Attention: Eastside Community Leaders, Residents, and the Greater Buffalo Community , 

We are seeking public support for the development of a commercial lot at 1407 Jefferson Ave. We propose the building of a community center dedicated to supporting a non-profit incubator space. Most incubator spaces are geared towards the development of small for-profit businesses and many small and medium sized Eastside nonprofits struggle to find space for their programming and mission-based work. Recognizing this need, Mother Earth Literacies, LLC–an Eastside Minority and Women Business Enterprise located at the Foundry–has an application pending with the City of Buffalo to purchase this lot. 

As a small MWBE, we support Black-led nonprofits on the Eastside of Buffalo through sustainability management, grant writing, program and curriculum development, strategic planning, and evaluation. Through our collaborative work, we are able to reduce stress and solve problems leaders of nonprofits face, thus helping combate nonprofit leadership burnout and fatigue. A shared space would encourage successful grant collaboration, sharing of resources, increase foot traffic to the Jefferson Avenue corridor, and establish a central location for many of Buffalo’s good neighbors doing the difficult work of supporting and enhancing daily life for many of us. Our analysis shows that space is a primary source of stress for the majority of our partner organizations and a collaborative, innovative space could alleviate this burden.  

Please sign onto this letter to show your support for this grassroots community project! 

Yours in the movement, 

Mother Earth Literacies, LLC 

Dr. Monica Miles

Co-founder, President and Community Coordinator

Dr. Kate Haq

Co-founder, Vice President of Operations and Curriculum Development