The following organizations and websites provide information and support to cooperatives and employee-owned companies and to interested individuals.
AAC is a cooperative of seven member businesses: six co-op bakeries and a development and support collective. Members share a common mission, ongoing accounting, legal, educational and support services, and support the development of new member co-ops by the Association. Arizmendi is an excellent general resource on co-operatives.
CCCD is a nonprofit organization that promotes cooperatives as a vibrant model to address the economic and social needs of California’s communities. CCCD supports the myriad of cooperatives in California (agricultural, arts and crafts, child care, energy, housing and worker-owned) with start-up, management, and other technical assistance.
A national not-for-profit organization that seeks to create and save jobs through the development and strengthening of employee-owned cooperatives and community-based projects. ICA also runs a loan fund called Local Enterprise Assistance Fund or LEAF.
ICA is an independent, non-governmental association which unites, represents and serves co-operatives worldwide. Founded in 1895, ICA has 277 member organisations from 98 countries active in all sectors of the economy. Together these co-operatives represents around a billion individuals worldwide.
The Corporation’s mission combines the core goals of a business organisation competing in international markets with the use of democratic methods in its business organisation, the creation of jobs, the human and professional development of its workers and a pledge to development with its social environment.
A nonprofit membership organization providing information on employee ownership to members and non-members alike. Members include companies, professional practitioners, unions, government officials, academics, and other interested individuals. The National Center for Employee Ownership provides information on different forms of employee ownership for very small companies (fewer than 20 people).
A national bank that provides financial and related services, especially to housing and food cooperatives. NCB Capital Impact is involved in cooperative expansion and economic development in specific sectors. NCB provides an overview of co-ops that includes a brief step-by-step guide to starting a cooperative.
A national cooperative trade association and foundation serving cooperatives in all sectors of the economy.
A professional society comprised of approximately 2,000 individual members actively involved with the financial management and planning of cooperative business. Members primarily serve agricultural and consumer cooperatives but have resources relevant to worker co-ops as well.
A grassroots organization of democratic workplaces dedicated to building workplace democracy in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The NoBAWC Resource Library is available, free of charge, to NoBAWC members and those doing research on democratic workplaces. The Library consists of organizational materials from NoBAWC workplaces, publications, magazine/newspaper articles and videos related to workplace democracy.
A non-profit, university-based program that provides outreach, information, and preliminary technical assistance to Ohio employees and business owners interested in exploring employee ownership. OEOC does research on employee ownership, runs Ohio's Employee-Owned Network, and is developing a cluster of green cooperative businesses in Cleveland.
PHI works to improve the lives of people who need home or residential care—by improving the lives of the workers who provide that care. PHI is a sister organization to Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) and provides training and technical assistance to CHCA and other homecare companies to create quality jobs. PHI also works on health care policy.
A national grassroots membership organization of and for worker cooperatives, democratic workplaces, and organizations that support the growth and development of worker cooperatives. As part of the Federation, the Democracy at Work Institute promotes the worker cooperative model by sharing skills among existing cooperatives, providing practical support in the form of training resources and referrals to those interested in starting worker cooperatives, and educating the public about the need for and benefits of worker-ownership and workplace democracy. The US Federation of Worker Cooperatives has great resources for starting a worker co-op, including two comprehensive guides in PDF form.
Does research and provides consulting for cooperatives in a range of industries and forms, especially related to agricultural cooperatives. Maintains a listserve for cooperators from all sectors and links to various resources on its website. The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives provides links to cooperative resources by topic.
To learn about some of the largest worker-owned cooperatives in the U.S., visit their websites:
Cooperative Home Care Associates