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Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)

  • Focuses on cooperatives and social purpose ventures assisting low-income communities
  • One of the nation’s few community development financial institutions with a focus on co-ops
  • Specific focus areas of healthy food access, housing developments, and worker-owned firms and other community-based businesses and social enterprises

About

The Local Enterprise Assistance Fund provides financing and development assistance to cooperatives and social purpose ventures that create and save jobs for low-income people. Its areas of focus include community-owned natural food cooperatives that create high-quality jobs and provide access to healthy food in urban and rural communities, low-income cooperative housing developments, and worker-owned firms and other community-based businesses and social enterprises.

Who’s it for?

Co-ops and social purpose ventures in Massachusetts that assist low-income communities

Mission

LEAF’s mission is to promote human and economic development by providing financing and development assistance to cooperatives and social purpose ventures that create and save jobs for low-income people.

Resources & Services

Lending

LEAF provides loans in three focus areas: cooperatively owned food stores, affordable housing co-ops, and worker-owned enterprises. All LEAF borrowers provide financial reports on a quarterly basis and information regarding social impacts, such as housing created, jobs saved or created, and demographics of communities served.

Elevate

LEAF’s small business initiative in Boston seeks to provide financing and development assistance to assist small businesses and micro-entrepreneurship in the city.

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