Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF)

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.

WHAT WE DO

LEAF lends nationally, with a focus on 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. Since its founding over 30 years ago, LEAF has invested and leveraged over $122 million, resulting in the creation or retention of more than 10,300 jobs. In addition, LEAF has an initiative based around lending and technical assistance in the Greater Boston Area.

HOW WE DO IT

LEAF is one of a small cohort of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in the country with a focus on cooperatives. We lend nationally, with a focus on 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, such as Alternative Staffing Organizations (ASOs). These ASOs have placed over 8,000 low-income people with barriers to employments into temporary or permanent positions. LEAF’s development services are provided through partnerships with a range of sector-specific organizations, including other CDFIs, The ICA Group, ROC USA(cooperatively-owned manufactured home parks), National Coop Grocers (NCG), The Food Co-op Initiative, and the Alternative Staffing Alliance. These partnerships allow LEAF to provide exemplary services to our borrowers, including those in Persistent Poverty Counties, helping them to thrive and ensuring they can serve their communities for years to come.