April 2023
 
Dear friends,
With the winter thaw and spring weather upon us, we welcome you back from hibernation and into all the ways you can connect with co-op communities across the Northeast.

This month’s newsletter includes upcoming workshops, job postings, funding updates + other key co-opportunities that will help you unlock the power of your co-op community.

As always, if you know someone else who would be interested in the resources below, be sure to share! We also encourage you to share your updates & ideas with us by emailing cfne@coopfund.coop


Co-op Curious?
We’ve got you covered. Check out these learning co-opportunities from CFNE & our friends.

Let us know what you want to see in this newsletter moving forward!  
This is a brief survey that asks what you’d like to see more of,
less of, and any other thoughts you might have for us.


April 6th | 7:30-9:00 pm EST | Online | $50 

Co-ops across the country are grappling with the question: Are we truly inclusive and welcoming? If we are successful in attracting people who don’t look, act or think like us, how can we ensure that they are included and their voices are heard? Are you a member of a board? Department? Committee? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore ways to make their co-ops more inclusive by exploring how power, decision-making, and accountability impact inclusion, and discuss some fundamental features of inclusive organizations. Register here.


April 8th | Lewiston, ME | $50 with scholarships readily available!
Come join us this Saturday, April 8th, for the Annual Principle Six Conference! This year we’ll be focusing on the People Powered Solutions in Maine that address some of our pervasive community needs - such as housing access, food access, and access to child and elder care. At P6, cooperatives and co-op supporters have the opportunity to learn from one another and build community. Attendees will participate in a range of skill-building workshops, experience first-hand storytelling from different co-op sectors, hear from a panel of regional co-op professionals, and build lasting collaboration within our cooperative economy. Learn more and register here.


April 19 | 12-1:30 pm EST | Online | Free | Recorded

Come join CFNE staff and partners in part 3 of our 4-part series to hear about some of the new projects and work being done in communities across the Northeast. This is a drop-in seminar: join us for 1, 2, or all of these 20-minute presentations to learn how people-power and dollars work together to bring more equity into the cooperative space. If you missed others in the series, the recording for part 1, Investing in Fellowship: Meet the Fellows! is publicly available on our YouTube page. Register here.

Presentation 1 | 12:05 PM - Investing Energy 
Hear from the Fellowship Host Sites about how the navigator fellowship is building capacity for their organization
Presentation 2 | 12:30 PM - Investing Time 
Learn about volunteer opportunities from our borrowers, friends, and partners
Presentation 3 | 1:05 PM - Investing with CFNE 
Get the information you need to decide if investing in cooperatives with CFNE could be right for you


Recordings of CFNE's workshops are all available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Click here to view.


If you’re interested in a 1-on-1 co-op coaching session, meet our coaches!
Emerging Co-op? Talk to Johan!

As our Community Engagement Facilitator, Johan helps develop supportive ecosystems and provides technical assistance to ensure that communities traditionally excluded from economic investment can engage in cooperative enterprise. Make an Appointment.


Existing Co-op? Talk to Carolyn!

As the Cooperative Business Support Officer, Carolyn works with Spanish- and English-speaking applicants and borrowers to assess project feasibility and connect with culturally-appropriate technical assistance resources. Make an Appointment.
Co-op Community
Stay connected to our co-op community.

Self-Paced | Resources Accessible Online | Free 

Building cooperatives lays the foundation for a solidarity economy. This open-source toolkit is here to help you on that path. Are you seeking a point of entry to understand how to form a cooperative? Do you want to learn how to develop new co-ops that are grounded in anti-racist values? This facilitation guide has been designed by seasoned union organizers and co-op developers to build upon lessons learned about the stages of cooperative development and support groups in overcoming the key issues that halt their progress. It’s structured to allow groups to self-facilitate or be facilitated by someone else as they explore and imagine what they desire to do and how they would like to work together. You are welcome to use parts of it or the whole thing, feel free to add to it or change it to make it your own! The intention is to share skills and structures that can provide your group with the confidence to build a workplace grounded in shared values of anti-racism, solidarity, workplace democracy, and so much more. 

Contact the organizers who created this at info@solidarityresource.org for more information or to share feedback and learnings to help these tools improve over time. Access the site with resources here.


Guía autodidacta | Accesible en línea | Gratuita
Self-Paced Guide | Accessible Online | Free

Durante el último año, Colmenar Cooperative Consulting se dió a la tarea de crear una guía financiera en Español enfocándose específicamente en las cooperativas de trabajo incorporadas como Compañías de Responsabilidad Limitada (Limited Liability Companies o LLC ‘s). Este esfuerzo responde a la necesidad de recursos educativos que nos apoyen para enfrentar las barreras que encontramos en las cooperativas respecto al acceso a herramientas para la toma de decisiones informadas que nos posibiliten acceder a capital y/o a crecer nuestros negocios cooperativos. Esta Guía de Educación Financiera para Cooperativas LLC fue creada reuniendo experiencias vividas, desafíos y aprendizajes del ecosistema cooperativo, con el fin de trabajar hacia el desarrollo de una economía justa y solidaria. Acceda a la guía aquí.

During the last year, Colmenar Cooperative Consulting undertook the task of creating a Financial Guide specifically focusing on worker cooperatives incorporated as Limited Liability Companies (LLCs). This guide is available in Spanish for the moment. One of the barriers many cooperatives face is access to tools for making informed decisions that would allow the possibility of access to capital and/or the ability to grow cooperative businesses. This Financial Education Guide for Cooperatives LLC was created by gathering lived experiences, challenges, and learnings from the co-op ecosystem, in order to work toward developing a fair and supportive economy. Access the guide here. 


Co-op Capital
Stay updated on relevant funding co-opportunities.

$5,000 | Opened March 20th - Closes April 7th

The Backing Small Businesses grant program is aimed at helping support economically vulnerable and underrepresented small business owners recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their businesses. On April 7th, 2023, applications will close for this grant season! Recipients of this $5000 small business grant may be eligible to receive an additional $25,000 enhancement grant later this year. Learn more here

$10,000 monthly | Rolling Deadline
This grant is good for any level of business including in the planning or start-up phase. There are different categories of grants including a regular monthly grant to any woman owned business, a start-up grant for those in the ‘idea phase,’ and business category grants. This month’s business category is for Skilled Trades. One of the 12 category winners will be selected for a $25,000 year end grant as well. See the full list of grant categories and more information here. Fill out one application to be eligible for any of the 2023 categories. Click here for the application.



Follow @CoopFundNE on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! We’d love to follow and amplify your content as well so feel free to reach out with news to share. And of course, if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to Co-op Monthly newsletter using this link.

In cooperation,
Maggie Maiorana and the Learning Team
Program Associate
Cooperative Fund of the Northeast
For CFNE news and
our Annual Report
For co-op education
and resources