Cooperatives are essential for creating more equitable communities. They uplift workers, create a fairer economy, and build community wealth and power. For cooperatives to grow and thrive, they need a supportive and connected ecosystem that includes established practitioners, values-aligned technical assistance and financing providers, and political, philanthropic, and institutional investment. 

Led by Democracy at Work Institute, this session will explore the strengths of San Diego County’s growing ecosystem and what is needed to better support cooperatives. Co-op practitioners and workers, service providers, funders, policymakers, and residents are all invited to join this session to seed the future of cooperatives in San Diego County. Through engaging roundtable dialogue, participants will consider their role and contributions to this work and identify what is needed to strengthen capacity and resources to grow the promise of worker ownership and community wealth building in our region.