CoFED, the Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive, is hiring 4 new staff. Please see the announcement below:
Like many college students with the approach of summer, CoFED is also preparing to graduate! Through Strategic Planning, we are making the important transition to an organization that provides longer term job security to its workers, and more consistent support to the student teams that make up the CoFED network. At CoFED, we put a lot into this work, and want to be able to grow into an organization that can harvest the fruits of our labor more sustainably - from annuals to perennials.
If you are interested in applying for the new open positions, please see these exciting job descriptions posted on our website and apply by June 15th.
Field Organizer Positions: Will work directly with student teams to enact their dreams. Can work remotely, but will have frequent travel.
NASCO Properties is excited to announce that we are looking to expand! NASCO Properties acts as a "coop of coops" across the United States, with each local coop making their own decisions on how to operate their cooperative. NASCO Properties also offers financial support, trainings, resources, and collaboration between NASCO Properties cooperatives. If you have a great idea for a new cooperative and need help to make your project happen, please check out our Request for Proposals and consider sending us your proposal!
We have completed tallying the results for the 2014 NASCO Board Elections. The following candidates have been elected to the NASCO Board:
Justin Chandler
Kit Fordham
Alex Green
Nick Harvey (re-elected)
Thank you to all the candidates and all the voting members for participating!
This month, NASCO staff finalized 10 placements through the Cooperative Internship Network; supported local Davis, CA organizers in preparation for WestCo; closed NASCO board elections (results will be posted by Friday, May 02, 2014); refined the theme for Institute 2014; developed programming for Staff and Managers Conference 2014; and prepared for the beginning of the upcoming fiscal year (May 01, 2014). The NASCO board has been busy preparing for its upcoming meeting in Chicago, June 20-22.
Within the past month, my worker cooperative, The Toolbox for Education and Social Action (TESA), launched a series of online courses on cooperative subjects, including “Intro to Co-ops,” “Worker Co-ops 101,” and “Creating a Cooperative Food Economy.” Already, we've led courses with people from all different backgrounds, experiences, and geographic locations: a labor lawyer in Washington DC, a student in Chicago, a retired surgeon in Virginia, a worker co-op start-up in Madison, a professor in California, a community organizer in North Carolina, and so many more. It has been inspiring to see these people from such rich backgrounds, and who are on opposite sides of the country, come together to learn about cooperatives.
NASCO member cooperatives are looking for innovative ways to fund their new and existing projects - many are turning to grant funding as a potentially viable option. In support of this shifting interest, NASCO staff invited Lincoln Miller (Boulder Housing Coalition) and Matt Lechel (Kalamazoo Collective Housing) to present at Institute 2013 on “Securing Grant Funding for Your Co-op.” Since the workshop was a major success, we intend on offering a similar course at next year’s Institute and will be continuing to share relevant information on grant funding opportunities with our members.
In this article, we’ve included a list of foundations and organizations that support cooperatives, affordable housing, social justice education, and other youth/student projects. This list is by no means exhaustive, however we hope that you’ll find it to be a useful springboard as you investigate whether there are grants that fit your needs.
Co-op Specific
Co-cycle is gearing up for another tour of co-ops! This summer, future cooperative leaders will be travelling from Bellingham, WA to San Diego, CA to celebrate the cooperative movement. Through events, workshops, and co-op visits the participants will gain a hands-on understanding of the cooperative model while working to strengthen the cooperative network along the west coast. We will be hosting a variety of events in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other cities and towns along the way. Stay up to date to see if Co-cycle will be stopping through your home town this summer!