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Employee ownership help

We have information to help you build and grow your worker cooperative or employee-owned firm in the City of Boston.

Our Worker Cooperative Initiative supports co-ops and businesses owned by employees. City tools include:

  • on-site technical help
  • workshops
  • support with procurement, and
  • helping worker co-ops take advantage of City policies and grant programs.
  • Have questions?

    If you have questions about employee cooperatives, or want to learn more about getting involved, contact Emily Patrick at emily.patrick@boston.gov, or call 617-635-0252.

  • Fill out our contact form and we’ll let you know more about what the City of Boston has to offer:

    Complete our contact form

What is employee ownership?

Background information

A worker cooperative is a business entity owned and democratically run by the people who work in it.

An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a defined contribution employee benefit plan. It allows employees to become owners of stock in the company they work for.

There are many examples of both across the US, including Cooperative Home Care Associates (worker co-op) and Harpoon Brewery (ESOP).

Co-ops vs. regular business model

Co-ops are similar to traditional businesses in that they aim to create a profit and become self-sustaining.

Co-ops are different in that they often have bottom lines aside from making a profit, including:

  • worker well-being
  • community well-being, and
  • environmental sustainability.

Map of Boston-area employee co-ops

Greater Boston firms by category

Firms by category
Name Description Contact Location
 The Food Project Leverages sustainable agriculture to create social and personal change among Massachusetts youth.

hhammel@thefoodproject.org

617-442-1322

Boston, MA
Drumlin Farm, Lincoln You can pay for 15 to 100 percent of your share by working at the farm.

dfgrower@massaudubon.org

781-259-1259

Lincoln, MA
ReVision Urban Farm, Dorchester ReVision Family Home has given shelter and hope to pregnant and parenting homeless women.   Dorchester, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Commonwealth Kitchen Shared kitchens with integrated business assistance. Get help creating and growing dynamic food-based businesses and careers.

Commonwealth Kitchen web contact form

617-522-7900

Boston, MA
Dorchester Food Co-op An initiative to build a community and worker-owned cooperative market that provides economic opportunity and healthy, affordable food. info@dorchesterfoodcoop.com Dorchester, MA
Organic Valley Co-op Line of organic vegetables and dairy products, owned by family farmers.

organic@organicvalley.coop

888-444-6455

 
Cabot Cheese Co-op A co-op of 1,200 dairy farm families located throughout New York and New England.

Cabot Cheese web contact form

207-541-9344

New England and New York (Waitsfield, VT)
Olio Collective Catering A worker-owned business dedicated to sustainable sourcing, workplace fairness, and the celebration of food as culture.

617-804-1456

Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Cooperative Fund for New England The loan fund is for community development.

cfne@coopfund.coop

800-818-7833

New England
Greater Boston Chamber of Cooperatives Dedicated to strengthening and expanding the greater Boston cooperative economy.   Boston, MA
Boston Cooperative Business Association Works to build a more just, democratic, and sustainable economy. 617-875-7694  Boston, MA
Boston Cooperative Investment Club Invests in cooperatives, as well as organizations and associations that support cooperatives. bostoncoopinvestment@gmail.com Boston, MA
Cooperative Development Institute Specializes in helping people work together to plan and launch a cooperatively owned business.

info@cdi.coop

413-665-1271

Northampton, MA
Boston Center for Community Ownership Provides education and training, facilitation, and consulting services. sc@bcco.coop Boston, MA
ICA Group Helps start and grow worker cooperatives, democratic employee stock ownership plans, and other social purpose ventures. ica@ica-group.org

877-752-3046
Northampton, MA
Local Enterprise Assistance Fund Financial and development help for cooperatives and social ventures that create and save jobs for low-income people. leaf@leaffund.org

617-232-1551
Brookline, MA
Worker-Owned and Run Cooperative Network of Greater Boston (WORC'N) Facilitates connections between existing cooperatives. WORC'N contact form Boston, MA
Name Description contact location
A Yard & A Half Landscaping Cooperative Designing and building landscapes with integrity, pride, and care for the environment and community.

info@ayardandahalf.com

781-788-8855

Boston (based in Waltham), MA
Cero Zero waste recycling and local composting.

CERO.coop@gmail.com

617-291-5855

Boston, MA
Great Sky Solar Boston’s only employee-owned solar installer.

info@greatskysolar.com

888-966-0726

Boston, MA
Vida Verde The team of women trained on cleaning alternatives that do not harm the environment.

vidaverde@verdeamarelo.org

617-202-5775

Brighton, MA
Community Builders Cooperative Works with and supports community development groups promoting affordable housing and sustainable development.

info@communitybuilders.coop

617-623-8340

Somerville, Cambridge, MA
Restoring Roots: Landscaping Co-Op Creates beautiful, peaceful, multi-purpose, and food-producing landscapes.

info@restoringroots.net

617-942-0561

Boston, MA
Placetailor, Inc. Builds high-performance "Passive House" homes in Boston.

staff@placetailor.com

617-639-0633

Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Boston Building Resources Inspires, educates, and empowers homeowners to increase the efficiency and value of their homes.

info@bostonbuildingresources.com

617-442-2262

Boston, Ma
Unitarian Universalist Community Cooperatives Grows intentional housing communities of spiritual practice, sustainability, and social change. info@lucystonecoop.org Roxbury, MA
Lucy Stone Cooperative An intentional community living the values and tradition of Unitarian Universalism through cooperative home ownership. info@lucystonecoop.org Roxbury, MA
Margaret Moseley Cooperative The second Unitarian Universalism Community Cooperatives house. info@lucystonecoop.org Roxbury, MA
Boston Community Cooperatives Builds community through cooperative living, member education, neighborhood improvement, and collective action. bostoncommunitycooperatives@gmail.com Boston, MA
The Canopy They believe that a different model for urban living with children can exist — one that is sustainable, practical, and fun.    
Name Description Contact Location
Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) The cooperative is a nationally recognized, worker-owned home care agency in the Bronx

info@chcany.org

718-993-7104

Bronx, NY
Data Commons Directory Search a directory of co-ops.    
Name Description Contact Location
Red Sun Press Red Sun Press is a printing and graphic design shop.

Eric Johnson: ejohnson@redsunpress.com

Gelitza Melendez: csr@redsunpress.com

617-524-6822

Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Restaurant Opportunity Center Boston Their mission is to improve working conditions in the restaurant industry.

maddie@rocunited.org

857-233-2271

Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Agaric Agarics is a web development cooperative.

Online web form

508-283-3557

Cambridge, MA
Broadway Bicycle School A collectively run bicycle shop that currently has four collective members.

broadway@broadwaybicycleschool.com

617-868-3392

Cambridge, MA
Dollars and Sense Magazine that publishes economic news, analysis, and critiques of the mainstream media's coverage of the economy.

dollars@dollarandsense.org

617-447-2177

Boston, MA
Pro Arte The innovative, musician-run orchestra brings a creative mix of classical and new music to the concert stage.

info@proarte.org

617-779-0900

Boston, MA
Fields Corner Business Lab The co-working space brings together entrepreneurs, small businesses and community development organizations.

contact@fieldscornerbusinesslab.com

617-982-3225

Dorchester, MA
Boston Tech Collective Offers tech support and computer services to the Greater Boston area.

help@bostontechcollective.com

617-639-1230

Somerville, MA
Research Action Design (RAD) RAD uses community-led research and collaborative design to build the power of grassroots social movements. info@rad.cat Cambridge, Brooklyn, Joshua Tree
RoxDot Sweep and Scoop     Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Women of Color Cooperative Boston Culturally sensitive co-operative for women of color, focused on food access, homeschooling, and homeownership.   Boston, MA
Equal Exchange Co-Op Mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound.

orders@equalexchange.coop

774-776-7400

Boston, MA
Dedham Square Artist Guild Members of the cooperative get a home for their work and an opportunity to connect with the community.

staff@dedhamguild.com

781-329-1890

Dedham, MA
Make Shift Boston A cooperative workspace of diverse working artists, activists, and creative people from across disciplines.

hello@makeshiftboston.org

617-652-0549

Boston, MA
Name Description Contact Location
Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN) Nonprofit dedicated to preserving properties of scenic, historic, and ecological value in Mass.

info@bostonnatural.org

617-542-7696

Boston, MA
Berkeley Community Garden (run by BNAN) A community of 159 farmers in Boston’s South End.

Community Garden contact form

617-542-7696

Boston, MA
Bloombrick Urban Agriculture New owner-operated indoor farm located in the heart of Cambridge.

bloombrick@gmail.com

413-237-4052

Cambridge, MA
City Growers Their mission is to transform vacant lots in Boston into intensive urban farms.

info@citygrowers.net

617-522-0205

Dorchester, MA

Equitable Economic Development Fellowship

Boston was one of six cities picked to take part in the inaugural year of the Equitable Economic Development Fellowship.

About the fellowship

The National League of Cities (NLC), PolicyLink, and the Urban Land Institute run the fellowship. It’s funded by the Surdna Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. The two-year fellowship aims to build our local economy through equity, transparency, sustainability, and community engagement.

City of Boston Fellows

The City of Boston will receive support and technical help from NLC, PolicyLink, ULI, and its peer cities. Joyce Linehan, Trinh Nguyen, John Smith, and Jason Ewas are participating in the program as fellows. They will receive support from across City Hall. The fellowship does not include direct funding support for putting programs in place.

Equity challenge

The City of Boston team picked economic inequality as an equity challenge. They then selected employee ownerships as a way to address it. Our fellowship team believes that employee ownership offers a chance for citizens throughout the City to build wealth.

  • Have questions?

    If you have questions about employee cooperatives, or want to learn more about getting involved, contact Emily Patrick at emily.patrick@boston.gov, or call 617-635-0252.

  • Fill out our contact form and we’ll let you know more about what the City of Boston has to offer:

    Complete our contact form

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