Stories

Evanston Development Cooperative (EDC) is a worker-owned cooperative providing design-build services in Evanston, IL, with a focus on construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or “coach houses”. EDC was launched in 2018 with a vision of building affordable, sustainable housing,…

LEAF’s Elevate Small Business team has been awarded a grant of $100,000 for the provision of technical assistance to both current and prospective minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses that contract with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Our team will engage with…

LEAF’s newest staff member, Jose Luis Rojas Villereal, joined us in September of 2019 to serve as a Managing Director of LEAF. His role includes the administration of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program in addition to worker cooperative pipeline development…

The Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP) has awarded grants to two projects in Eastern MA, supporting access to healthy food in Lowell and Lynn.  Mill City Grows, a Lowell-based nonprofit that “increases community access to healthy, fresh food through the…

Lawyers for Civil Rights NAACP The Massachusetts Bail Fund…

LEAF’s Elevate Small Business team has been awarded a grant of $75,000 for the provision of technical assistance to both current and prospective minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses that contract with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Our team will engage with…

In December 2019, LEAF closed two major loans to collectively organized residents of manufactured home parks, ensuring their long-term affordability and empowering residents to make their own decisions about park improvements.  ROC USA Capital provided $14.6 million with the support…

A few weeks ago, several members of the LEAF team headed to Baltimore, MD for the 2019 Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy (ECWD). Organized by the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives, the conference took place at the architecturally jaw-dropping University…

Fairbanks Co-op Market in Fairbanks, Alaska has been approved for a second loan from LEAF after six years of strong performance in one of the most remote locations in the U.S. The only cooperative grocer in Alaska, Fairbanks Co-op Market…

LEAF’s Elevate Small Business team is thrilled to announce the award of a FY2020 grant for technical assistance from Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. The award of $61,000 will allow Amine Benali and Chris Hunter to serve Greater Boston’s minority, women,…

Culinary duo Ernie Campbell and Aquila Kentish opened the doors to their new Jamaica Plain restaurant in early September to a crowd of faithful customers, city officials, and community leaders. Previously, the couple had operated their world-class Carribean food business…

LEAF has approved a loan to Community Purchasing Alliance (CPA), a purchasing cooperative in Washington, D.C. that helps local community organizations such as schools, churches, and other mission-oriented property owners to lower the cost of their largest contracts. CPA is…