Social Cooperatives are democratic, multi-stakeholder enterprises that operate independently of the state and exist to serve the public good—not just their members. They do this by prioritizing community benefit, ensuring strong worker representation in governance, and reinvesting surplus revenues toward social purposes. Despite having a robust ecosystem that’s thriving globally, they remain largely undiscovered in the U.S. These innovative businesses blend cooperative principles with social missions, creating dignified, quality jobs and uplifting marginalized communities.
Shareable facilitated the Social Cooperative Academy to increase awareness about social cooperatives, foster dialogue around financial and legal structures, and build an engaged, collaborative network for advocating for meaningful change.
The 2024 Social Cooperative Academy was led by the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC) and is co-hosted by CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, MEDLab (U. of Colorado), Rochdale Capital, Shareable, and Solidarity Hall.
Featured speakers included John Restakis, Doug O’Brien, Katrina Kazda, Joseph Cureton, Maru Bautista, Jerome Hughes, Michael Schuman, Mo Manklang, Matthew Epperson, Elias Crim, and RMEOC ED, Minsun Ji.
Watch the Social Co-op Academy session recordings on YouTube.
The Academy continues as a monthly community of practice. Contact Elias Crim at elias@rmeoc.org for details or register to access resources and discussions.
Watch the Social Co-op Community of Practice session recordings on YouTube.