ECGRA Invests $323,406 in 9 Erie County Lead Assets
The Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA) board of directors again declared its commitment to the Erie County Lead Assets by investing $323,406 in the nine culture-, heritage-, and entertainment-based nonprofits. This totals $2,263,842 in grants invested in the Lead Assets since 2011. Grants are as follows:
| Erie Art Museum | $43,335.83 |
| Erie Arts & Culture | $31,838.55 |
| Erie County Historical Society | $18,670.69 |
| Erie Philharmonic | $40,427.59 |
| Erie Playhouse | $40,832.21 |
| Erie Zoological Society | $92,464.76 |
| expERIEnce Children's Museum | $14,037.26 |
| Flagship Niagara League | $16,766.40 |
| Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture | $25,032.30 |
ECGRA has also invested $7,167,431 in the Erie County Lead Assets endowment fund held in trust at The Erie Community Foundation. In grant and endowment funding, ECGRA has proudly invested a total of $9,431,273 in the Erie County Lead Assets—more than 32% of the $29 million ECGRA has distributed since 2009.
ECGRA Executive Director Perry Wood said, “By investing in our Lead Assets, we’re investing in Erie’s ability to attract, retain, and mobilize creative talent and innovative businesses. It is no accident that our Lead Assets investments come second only to investments in local government development.”
Local government development has received, to date, $13,197,814—47% of ECGRA’s nearly $29 million in investments. Small business financing is ECGRA’s third highest investment at $3,837,500 and 14%.
Wood added, “Erie’s economic health is directly tied to the health of these organizations. Creativity sparks creativity.”
In the book, “Who’s Your City?” Economic Geographer Richard Florida discusses how we’re each drawn to cities that support and can sustain who we are and who we want to become. Florida wrote, “In today’s creative economy, the real source of economic growth comes from the clustering and concentration of talented and productive people. New ideas are generated and our productivity increases when we locate close to one another in cities and regions. The clustering force makes each of us more productive, which in turn makes the places we inhabit much more productive, generating great increases in output and wealth.”
Although the Erie County Lead Assets were named in July 2011, they have been inspiring innovation in our region for more than 100 years.
# # #
A grantmaker, ECGRA’s mission is to elevate Erie County by galvanizing nonprofits toward economic and community development. Since February 2008, ECGRA has invested more than $29 million in Erie County thanks to the innovative leadership of members of the ECGRA board of directors and staff and Erie County Council. Learn more at ECGRA.org or call 814-897-2690.
MEDIA CONTACT: Amanda Burlingham, 814-504-3037, aburlingham1@neo.rr.com
