Jonathan Palma from Poder Emma

We have 4 core areas of work across our ecosystems.

Learning + Training + Connectivity

Sharing learnings and tools for worker-owned businesses, housing, real-estate, social and industry cooperatives.

Youth Development

Nurturing the next generation of co-op ecosystem leaders.

Collective Well-Being

Shared strategies, stable work, stable housing, shared insurance and other benefits for our co-ops.

Ecosystem Replication

Defining the transferable skills and models of ecosystem development to other communities across Western NC.

Our Impact to Date

For our impact (and for ecosystems in general) we look at worker-owned businesses started (or converted to democratic means); worker-owners; formation of community (childcare, housing, social) or industry cooperative networks; membership in networks; amount of land in community control; and wealth rooted in community.

To date our two ecosystems have:

7

worker-owned businesses with over 100 workers and 85% BIPOC

6

housing and real estate cooperatives, representing a total of 140 members and over 55 acres of land under community control

3

community cooperatives: 1 bulk foods purchasing cooperative, 1 Early Childhood Educators shared services cooperative, 1 art cooperative

1

industry network, The Carolina Textile District, with over 25 businesses representing 2500 workers

2.6M

in profits as of 2021 among the worker-owned businesses in our two ecosystems 

8.5M

in total assets as of 2021 found within worker-owned businesses in our two ecosystems 

Geny Hernandez on site at Poder Emma

What success looks like

Community-led, cooperative ecosystems are driving equity, rooting wealth and reversing the trends of generational poverty. Workers in these communities are more secure in their work, more confident about their children’s futures and have stabilized, affordable housing. Over 10 years this will include 100 new or converted employee owned businesses; strong cooperative social networks (with 6,000 members); more leveraged access to capital; strong policy wins; and $25M annually rooted in BIPOC communities.