The Northside Leadership Conference leveraged a $300,000 financial commitment from Rivers Casino to North Side neighborhoods to get a federal grant.

The $600,000 grant from the Treasury Department will be used to support neighborhood businesses through the Northside Community Development Fund, a subsidiary of the Northside Leadership Conference. Nationwide, the Treasury Department awarded 59 grants totaling $90 million to community development financial institutions as part of the federal stimulus.

"This is very exciting news. We were able to leverage the Casino commitment, in effect tripling our money," said NSLC Executive Director Mark Fatla yesterday.

The Northside Community Development Fund provides loans and financial services to small local businesses. Since 2000, the institution has financed more than 90 North Side businesses and six real estate projects.