Stories

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced $5 million in awards for its PRIME grant program, which funds training and technical assistance for disadvantaged micro-entrepreneurs. LEAF is very excited to announce that we were selected as one of the…

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts recently announced that LEAF, in partnership with The Franklin County CDC, would be the lead CDFI administrator of the Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP), a healthy food fund that has been seeded with $1 million from…

LEAF, together with Shared Capital, approved a loan to Cooperative Care (CC) to finance the diversification of CC’s service offerings. CC is the third largest home care cooperative in the United States and currently has 38 employees — 30 of…

SWGMC sponsors farm open days and events several times a year to help customers connect with farmers and see how the flowers are grown. LEAF, partnering with Shared Capital, recently approved a loan to Seattle Wholesale Growers Market Cooperative (SWGMC),…

Congratulations to Democracy Brewing (DB) on their Independence Day Grand Opening (July 4, 2018)! It’s been less than a year since LEAF approved a loan to finance the build out of DB’s combined brewery and pub (“brewpub”) in the heart…

LEAF has approved a loan to City Center Market (CCM), to finance the renovation of their food co-op. Established almost 40 years ago in Cambridge, Minnesota, CCM moved to their current store in 2007, a region of the city classified…

LEAF has made a loan to Apple Street Market Cooperative for the development of their full-service grocery store in north-central Cincinnati’s diverse neighborhood of Northside. Apple Street Market will be fulfilling a much-needed gap for healthy and accessible food. The…

LEAF recently approved a loan to Sherwood Valley, a ROC USA manufactured home community in Coventry, Rhode Island with 170 resident-owned units and approximately 23 miles from Providence. Cooperative Development Institute (CDI), Sherwood Valley’s technical assistance provider, helped them to…

LEAF has continued its partnership with the Office of Small Business Development at the City of Boston, and has spoken at several workshops run by the City’s traveling Small Business Center to discuss and promote the cooperative model. Most recently,…

Anthony Caldwell (middle) celebrates with Strategy & Development Director Amine Benali and QVS Fellow Shaina Robinson (Photo by Ben Selden) LEAF would like to congratulate Chef Anthony Caldwell of 50Kitchen for winning the Fields Corner Collaborative’s business development competition! To…