploys a $134M endowment for health-equity programs across 16 New York...
Health Foundation for Western & Central New York
The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York was established in 2002 from the merger of Univera Healthcare and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Unlike most private foundations, its corpus was initially seeded by the nonprofit health-plan transaction, creating an institution that is structurally independent of any single donor or family. Nora OBrien-Suric has led the foundation as president, guiding a dual-office operation from Buffalo and Syracuse. The foundation targets three interconnected areas: older adults, young children impacted by poverty, and community health capacity. It operates flagship programs such as Age-Friendly: Go Local, a cohort-based initiative that helps municipalities adapt infrastructure for aging populations, and Exhale, a caregiver support program co-funded with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Its deployment blends direct program grants, co-investments with peer funders like the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, and a separate investment portfolio that spans buyout, venture, distressed debt, and fund-of-funds allocations. Confirmed partners include the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo on the Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund and the John R. Oishei Foundation on the StoryGrowing WNY initiative. The foundation manages an estimated $134M in assets (Altss estimate) and maintains a professional staff of undisclosed size across its two New York offices. It operates within a dense network of philanthropic associations — including Grantmakers In Health, PEAK Grantmaking, and the APHA Public Health Funder Network — and OBrien-Suric serves on the board of Grantmakers In Aging. In 2022, MacKenzie Scott donated $9M to the foundation, recognizing its role as a regional health-equity hub. In May 2026, it awarded seven grants through Univera Healthcare's Health Equity Innovation Awards. What distinguishes the foundation structurally is its origin as a nonprofit conversion foundation with a permanently endowed balance sheet, a model more commonly associated with health legacy foundations like the Colorado Health Foundation. It maintains no donor-advised fund structure and operates a hybrid portfolio that directly pairs traditional grantmaking with a full-spectrum institutional investment allocation, giving it the capital permanence of an endowment while retaining the mission-driven flexibility of a community foundation.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
2002
AUM
$100M – $250M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Buffalo
Corporate office
500 Seneca Street, Suite 600, Buffalo, NY 14204
Additional offices
Syracuse, NY
Principals
Nora OBrien-Suric
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How is the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York funded?
The foundation was created in 2002 from the nonprofit merger of Univera Healthcare and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, which endowed it with a permanent corpus. It does not raise funds from external donors as its primary model, though it received a $9M grant from MacKenzie Scott in 2022 (per internal records). The endowment is estimated at $134M (Altss estimate).
Who runs investment decisions at the foundation?
Day-to-day operations and strategic direction are led by President Nora OBrien-Suric, but the foundation does not publicly name its investment committee or CIO. It is known to maintain a diversified portfolio spanning buyout, venture, distressed debt, and fund-of-funds allocations. Specific investment staff are not disclosed.
What geographic area does the foundation serve?
The foundation serves 16 counties across western and central New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming in the west, and Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and Tompkins in the center. It operates offices in Buffalo and Syracuse.
What is the foundation’s relationship to Univera Healthcare and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield?
The foundation was created as a condition of the 2002 merger between Univera Healthcare and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, making those two entities its original founders. It now operates independently as a private foundation but maintains a cooperative relationship, most recently co-administering Univera’s Health Equity Innovation Awards in May 2026 (per the firm, May 2026).
Does the foundation make direct investments or only grants?
The foundation operates a hybrid model that includes traditional grantmaking, program-related investments, and a separate institutional investment portfolio. Its investment strategy spans private equity, venture capital, distressed debt, fund-of-funds, and secondaries, alongside direct community grant programs like Age-Friendly: Go Local and Exhale.
Which population groups does the foundation target?
The foundation focuses on three specific groups: older adults, young children impacted by poverty, and broader community health capacity. Programs like PEDALS (early childhood) and Exhale (family caregivers) operationalize these priorities by tackling access, racial equity, and socioeconomic barriers.
How does the foundation collaborate with other funders?
It co-invests and co-funds with a network of regional and national partners. Frequent collaborators include the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation on caregiver initiatives, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund on regional health programs, and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo on the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. It also participates in Grantmakers In Health and PEAK Grantmaking.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: