Strengthening community and cooperative economies in our region.

Cooperative Lending

We are a Peer Fund of Seed Commons and we lend to worker cooperatives, or businesses desiring to convert into a worker cooperative business model.

Cooperatives are organized as businesses governed by the workers or membership, and operate to serve community needs. When cooperatives generate profit the workers or members choose how it will be used or distributed.

  • In order for your business to be eligible for our lending pathway the following criteria must be met:

    1. Incorporated business entity operating as a cooperative, or with the interest in doing so.

      • We can help with this!

    2. Your business has at least 3 current or prospective worker-owners.

    3. Business has been operating for at least 6 months.

    4. Clear loan need and plan for how the cooperative or conversion will benefit from funding.

    5. Willingness to share financial history.

    6. Committed to meeting on a regular basis with our Project Stewards.

    7. Will provide materials and requested work needed in a timely manner.

    8. Located within the Inland Northwest Region.

  • We are a Peer Fund of Seed Commons, we pool financial resources and lend to cooperatives in our region. This allows us to reduce funding barriers for local cooperatives as opposed to traditional lending.

    Characteristics of our non-extractive financing:

    • No credit checks

    • No personal guarantees

    • No outside collateral

    • Non-compounding simple interest

    • Repayment starts after profitability

    • Ongoing support

    With direct business support and cooperative mentorship, we’re able to guide cooperatives to a profitable business model.

    We mitigate risk through trust, transparency, and strong relationships with cooperative teams.

  • Cooperatives pursuing non-extractive lending will receive technical assistance from our Project Stewards pre and post loan approval to ensure good governance, sustainable business models, and guide the cooperative toward a profitable business model and repayment.

    Technical Assistance includes, but is not limited to:

    • Start-up Support

    • Governance Support

    • Business Development

    • Worker-Owner Orientation

    • Resource Sharing

    • National and Regional Networks

Co-op Intake Form
Lets talk about Co-op Conversions

Democratizing Power and Decision Making in the Workplace.

What is a Cooperative?

A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

What type of cooperative model are you, or would you like to be?

  • Worker cooperatives function under a model of "one member, one vote" and distribute a share of profits to workers. A worker cooperative is a company owned and controlled by—and for the benefit of—the people who work there. The Board of Directors comprises a majority of employee-owners who are elected by the full membership on a one-person, one-vote basis, and net profits are shared, based on a formula designed to suit the company.

    Ownership allows the worker-members to control the operations and strategic direction of the business and to directly benefit from the business’s success. Profit distribution to worker owners is based on some combination of job position, hours worked, seniority, and salary.

  • Consumer cooperatives are owned by members who use the co-op to purchase the goods or services that they need. By combining member demand, the co-op can provide better availability, selection, pricing, or delivery of products or services to individual consumers. The model is used in many sectors and includes credit unions, grocery co-ops, telephone and electrical distribution, housing and childcare.

  • Producer cooperatives are owned by people who produce  similar types of goods or services. The members use the cooperative to more effectively negotiate prices and to access larger markets. The cooperative can further process member products to add value and increase producer returns. Some producer cooperatives also pool member demand for production inputs to obtain better pricing for those inputs. Many agricultural cooperatives provide both types of services to their members.

  • Purchasing cooperatives combine member demand to achieve better pricing, availability, and delivery of products or services. The members of purchasing cooperatives are businesses or organizations, rather than individual consumers, that use the cooperative to more efficiently manage their operations. Purchasing co-ops are used by hospitals, independent retail stores, farm supply cooperatives and educational institutions for cost-effective wholesale purchases.

  • Also referred to as hybrid or solidarity model cooperatives, multi-stakeholder cooperatives are owned by two or more types of members who have different roles and interests in an enterprise that more broadly benefits them all. Member classes may include consumers (either individuals or businesses), producers, workers, or investors.

Cooperative Principles

Cooperatives worldwide operate by seven principles, as adopted in 1995 by the International Cooperative Alliance.

Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

  • Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.

  • Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. People serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are also organized in a democratic way.

  • Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of the capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. They usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

  • Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organization controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.

  • Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public—particularly young people and opinion leaders—about the nature and benefits of cooperation.

  • Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.

  • While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.

Cooperative Values

Self-Help

Members need to help themselves while also helping each other. Individuals or groups have the right to make their own choices and govern themselves.

Self-Responsibility

Taking accountability for your actions, decisions, thoughts and more. Members should be responsible and play their part on their own, without the need for external motivation or incentive.

Democracy

All members of the cooperative have an equal voice in its governance under the principle “one member, one vote”.

Equality

Each member of a cooperative should benefit from the same rights, based on their level of contribution.

Equity

All members are treated fairly, without any form of discrimination. Equity is essential to creating a harmonious relationship among all members.

Solidarity

We are transformed through our collective power. Members within a cooperative form a unified organization where individuals support one another. Supporting other cooperatives to form a united network.

Our Partners

Inland Cooperative Services is a Regional Loan Fund of Seed Commons, a cooperatively-governed community development financial institution (CDFI), and nonprofit financial organization.

Inland Cooperative Service’s Peer Fund serves cooperatives in the region of the Inland Northwest

The Inland Northwest, historically and alternatively known as the Inland Empire, is a region of the American Northwest centered on the Greater Spokane, Washington Area, encompassing all of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, Northeastern Oregon and Western Montana,

 

Cross sector co-op map of the PNW, inspired from 2025 Cascadia Conference hosted by the Northwest Cooperative Development Center (NWCDC), lovingly consolidated by, Nora Edge, NWCDC cooperative developer.