The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth has released a new case study that illustrates economic development projects are getting done faster, better coordinated, and with results people can see.
CCPEG said that for years, economic development initiatives in the county were spread across many groups. They said this not only made it challenging to agree on priorities, but also created a situation where multiple groups were competing for limited funding. CCPEG said it also resulted in good ideas stalling before they became real projects. This case study, developed in collaboration with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Camoin Associates, and CCPEG/County Planning Staff, demonstrates how County leaders, the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA), and various community partners have been working together since 2019 to reduce fragmentation by building a shared structure for countywide collaboration through the launch of CCPEG.
As indicated in the new case study, from 2021 to 2025, CCPEG helped advance more than 60 community-based projects across Chautauqua County. These efforts included downtown revitalization in several communities, support for small businesses attraction, workforce readiness projects, placemaking improvements, and initiatives that helped communities prepare for and leverage new housing and neighborhood investments.
A major driver of progress was the creation of a flexible tool entitled the Project Leveraging Fund (now known as the Economic Growth Fund or EGF), supported largely by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. This fund provides resources for local projects in order to do the planning, design, engineering, and obtain matching funds needed before larger state or federal funding can be secured.
For every $1 spent from the EGF between 2021 and 2025, an additional $46 was contributed by other public, nonprofit, and private sources. Project Leveraging Fund contributions ranged from $4,000 to $50,000, with an average of $18,300 per project. The report notes that projects were reviewed and prioritized based on alignment with the county’s strategic plan, readiness, sponsor capacity, feasibility, and the potential for meaningful economic and community impact.
After six years, CCPEG has helped leverage more than $55 million in investments in local economic and community development projects across Chautauqua County.
CCPEG and its partners are building on this progress as the county identifies its future priorities for 2026 through 2031. Those priorities will be included in an updated County Economic Development Strategic Plan, scheduled for release by early May of this year.
The complete case study can be found online at CHQImpact.org.
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