Technical Assistance

Democracy at Work Network
http://dawn.coop/advisors
DAWN is currently providing technical assistance to worker co-ops in the DC area and all over the US. DAWN is a network of people with strong experience as worker-owners and workers in democratic workplaces, who are committed to helping start and strengthen worker co-ops. DAWN is a project of a 501(c)3 non-profit affiliated with the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and combines the knowledge of experienced local worker-owners with the resources of a national network and our national federation.
Contact:
Jim Johnson is our local advisor with DAWN.

City First Enterprises
http://www.cfenterprises.org/
City First Enterprises supports community development projects in DC. While they don’t currently offer specific financial products to fund cooperative business initiatives, they can offer advice on financing approaches. They are also interested in incubating pilot projects with creative models that can help similar small businesses overcome common barriers.
Contact:
Brian Rajan Nagendra, Associate Vice President of Real Estate Finance
202-745-4488
brian@cfenterprises.org

UDC’s Kirkman Library
http://lrdudc.wrlc.org/collections/kirkman.php
The Kirkman Library is a collection of resources within UDC’s Library. UDC has also published several research resources and guides to starting and running coops, which can be picked up from the kiosk outside of the Kirkman Library. UDC’s primary focus is on housing justice and agricultural coops – particularly farmers markets. In terms of general support for local coops, UDC is able to host coop-related events, market coop-related events, and perform some background research, depending on your project.
Contact:
Dr. Calvin Lewis, clewis@udc.edu

Potomac Association of Housing Co-ops
http://www.potomacassoc.org/

National Association of Housing Co-ops
http://www.coophousing.org/

“Home Rule from Below: The Cooperative Movement in Washington, DC.” Pp. 66-85 in Capital Dilemma: Growth and Inequality in Washington, DC. 2016. Routledge.

• Democracy at Work Institute Resource Library: http://institute.usworker.coop/resources
• US Federation of Worker Cooperatives member webinars (you can join as a member for $25 a year): https://usworker.coop/videos/
• Worker-Coop Academy: http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Academy
• Center for Community Change: Understanding Worker-Owned Cooperatives

• Grassroots Economic Organizing (You can get involved in their great work):  http://www.geo.coop/
• Coop Directory Service: Natural Food-Coops: http://coopdirectory.org/
• Democracy Collaborative: http://community-wealth.org
• Find a Coop: http://find.coop/
• National Cooperative Business Association: https://ncbaclusa.coop/resources/