A co-op of co-ops.
NASCO Properties (NP) was created in 1988 as a property holding and management corporation to assist new student housing cooperatives with financing and management. Since then, NP has become an important development tool for student and community groups that want to start group equity co-ops but don't have access to the cash and technical assistance they need. NP uses equity from buildings it owns to provide collateral and equity for these new groups.
NASCO Properties also operates as a support network for its member co-ops, offering training and asset management assistance. In turn, these member co-ops form the governance structure for NASCO Properties. Each co-op seats one representative to the NASCO Properties board of directors. As of August 2020, there are 16 properties owned by NP and used by seven leasing cooperatives in Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Buffalo, NY, Urbana, IL, Lawrence, KS, Athens, OH, and Providence, RI with a total capacity of 249 members.