Minority Community Investment Coalition receives grant for expansion, ‘Grow Erie’

The Grow Erie initiative is receiving an extra boost to help expand their commercial urban agriculture project.

An award of $225,000 was given to the Minority Community Investment Coalition, or MCIC.

Week one of Chautauqua Institution’s 2026 season begins

It was awarded by the Erie County Executive and will be used for marketing efforts, to pay bills and to expand into surrounding areas.

The co-founder, Gary Horton, said MCIC has a lot of community engagement which is the foundation of their project.

“We’re happy to say, of the 12 or 13 people employed here, 11 or 12 of them are from this neighborhood and so the project is doing what it was meant to do. Give life and hope to the people or the neighborhood and to also create some employment and training opportunities for them as well,” Horton said.

Horton said this money will greatly assist their project, but they still have a long way to go.

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