(WNY News Now) – Chautauqua County is poised for further economic growth as the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) announces a new round of funding, backed by a $1.625 million multi-year grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
With funding secured thanks to a multi-year grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation (RCWF), the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) is once again inviting municipalities, nonprofits, academic institutions, economic development organizations, and community organizations in Chautauqua County to apply for support for economic development projects. This is the fourth year that CCPEG has offered the funding program, which focuses on enhancing economic revitalization and long-term strategic investment throughout the county.
“For the past three years, CCPEG has supported numerous high-priority projects, designed to spur economic development within Chautauqua County,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CCPEG Advisory Board co-chair. “Thanks to additional funding from the Wilson Foundation, we are able to continue providing support for local economic development projects that will build on the momentum we are generating across the county.”
In November, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC), the umbrella organization of CCPEG, authorized the acceptance of a three-year funding award from RCWF, totaling $1.625 Million. The grant award, CCPEG’s largest financial commitment to date, will extend and enhance CCPEG’s administrative and project development capacity, helping to provide local-matching dollars to support catalytic economic and community development projects.
CCPEG will offer resources for select projects identified as having potential for transformational county-wide impacts. Support could include technical assistance; match requirements for local, state, or federal grants being used for projects that align with the Chautauqua County Economic Development Strategic Plan; or other projects that enhance or leverage previous investment in economic development within Chautauqua County.
Grant awards typically range between $10,000 and $20,000, and requests of up to $50,000 will be considered for high-priority projects. Some projects that have received funding previously include improvements to Hartley Park (Lakewood), developing a Waterfront Activation Plan for Mayville, funding a strategic plan for the SUNY Fredonia Center for Innovation & Economic Development (formerly the Fredonia Technology Incubator), CHQ Chamber’s ShopLocalCHQ program, the Dream It Do It Tech Career Initiative, the Chautauqua County Fair Conceptual Planning and Enhancement project, the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts theater restoration project, and many more. In all, more than 40 different projects have received over $1 million in combined funding during the past three years.
“This has been an extremely valuable funding resource for dozens of local projects the past three years, and we are pleased to see it continue in 2025,” said Nathan Aldrich, Economic Development Manager for CREDC and CCPEG. “We look forward to realizing the tremendous impact that this funding will have on our ability to execute our mission and implement several transformative economic development projects within the next few years.”
The application process will begin on Monday, January 6 with a deadline of Friday, February 21 at 4 p.m. The link for the application is available here. For questions or assistance, please contact Monica Simpson, CCPEG Partner Engagement Coordinator, by calling (716) 363-3770 or emailing SimpsonM@chqgov.com.
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