Cooperatives (Co-ops)

Recognizing the need for an affordable urban grocery that could provide local, organic, and natural food, a group of Tacoma residents came together in 2006, laying the roots of what would open in 2011 as the Tacoma Food Co-op.  In 2015, the Tacoma Food Co-op merged with Seattle’s Central Co-op, creating a stronger, regional entity with over 15,000 members.  Structured as a solidarity cooperative, Central Co-op’s ownership—including equity investment, dividend distributions, and Board representation—is shared 50/50 between Central Co-op’s workers and consumers.  Demonstrating its commitment to the local economy, a 2017 analysis found that Central Co-op returns more than 52 percent of its revenue back to the local economy, a proportion well above the average U.S. cooperative grocery (36 percent) and conventional grocery chains (23 percent).  In early 2018, Central Co-op will open a new Tacoma store in the West End neighborhood.

Founded in 1949 by a small group of Veterans Affairs hospital employees, U.S. Community Credit Union has grown into a full-service financial institution with over 22,700 members, more than $1.7 million in assets, and 10 branches.  Two of its branches are student-run and located in area high schools, where they provide full services to students, faculty, and staff during the lunch period.

Founded in 1955 by a group of educators aiming to ensure people could access low-cost financial services, Cornerstone Financial Credit Union has grown into a credit union with 33,000 members, nearly $3 million in assets, and 6 branches across Middle Tennessee.  Committed to the community, Cornerstone has awarded $25,000 in college scholarships to area students since 2011.

Founded in 2012, Boston Center for Community Ownership (BCCO) is a cooperative enterprise that provides training and consulting on a sliding scale basis to cooperatives and other organizations within the solidarity economy.  Most recently, BCCO has been supporting the launch of Américas Autoclinik, a worker-owned auto repair and maintenance business.

Chartered in 1935, South Florida Educational Federal Credit Union (SFEFCU) is now one of the largest credit unions in the state with over 76,000 members and more than $1 billion in assets.  As an institution that originally served families of those working for the Miami Dade County Public School system, SFEFCU has a strong commitment to education, providing numerous scholarships to students, including 15 four-year scholarships to graduating high school seniors on an annual basis.  SFEFCU also has 13 branches located in area high schools and runs a financial literacy program to teach youth the importance of budgeting, saving, and investing.