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Can Employee Ownership Preserve Legacy Businesses in Communities of Color?

Sandra Larson

July 15, 2019 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As gentrification has flourished and Baby Boomers age out of the workforce, “legacy businesses” struggle to find a way to maintain a presence in communities of color. In response, a multi-city fellowship called Shared Equity in Economic Development (SEED) was developed to educate business owners on transferring ownership to the employees to ensure its future. Four cities—Philadelphia, Atlanta, Durham, and Miami— paired three city employees with one community member to work together over a two year period to leave the city with “clear plans, clear roles and good foundations for future business conversions."

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Investing in success: Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation looks to expand

David Singer

June 28, 2019 |

WGME-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Gorham, Maine

Scholarships and grants can help students who are looking to being their careers after high school to succeed. In Maine, the Maine Blue Collar Scholar Fund provides financial support to high school graduates who wish to start their own businesses or pursue a career in the trades. The program encourages entrepreneurship and is currently seeking to expand its support to teachers interested in learning more about local internships and apprenticeships for their students.

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Bitwise Goes Big

James Fallows

June 19, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

A company called Bitwise in Fresno, California thinks beyond financial gain and factors social background and economic justice into their developer training programs. Bitwise offers a coding school as well as a custom software business that hires graduates from their training program to help with commercial projects.

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A Worker Cooperative and a Community Land Trust Bought a Building Together

Oscar Perry Abello

June 18, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Cooperative ownership provides an avenue through which local nonprofit organizations and businesses can retain ownership of real estate. In Oakland, California, the Oakland Community Land Trust uses federal grants and donations to then acquire and retain ownership of commercial and residential properties. In cases where funds offered by the Trust or from crowdfunded donations are not sufficient, as with the Hasta Nuerte worker owned co-op coffee shop, offering up equity in the venture to private investors can help raise capital.

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Why this company wants your old underwear

Lisa Rabasca Roepe

June 13, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

New startups are recycling worn fabrics as a way to combat the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Knickey is a subscription service where people can trade in worn-out underwear for a new pair of organic cotton underwear. After just six months, the company has collected thousands of pairs that is then sent to a nonprofit to be recycled. While the recycling process itself isn’t always sustainable, companies are trying to educate shoppers to pay attention to where their clothes come from.

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'It has transformed my life': the restaurant where all staff have a disability

Stephen Burgen

June 10, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Spain, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia

A haute cuisine restaurant in the Spanish city of Jerez offers employment only for people with disabilities who are left out of the mainstream workforce. The restaurant employs 20 people with conditions ranging from Down's syndrome to cerebral palsy, and they say that they are treated just like anyone else and that it has transformed their lives. The restaurant has also caught people's attention for the food alone and even receives recipes and guest chefs from the top chefs in the country.

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Can Queer Nightlife in L.A. Be Saved by Instagram?

Aimee Lutkin

June 06, 2019 |

Los Angeleno |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Parties and gatherings designed specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community have become crowded with tourists and often aren't inclusive to all those who could find comfort in a space meant for them. To help keep queer nightlife alive for queer women, trans-men, and non-binary folk, pop-up parties are being advertised through insider knowledge and Instagram.

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Plastic with a Purpose

Jill Harkins

June 03, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A new social enterprise called rePurpose asks consumers to estimate their plastic usage and pay to offset it. Then, the organization funds worker cooperatives in India that provide more stable employment and pay for workers in the recycling industry. Still in its early stages, rePurpose hopes to collaborate with businesses, schools, and individuals to offset their plastic usage.

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The latest YouTube craze? Videos that show you what it's like to live in prison.

Peter Holley

June 03, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chesapeake, Virginia

As former inmates face the immense challenge of finding employment post-incarceration, some have turned to YouTube as a way of turning their stories into financial security. With just a handful of prison channels garnering upwards of 2.1 million subscribers, the successful videos give viewers a range of information, including advice on how to survive prison and what their lives have been like after release. Underpinning all of these videos is the desire to have a voice, help others as they try to reintegrate, and humanize the criminal justice system.

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How West Oakland Financed Its Own Grocery Store

Oscar Perry Abello

May 30, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Public investment campaigns can raise capital and attract larger institutional investors. In the neighborhood of West Oakland, the Community Foods Market opened its doors by raising funds through a Direct Public Offering (DPO). In addition to using traditional grant funding and so-called “angel” investors, the Community Foods Market turned community members into investors, giving them partial ownership of their local grocery store.

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