On March 6, the New Economy Coalition (NEC), a membership-based network representing the solidarity economy movement in the US, launched a robust, open-source funding library to support the work of those working to create “more cooperative, transparent, and reparative practices” of economy in their communities.
In launching the library, NEC aims to “open the black box of funding, investing, & fiscal sponsorship for our movements, and organize funders toward and organize ourselves to collectively resource our work.”
What is Solidarity Economy?
The 2021 NPQ series on Solidarity Economy defines solidarity economy “a theory of economic organization that prioritizes relationships between people.” This people-powered global movement has many definitions and also encompasses many approaches including Just Transition, Community Wealth Building, and Next Systems. New Economy Coalition emphasizes three key elements of solidarity economy:
- A global movement that brings together many organizing efforts – all rooted in participatory democracy, mutual aid, cooperation, repair, solidarity, and respect for the earth.
- A set of values, practices, and institutions that provide real alternatives to racial capitalism.
- An economic system where all of the things a community needs are controlled and governed by everyday people.
You can learn more about the Solidarity Economy in Emily Kawano and Julie Matthei’s article System Change: A Basic Primer to the Solidarity Economy.
About the Library
Currently, the library includes information on the following types of opportunities:
- Foundations—public, private, community, and family
- Fiscal sponsors
- City, county, state (and some federal) agencies and community and economic development corporations and/or other public/private partnerships
- Investors, including non-extractive investors, community loans, impact investors, angel investors, and some collaborative/integrated funds
- Banks—mostly community banks, including CDFIs, credit unions, financial cooperatives, and other lending institutions
- Financial services organizations
- In the future, we hope to incorporate other types of less traditional (e.g. donor-advised funds, fellowships, awards, accelerators, incubators) and more community-governed (e.g. giving circles, membership dues, etc.) funding opportunities.
Explore the Library (& Related Resources)
Below, you can find the funding library as well as resources for navigating it and sharing it with others.
View the NEW ECONOMY FUNDING LIBRARY.
Below are additional resources and calls to action to help navigate this tool and learn more about its background.
- View & Share the “Will the Revolution be Funded?” recording.
- Check out the Funding Library, share your feedback, & get activated with through this Form.
- Help spread the word about the Recording & Library on your website, blog post, newsletter and/or through our social media channels. Promo materials (& slide deck) are here.
- Donate to support the Funding Library here.
To get started, check out the video recording to learn more about the library and how to navigate it to find support for your own project. You can also learn more about the NEC and apply to be a member here.
Going Further:
- Community Ownership in Practice (Sellassie, Dubb, McMahon, Barbakoff)
- Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy (Kawano)
- book: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (Incite!)
- Cooperatives as Ancestral Technology (Coleman)