Cleveland Owns
Power through collective ownership
Join Co-op U!
What is Co-op U?
- A training and support program that helps teams develop a worker-owned business. It's a virtual program in partnership with Co-op Cincy and Co-op Dayton.
Participants in Co-op U:
- Adapt a proven, replicable business model and develop a successful business plan of their own
- Benefit from weekly virtual trainings, 1-on-1 mentorship, and technical assistance, as well as hands-on training by professionals
- Receive assistance incorporating and structuring your business
- Have an opportunity to access financing
How long is the program?
- Our Co-op U lasts 14 weeks, with participants meeting virtually from 6-8 PM EST on Tuesdays
- In addition to weekly evening sessions, participants are expected to dedicate additional time (2-5 hours a week) to conducting research, interviewing potential customers and partners, and testing their product or service
Who is the program designed for?
- Teams of at least 2 Ohio residents with a business idea
Cost
- $500 - $2,500 per team, with a sliding scale based on ability to pay
Apply
- By March 1, complete the application at this link
- Email questions to info@clevelandowns.coop
About Us
We know that in racial capitalism, ownership matters, so we're organizing multiracial, grassroots cooperatives that enable member owners to build wealth and power. We're working towards a Cleveland owned by its residents.
What we do
Today we support five cornerstone cooperatives working in clean energy, food access, and digital access, and collective purchasing. We also work for deeper democracy in the public sector, where we co-lead PB CLE, a coalition of 50+ organizations calling on Cleveland City Council to enable residents to allocate $30 million in ARPA funds using participatory budgeting.
The common thread for all our work is deep democracy through collective ownership and, in the case of the PB CLE, collective stewardship of public money -- economic democracy.
Blog
Today we're releasing a new case study about our work building community owned solar with Cleveland Solar Cooperative. In the case study, authored by our friend and ally Will Cuneo, we describe our early days in library basements hammering out the who, how, and what about our vision for community solar in Cleveland.
Cleveland Owns is hiring a full-time Energy Democracy Organizer to lead our Energy Democracy Initiative, a portfolio of projects that promote community control over our energy system. The Energy Democracy Organizer will organize with residents impacted by energy injustice and the climate crisis, and develop community-owned solar projects.
The Energy Democracy Initiative at Cleveland Owns
Our launch party
Support
We're able to do this work because of people like you who believe in economic democracy. Thank you for being a supporter of Cleveland Owns!
Click here to make a donation.
To make a one-time donation via PayPal, click here (we pay no fees!)
Click here to make a donation.
To make a one-time donation via PayPal, click here (we pay no fees!)
