Building Community Wealth Through the DownRoot Fund
Across Buffalo and Western New York, communities are reimagining what a fair and resilient local economy can look like. For many residents, the traditional economic systems that shape our cities have often prioritized profit over people, leading to displacement, inequality, and limited opportunities for community ownership.
The DownRoot Fund was created to support a different vision—one where communities have the resources, power, and tools to shape their own economic future.
A Community-Centered Approach to Economic Development
The DownRoot Fund is designed to promote community ownership and democratic control of local economic resources. Instead of relying on top-down solutions, the fund invests in initiatives that are rooted in the knowledge, leadership, and creativity of local residents.
These initiatives may include cooperative businesses, community land trusts, grassroots nonprofits, and arts organizations that reflect the voices and needs of their neighborhoods.
By supporting these types of projects, the DownRoot Fund helps strengthen local economies in ways that keep wealth, opportunity, and decision-making power within the community.
Supporting Shared Ownership and Shared Power
One of the key goals of the DownRoot Fund is to expand models of shared ownership and collaboration.
Traditional business structures often concentrate ownership in the hands of a few individuals or corporations. Cooperative models and community-based enterprises offer an alternative by allowing workers, residents, or community members to participate directly in ownership and governance.
For example, worker-owned cooperatives allow employees to collectively own and manage their workplaces, sharing both responsibilities and profits. Community land trusts help ensure that housing and land remain accessible and affordable for residents over the long term.
By investing in these types of initiatives, the DownRoot Fund helps create systems that build shared wealth and community resilience.
Preserving Community Institutions
In addition to supporting new projects, the fund also recognizes the importance of preserving existing organizations and businesses that serve their communities.
Many small businesses and nonprofits led by individuals from historically marginalized communities face significant barriers to financial stability and long-term growth. Without support, these institutions risk being displaced or forced to close, leaving neighborhoods without important resources and cultural anchors.
The DownRoot Fund’s Preserve Grants provide financial assistance to help these organizations remain rooted in place and continue serving their communities.
Protecting these institutions is an essential step toward maintaining neighborhood stability and ensuring that community leadership remains strong.
Investing in Arts and Culture
Economic transformation is not only about businesses and infrastructure—it is also about culture, creativity, and storytelling.
Artists and cultural organizations play a vital role in shaping community identity, inspiring dialogue, and bringing people together. Yet many frontline artists are among those most impacted by economic instability and social inequities.
Through its Create Grants, the DownRoot Fund provides support for frontline artists, cultural organizations, and collaborative creative projects that reflect the experiences and voices of communities most affected by climate, economic, and racial injustice.
These investments recognize that art and culture are powerful tools for building connection, resilience, and social change.
A Long-Term Commitment to Community Change
The DownRoot Fund is part of a broader effort by the Crossroads Coalition to support a Just Transition in Buffalo and Western New York. This framework focuses on shifting away from extractive economic systems toward community-driven solutions that prioritize sustainability, equity, and democratic participation.
Through the Crossroads Community Fund, the coalition plans to distribute significant funding each year over the next decade to support projects that advance racial justice, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability.
This long-term commitment allows organizations and community leaders to plan ambitious projects, develop innovative solutions, and strengthen the networks that sustain grassroots change.
Looking Ahead
The future of Buffalo’s economy will be shaped not only by large institutions or outside investments, but also by the creativity, determination, and leadership of its residents.
By supporting projects that build shared ownership, preserve community institutions, and uplift cultural expression, the DownRoot Fund is helping communities lay the groundwork for a more equitable and resilient local economy.
As more organizations, artists, and community leaders participate in these initiatives, the possibilities for meaningful change continue to grow.
Together, these efforts are helping ensure that Buffalo’s future is one where communities remain rooted in place, empowered in purpose, and connected through shared opportunity.