Mission & theory of change
- Reliability first—outages undermine trust faster than brochures build it.
- Neighborhood-scale deployment with repeatable hubs, relays, and support workflows.
- Digital Navigators extend capacity with supervised, resident-centered troubleshooting.
- Transparent milestones so donors see outcomes, not only intentions.
Legal status & incorporation
Connect Buffalo, Inc. is incorporated as a nonprofit organization (public-facing name: Connect Buffalo). Formal tax exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code follows the standard IRS determination process; we publish authoritative tax and identification details on our transparency page as soon as they are available for public release.
Governance & accountability
We are assembling governance appropriate to nonprofit stewardship (board oversight, conflicts policies, financial controls), proportional to rollout scale and grant requirements. The People & governance page maps the board of directors, how oversight connects to leadership, and who carries day-to-day delivery.
Geographic scope
Work is prioritized in Buffalo neighborhoods and anchor institutions that opt in during pilot phases. Expansion follows confirmed reliability, staffing, and community consent—not a speculative coverage map promise.
Community commitments
Housing status, immigration status, disability, language access, or income level must not gate respectful service. Residents with specific access needs can reach us through the Contact section—we add accommodations as pilots mature.
Digital accessibility & languages
We aim for legible typography, descriptive link text, and keyboard-friendly layouts sitewide. Full WCAG conformance is a ramp, not a day-one checkbox—tell us where friction shows up (outreach@connectbuffalo.org), and we will prioritize fixes that unblock residents from applying or getting help.
Spanish or other-language summaries are available on request; email outreach@connectbuffalo.org with the pages you need and preferred language so we can queue translations cooperatively with community partners.