Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth Awarded Second Multi-Year Grant from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation

Funding will Extend and Enhance CCPEG’s Administrative and Project Development Capacity

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. -- The Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC), the umbrella organization of the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG), on Tuesday, November 19 authorized the acceptance of a three-year funding award from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, 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 while dedicating the majority of the funding for the implementation of priority projects in alignment with the county’s economic development strategy. This flexible funding pool is designed to provide critical local-matching dollars for catalytic economic and community development projects seeking funding from a multitude of local, state, federal, and philanthropic sources.

CCPEG Advisory Board Co-Chair Mark Geise, who is also the County’s Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and CEO of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), said, “I am extremely grateful to the Wilson Foundation for their continued support and I am very pleased to see the Partnership for Economic Growth driving collaborations and investments in priority economic and community development projects across the county.”

The Partnership for Economic Growth finalized and adopted a five-year economic development strategy in 2020. This comprehensive approach resulted in the creation of five overarching initiatives and dozens of other key recommendations to be initiated by individual partners as well as collectively. It was designed to serve as a “call to action” and offers a clear vision for achieving economic prosperity in Chautauqua County. Most importantly, it promotes a collaborative and countywide outlook that supports substantial initiatives and strategic investments, to incrementally transform Chautauqua County’s economic standing in Western New York and across the State.

While the strategic plan serves as a roadmap, partners convene regularly within five individual work groups to identify priorities in the areas of Business Development, Placemaking, Workforce Readiness and Development, Infrastructure, and Housing. Through this process, CCPEG identifies, vets, develops, helps to fund, and implements specific actions, projects, programs, and initiatives that align to the strategy.

While specific projects to be funded by the Wilson Foundation award are yet to be determined, criteria such as project readiness, feasibility, and economic impact will be used to guide decision-making.

Nathan Aldrich, Economic Development Manager for CREDC and CCPEG, noted that the Partnership has helped attract more than $45 million in funding to Chautauqua County to support dozens of different priority projects since the partnership was launched in 2019.

“This second major grant award is a game-changer and will not only enable us to continue our work, but to take it to the next level,” said Aldrich.  “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.”

Geise and Aldrich also noted their appreciation to the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF), who helped advance the creation of the countywide economic development strategy and launch of CCPEG, and the Gebbie Foundation, who has also been a supporter of the initiative.

“In addition to the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, NCCF, and the Gebbie Foundation, we’d like to thank all of our committed partners, funders, Advisory Board members, and staff for their dedication to this unique public-private economic development collaborative,” said Geise.

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About CCPEG - The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) serves as the main convener of economic development partners and resources to advance key projects that achieve economic prosperity in Chautauqua County. It also serves as the catalyst and broker of resources for advancing economic prosperity efforts and is the central coordinating entity for the formation, retention, development, and attraction of quality jobs and advancements to the quality of life. It is an initiative of the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation (CREDC). For more information visit CHQPartnership.org.