Stories

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…

Shana Bryant Consulting (SBC) is an event planning and management company based in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, MA. SBC provides end-to-end event management services, trainings, and consulting services for institutional clients, non-profits, and entrepreneurs seeking to coordinate high-impact functions.…

LEAF has approved a loan for Rhode Island food cooperative Urban Greens Co-Op Market. Located on Cranston Street in Providence. The market provides local, healthy food to consumers of all income levels. The Co-op opened on June 27, 2019 and…

Last month, our Managing Director of Strategy & Development, Amine Benali, wrote an opinion editorial responding to a New York Times article about an Amherst, MA student journalist’s exposė on prison labor contracts in MA public schools. One of LEAF’s…

This summer, LEAF is saying its goodbyes to two of its full-time employees and its amazing Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow. At the same time, LEAF would like to welcome its three newest team members!  Nathan Hixson, our former Director of…