In-depth articles on cooperatives, credit unions, and the cooperative economy.
Cooperatives employ 10% of the world's working population, hold $20 trillion in assets, and operate across every sector. Here's a data-driven look at the scale and impact of the cooperative economy.
Read article →Federal USDA grants, state programs, CDFI loans, and cooperative development funds — a practical map of where cooperatives can find startup and growth capital.
Read article →Cooperative membership comes with economic returns, governance rights, and community value that traditional businesses don't offer. Here's what membership actually means across different co-op types.
Read article →A founder's comparison of the cooperative and LLC structures across ownership, governance, taxation, liability, fundraising, and scalability — with a decision framework.
Read article →Electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities both deliver power — but they operate on fundamentally different principles. Here's what that means for rates, reliability, and your role as a member.
Read article →From Mondragon to REI, Ocean Spray to Land O'Lakes — 12 cooperatives that became household names and what their success reveals about the cooperative model.
Read article →Housing cooperatives give residents collective ownership of the building they live in. This guide explains the three main types, how financing works, and what cooperative housing actually costs.
Read article →From choosing a cooperative type to filing incorporation documents — a practical guide covering every step of forming a cooperative, with state-specific notes for the US and global resources.
Read article →Platform cooperatives apply cooperative ownership principles to digital marketplaces — giving workers and users ownership stakes in the platforms they power. Here's how they work and why they're growing.
Read article →Credit unions are member-owned financial cooperatives. This guide explains how they work, how they differ from banks, eligibility requirements, and how to find and join one.
Read article →Ownership structure, voting rights, profit distribution, financing, taxation — 10 concrete differences between cooperatives and corporations, with a decision guide.
Read article →Credit unions are member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperatives. Here's what that actually means for your rates, fees, and account experience.
Read article →How a Basque priest and 5 engineering students built an 80,000-person cooperative empire generating €12 billion in revenue — and what it actually teaches us.
Read article →A practical 8-step guide to starting a food cooperative — from feasibility study to opening day, with real cost ranges and lessons from Park Slope, Weaver Street, and others.
Read article →Ranked by revenue: the 10 biggest US agricultural cooperatives, covering grain, dairy, oilseeds, nuts, and more — with history, structure, and key facts.
Read article →