A Message About DAWI's Work in Uncertain Times

"The worker cooperative sector needs your ambition to be not merely a tool or an alternative, but the bones, blood and muscles of a just and healthy economy." Dear colleagues, I’m writing to share some changes in the works at DAWI, to reconnect about our shared work, and see what’s possible in uncertain but critical times. 2020 has a way of showing us stark realities about ourselves. The multiple overlapping crises in our public health, our economy, and our democracy have caused widespread acute pain, but in reality we’ve been running a fever for awhile. The economy is sick, it… more

Co-op Month 2017 — let's build and grow together

The Democracy at Work Institute is happy to celebrate co-op month with the rest of the movement! As we continue to see the growth of worker-owned businesses and a widespread understanding of the model, we renew our commitment to training and equipping leaders in the sector and being the “think and do” tank that helps the worker cooperative movement to grow strategically. We are at a tipping point in awareness of the… more

California Invests $7.5M in Immigrant Entrepreneurship

Funding Approved for Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) 3.0 Grant Program SACRAMENTO, CA – In the new state budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26, the California State Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved $7.5 million to continue investing in entrepreneurship for immigrant workers through the Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) program. This funding enables community-based organizations to provide entrepreneurship training, technical assistance, and microgrants to immigrants and individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). The Economic Mobility for All (EM4A) Coalition and SEED co-sponsors - California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC), Immigrants Rising, Inclusive Action for the City, and Democracy at…

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Estado del sector 2023

Estado del Sector 2023

Cubriendo 10 años de avances empresariales, el Estado del Sector de las Cooperativas de Trabajadores y Lugares de Trabajo Democráticos es un reporte sobre los lugares de trabajo de propiedad colectiva y gestión democrática en los Estados Unidos y sus territorios. Esta investigación es una co-producción del Instituto de Democracia en el Trabajo y la Federación de Cooperativas de Trabajadores de E.E.U.U.. Se basa en los desarrollos más recientes del sector, recopilados en el Censo de Empresas Cooperativas de Trabajadores, y es una herramienta esencial para comprender este campo.

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Expanding Your Worker Cooperative Business: A Guide to Licensing & Franchising

This Guide is for worker owners, cooperative developers, lawyers, technical assistance providers and others thinking about expanding worker cooperative businesses. We focus specifically on expansion through licensing and franchising. Licensing and franchising are ways to allow another business to use elements of your business. New businesses can grow using elements of your business, and together, you may be able to reach economies of scale.

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2023 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector Report

Author(s) : Democracy at Work Institute and United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Covering two years of business progress, the 2021 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector is a report on worker-owned and democratic workplaces in the United States. This report is a co-production of Democracy at Work Institute and the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. The report draws upon the latest developments in the field and deepens our understanding of the sector.

Request for Expression of Interest: Preferred Providers of Feasibility Studies & Business Planning

Request Issued by: Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI)
Date of issuance: 11/01/2022
Closing date: Rolling
Title: Preferred Providers of Feasibility Studies and Business Planning


Background
The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) works in partnership with cities, educational institutions, and community-based organizations across the nation to serve impacted communities by building worker-owned LLC businesses in their geography and/or industry. 

A National Survey of Worker Cooperative Bylaws and Operating Agreements

A National Survey of Worker Cooperative Bylaws and Operating Agreements

As a leading national technical assistance provider to new and established worker cooperatives, The ICA Group is frequently tasked with supporting worker-owners in drafting or revising their co-ops' bylaws or operating agreements. Through our practice, we have developed widely used template legal documents and facilitative processes to help worker-owners think through a variety of critical questions that can help ensure that these central legal documents create the framework for the successful operation of cooperative businesses that align with members' visions and values.

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Seeding Equity: A New Community-Based Model of Public Investment in Worker Cooperatives for Excluded Workers

In 2021, California launched Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED), an innovative grant program fostering high-road business ownership opportunities for excluded workers (individuals who cannot access stable, gainful employment relationships and whose economic opportunities are severely constrained due to their immigration status or other significant barriers to employment).