Cooperatives (Co-ops)

Will Co-ops Spark a New Civil Rights Movement?

Jackson Rising conference brings together social justice and cooperative activists

While the words “co-op” and “civil rights” do not commonly appear in the same sentence, with more than 300 cooperative and social justice activists gathered in Jackson, Mississippi, last weekend, the question was hard to avoid.

The Union Co-op Model

Our infographic highlights this innovative template for worker-owned businesses

NCBA CLUSA 2019 Co-Op Impact Conference

October 2nd, 2019 to October 4th, 2019
Arlington, VA

National Cooperative Business Assocation, CLUSA International, 2019 Co-Op Impact Conference: Power in Purpose Read more about NCBA CLUSA 2019 Co-Op Impact Conference...

NCBA CLUSA 2019 Annual Meeting

May 7th, 2019
Washington, DC

National Cooperative Business Association, CLUSA International, 2019 Annual Meeting: Building an Inclusive Economy Read more about NCBA CLUSA 2019 Annual Meeting...

Piedmont Wholesale Flowers

Operating out of Durham’s Bull City Cool food hub, Piedmont Wholesale Flowers is a cooperative of local flower farmers who supply a reliable source of high quality seasonal flowers and foliage to area wholesale buyers.  The cooperative currently includes nine small farms located in central North Carolina.

Durham Co-op Market

Opened in 2015, the Durham Co-op Market is a grocery that aims to return as much revenue as possible to the community by supporting local farms, selling locally-made products, and supporting local jobs.  The cooperative employs 60 people, over half of whom live within a mile of the store.  To help ensure affordability, the co-op offers people who qualify for SNAP benefits a discounted membership and ten percent off on all purchases.

Health Anchor Institutions investing to support community control of land and housing

Bich Ha Pham and Jarrid Green
Build Healthy Places Network

Many anchor institutions are also major landowners in their communities, and many are already engaged in housing programs such as employer-assisted housing. Anchor institutions can and should employ CLTs to maximize the impact of their long-term investments in housing for their workforce, and utilize and support CLTs to help build more inclusive communities around their institutions more generally. 

What Anchor Institutions Can Do by Working Together

Justine Porter and Bich Ha Pham
Shelterforce

Anchor collaboratives are stronger and can accomplish goals that once seemed out of reach by combining efforts and resources. However, forming an anchor collaboration isn’t automatic; it takes effort and time to get institutions to see their common interests and potential alignment. The article discusses some ways it can work.