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FOOD FUTURE WESTERN NEW YORK
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resources

Capital and Support Resources


Mainstream Sources of Capital
​For Food & Farm Businesses
Support for Food & Farm Business
Entrepreneurship & Business Development
GRANTS - A source of capital that requires an application or request for proposal and does not need to be paid back
  1. Regional Grants
    • Invest Buffalo Niagara [Buffalo, Niagara region. new facility construction, site and infrastructure work, equipment purchases, energy performance improvement, environmental performance improvements, working capital and lease costs] 
    • The Awesome Foundation [Buffalo. For a specific creative project. $1000]
  2. State Grants
    • New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
      • Funding Opportunities
      • Expand your Farm
    • Empire State Development- New Farmers Grant Fund Program 
    • New York Grant Watch
    • LISC- Small Business Assistance
    • New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program
  3. National Grants
    • Grants.gov
    • USDA Grants
      • Overview of USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain 
      • Rural Development Grants - Business and Cooperative Programs 
        • Value Added Producer Grant
        • Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program
        • Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants
      • Specialty Crop Block Grant Program- to increase the competitiveness of those selling fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)
      • Natural Resources Conservation Service- Conservation Innovation Grant
    • Black Farmer Fund
    • Farm Aid
    • Restaurant Revitalization Fund
    • National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
    • Beginning Farmers
    • SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education)
    • Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement Grant 
    • Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Grants
INTEREST- FREE LOANS - A sum of money that is borrowed and expected to be paid back with interest
  1. Kiva
  2. Farm Service Agency- Farm Loan Programs
  3. Farmers.gov Loans​
INVESTMENT CROWDFUNDING PORTALS - A crowdfunding intermediary for businesses to display their offering. The portal does not offer investment advice nor do they solicit purchases, sales, or offers to buy securities offered or displayed on its website
  1. See list of all federally licensed portals here.
  2. Common Owner (based in Buffalo)
BANKS AND CREDIT UNIONS - Are financial institutions that offer loans. A bank is for profit, while a credit union is run cooperatively with shared ownership to its members
  1. Community Banks- are for profit banks, run by members of the community in which it serves. 
    • Albion
      • Cobblestone Country Credit Union
    • Alden
      • Alden State Bank
    • Amherst
      • Boulevard Federal Credit Union
      • Sweet Home Federal Credit Union
      • Williamsville Federal Credit Union
    • Angola
      • Evans Bank
      • Lake Shore Federal Credit Union
    • Attica
      • Attica Wyoming Correctional Employees Federal Credit Union
    • Batavia
      • Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union
    • Blasdell
      • Greater Woodlawn Credit Union
    • Brockport
      • Brockport Federal Credit Union
    • Buffalo
      • Good Neighbors Credit Union
      • Buffalo Metropolitan Federal Credit Union
      • ONE Credit Union
      • Cadets Federal Credit Union
      • Erie County Employees Credit Union
      • IRS Buffalo Federal Credit Union
      • Kaleida Health Federal Credit Union
      • Kenmore N.Y. Teachers Federal Credit Union
      • M&T Bank (Manufacturers And Traders Trust Company)
      • Morton Lane Federal Credit Union
      • Sisters Hospital Employees Federal Credit Union
      • St. John United Federal Credit Union
      • St. John’s Buffalo Federal Credit Union
      • St. Joseph's Parish Buffalo Credit Union
      • Tonawanda Community Federal Credit Union
    • Castile
      • Tompkins Bank of Castile
    • Cattaraugus
      • Cattaraugus County Bank
    • Cheektowaga 
      • Financial Trust Federal Credit Union
      • AFGM Enterprises Federal Credit Union
      • Buffalo Conrail Federal Credit Union
      • Cheektowaga Community Federal Credit Union
      • Crossroads Community Credit Union
      • Maryvale Schools Federal Credit Union
      • Town of Cheektowaga Federal Credit Union
      • Upstate Milk Employees Credit Union
    • Churchville
      • Westside Community Credit Union
    • Clarence
      • Clarence Community & Schools Credit Union
    • Dunkirk
      • Lake Shore Savings Bank
    • East Aurora
      • Moog Employees Credit Union
    • Falconer
      • Greater Chautauqua Credit Union
    • Fredonia
      • Suny Fredonia Credit Union
    • Geneseo
      • Genesee Valley Credit Union
      • State University Of Ny Geneseo Credit Union
    • Gowanda
      • Gowanda Area Credit Union
    • Hamburg
      • Meridia Community Credit Union
    • Holland
      • Bank of Holland
    • Irving
      • Seneca Nation Of Indians Credit Union
    • Jamestown
      • Affinity One Credit Union
      • Jamestown Area Community Credit Union
    • Kenmore
      • Radius Federal Credit Union
    • Lackawanna
      • South Towns Community Credit Union
    • Lakewood
      • Southern Chautauqua Credit Union
    • LeRoy
      • Le Roy Credit Union
    • Lockport
      • Cornerstone Community Credit Union
    • Newfane
      • Ontario Shores Credit Union
    • Niagara Falls
      • Encompass Niagara Federal Credit Union
      • Niagara Falls Air Force Federal Credit Union
      • Greater Niagara Credit Union
      • Niagara Falls Teachers Credit Union
      • Niagara Frontier Federal Employees Credit Union
      • Niagara's Choice Credit Union
      • Rediform Niagara Falls Ny Credit Union
    • North Tonawanda
      • Niagara Regional Federal Credit Union
    • Olean
      • Olean Area Federal Credit Union
    • Orchard Park
      • Great Erie Credit Union
    • Pittsford
      • Pittsford Credit Union
    • Rochester
      • The Summit Federal Credit Union
      • Ukrainian Federal Credit Union
      • ESL
      • Family First Of Ny Credit Union
      • Advantage Federal Credit Union
      • Ever $ Green Credit Union
      • Gates Chili Credit Union
      • Genesee Co Op Credit Union
      • Genesee Regional Bank
      • Greece Community Credit Union
      • Lexington Avenue Credit Union
      • Focus First Federal Credit Union
      • Rochester & Monroe County Employees Credit Union
      • Rochester Area State Employees Credit Union
      • St. Pius X Church Credit Union
      • Wit Credit Union
    • Salamanca
      • C C S E Credit Union
    • Sanborn
      • Alliance Niagara Credit Union
    • Seneca Falls
      • Generations Bank
    • Warsaw
      • Five Star Bank
    • Wellsville
      • Alco Federal Credit Union
    • Westfield
      • Inner Lakes Credit Union
    • West Seneca
      • Empire One Federal Credit Union
    • Williamsville
      • Western Division Credit Union
  2.  CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions)- are private institutions with the primary goal of serving low income communities. There are four types including community development banks, community development credit unions, community development loan funds, and community development venture capital funds. 
    • New York State CDFI Coalition- General List 
    • Chautauqua Opportunities for Development, Inc. (Dunkirk)
    • Cobblestone Country Federal Credit Union (Albion)
    • Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
    • Genesee Co-Op Federal Credit Union (Rochester)
    • Launch NY (Buffalo)
    • LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation)
    • PathStone Enterprise Center, Inc. (Rochester)
    • Pursuit Lending (Rochester/Buffalo)
    • Seneca Nation of Indians Economic Development Company (Salamanca)
    • Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union (Lakewood)
    • Westminster Economic Development Center (WEDI) (Buffalo) 
  3. National Bank- A national bank is chartered under the federal government and is a member of the Federal Reserve System.
REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS - A source of money for loans, mainly for small businesses, in which the interest and principal payments from old loans are used to pay new loans
  1. Regional Revolving Loan Trust Fund Program
  2.  Growing the Agriculture Industry Now Loan: Up to $200,000 Revolving Loan Program with below-market interest rates  
  3. ​Empire State Development- The Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Revolving Loan Fund Program
INVESTMENT FUNDS - A group of investors pool their money together to make investment decisions, for example, focusing on investing only food and farming businesses
Western New York Impact Investment Fund
ANGEL NETWORKS - A group of Angel investors who invest private funds into start up businesses for personal and moral reasons, as opposed to venture capital investors whose primary motivation is profit
  1. WNY Venture Association- Buffalo Angels
  2. Rochester Angels
VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS - Provide seed money to start up businesses and require a stake in the company
  1. ​​Launch NY
  2. Upstate Venture Connect
  3. Upstate Capital
COURSES - Classes for technical assistance in running a business, grant writing, and other skills
  1. Foodlink Career Fellowship (Rochester) 
  2. Icorps
  3. Starting a Business in Buffalo​
  4. ​Cornell Small Farms Program
  5. NY Farm Net
MENTORS - Offer a connection to professionals with technical expertise and further networking
  1. SCORE
    1. For farmers
  2. E(ntrepreneurship) for All
  3. Conservation Agricultural Mentoring Program (USDA-NRCS)
  4. For beginning farmers (USDA)
CO-WORKING SPACES - Spaces for rent where businesses who do not have a physical space can work and network
  1. The Commissary  
  2. Massachusetts Avenue Project
  3. Grand Room at the Charter Place: kitchen for rent 
  4. Commercial Kitchen for Rent in Buffalo
  5. ​E(ntrepreneurship) for All
INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS - (with Capital Opportunities) - programs that provide a varying amount of capital, technical assistance, infrastructure, and space to start up businesses, usually within a set time frame and the goal of the business expanding on its own
  • NextCorps
  • Venture Creations
  • The Southern Tier Startup Alliance 
  • The Commissary (Rochester) 
  • Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI)- West Side Bazaar 
  • Providence Farm Collective
  • Blegacy Farms
  • Z80 Labs
  • The Tech Garden (Syracuse)
  • Rev (Ithaca)
  • FuzeHub
  • The Enterprise Center at PathStone
  • Nexus i90
  • E(ntrepreneurship) for All
BUSINESS COMPETITIONS - (with Capital Awards) - often in the format of making pitchs to judges with capital funds awarded to the winner
  • Grow-NY
  • Genius
  • 43North (Buffalo) 
PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Economic Development Organizations
  1. Empire State Development: The mission of Empire State Development (“ESD”) is to promote a vigorous and growing state economy, encourage business investment and job creation, and support diverse, prosperous local economies across New York State through the efficient use of loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing and other forms of assistance. 
    1. Agribusiness Industry
    2. WNY Region
    3. Finger Lakes Region
  2. Industrial Development Agencies: IDAs promote, develop, encourage and assist in acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining or equipping certain facilities, thereby advancing the job opportunities, health, general prosperity and the economic welfare of the people in their counties. 
    1. Allegany County IDA
    2. Cattaraugus County IDA
    3. Chautauqua County IDA
    4. Erie County IDA
    5. Genesee County EDC
    6. Monroe County IDA
    7. Niagara County CED
    8. Orleans County EDA
    9. Wyoming County IDA
    10. City of Buffalo Economic Development
    11. Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council
    12. Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board
    13. Western New York Regional Economic Development Council
  3. Chamber of Commerce
  4. Small Business Development Centers 
    1. New York Small Business Development Center
    2. Jamestown Small Business Development Center
    3. Niagara Small Business Development Center
    4. Buffalo Small Business Development Center
    5. Brockport Small Business Development Center
  5. Private/Non-Profit Economic Development Organizations
    1. Rochester Economic Development Corporation
    2. Cooperation Buffalo
    3. Invest Buffalo Niagara
    4. Partnership for the Public Good
    5. Buffalo Development Corporation
    6. Buffalo Urban League
    7. Urban League of Rochester
    8. Entrepreneurship for All
    9. Pursuit (Buffalo)
    10. Pursuit (Rochester)
    11. The Enterprise Center at PathStone
    12. LISC WNY
    13. Locate FLX
OTHER RESOURCES
  1. UpstartNY - Directory of resources for funding and education
  2. Buffalo Business Forward - List of Resources for current and starting businesses in Buffalo ​
Copyright @ 2021 NY Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
​A non-profit organization of Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board

For more information about this project and how you can be involved, contact:
​

New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Kimberly LaMendola, Food System Projects Manager 
4039 Route 219, Suite 200, Salamanca NY 14779
716-945-5301 ext. 2211
klamendola@southerntierwest.org
fr2021

Western New York Foundation

2495 Main Street, Suite 464, Buffalo NY 14214
716-839-4225


Beth Kinsman Gosch, Executive Director
bgosch@wnyfoundation.org

​
Lauren VanOsten, Program Officer

Lvanosten@wnyfoundation.org
  • Home
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        • Capital And Support
        • Current Offerings
        • Local Investment Tools
        • Primer on Grassroots Investment
      • Markets & Buyers Resources
  • About Us
    • Advisory Council Members
    • Work Groups >
      • Access, Equity And Sovereignty
      • Farmer & Producer
      • Finance for Food & Farming Businesses
      • Infrastructure
      • Markets & Buyers