of the Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power (COWOP)
2023-2024
Confirmed:
Grants & Loan Guarantees
Sponsors:
Sen. Adam Gomez (Springfield) FY24 Senate budget amendment #143
COWOP is developing a significant new pool of working capital to grow the worker coop ecosystem in MA. We are seeking $1.7m in funds to be allocated to the Mass Center for Employee Ownership (MassCEO), which we helped win as a standing part of the state budget last year. Lenders in our ecosystem would then distribute these funds via grants and loan guarantees to qualified worker coops and conversions around the state. Other details, including criteria for funding and program administration, are being determined in ongoing discussions with stakeholders.
Technical Assistance
Sponsors:
Rep. Orlando Ramos (Springfield) FY24 House budget amendment #997, Sen. Pavel Payano (Lawrence) Senate FY24 budget amendment #202
Via House and Senate amendments to the state budget this Spring, COWOP is supporting a significant funding increase for the Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) program run by Mass Growth Capital Corporation. This program funds technical assistance providers in our ecosystem who specialize in worker coop development. The funds would help expand services enabling local entrepreneurs, especially from communities of color, to establish stable new worker coops, as well as to convert existing conventional businesses to a democratically-run and worker-owned structure.
Under exploration:
There are several policy areas of interest that the coalition is exploring and will share publicly pending due process.
By building a robust worker-owned cooperative infrastructure, the Cooperative MA policy platform will support a just recovery from the COVID-19 economic crisis, while making strides towards an equitable economy for workers and communities across Massachusetts. Download our policy platform 1-pager here.
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COWOP 