Give 716 Day 2026 tops $1.8 million, expanding support for Western New York charities

Give 716 Day 2026, the annual fundraising campaign backed by the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres Foundations, raised more than $1.8 million for Western New York charitable organizations, the teams announced July 17. The effort, now in its sixth year, benefited over 600 WNY-based charities and surpassed the record set during the previous year’s campaign.

In a region where sports organizations increasingly function as community institutions, Give 716 Day is designed to direct broad-based donations to local causes rather than to a single beneficiary. The Bills and Sabres Foundations said the 2026 campaign’s funds supported charitable work across Western New York, with organizers emphasizing the scale of participation among local organizations.

The announcement framed the 2026 results as a continuing expansion of the program’s reach. According to the teams, the sixth-annual initiative raised over $1.8 million in donations, and the total exceeded last year’s record, a sign that the fundraising momentum built over time has not slowed.

The campaign is rooted in the foundations’ shared focus on community impact, with the Bills and Sabres organizations jointly promoting the event and pooling their local platforms. By pairing two major franchises from the same metro area, Give 716 Day aims to bring visibility and attention to a wide roster of charities that serve different needs, from health and family services to youth development and community support.

For the NFL and NHL ecosystems, initiatives like this also reflect how leagues and clubs measure influence beyond game day. While the on-field product matters, teams have increasingly used charitable drives to deepen relationships with fans and residents, especially during summer when community organizations often rely on predictable funding streams.

The teams did not specify in the announcement how the raised dollars were distributed among individual charities or what percentage went to particular categories, but they did underscore the total number of organizations that received support. The figure of 600-plus WNY-based charities suggests a distribution approach intended to keep participation open across the community rather than concentrating resources narrowly.

As Give 716 Day continues into future editions, the central question for supporters is whether the campaign can maintain its growth while continuing to broaden access for local charities. With the 2026 total described as a new high-water mark, the next fundraising cycle is likely to be judged by the same metrics: overall dollars raised and the number of Western New York organizations included.