Coop Fund is an experimental cooperative funding platform that accumulates financial resources through member contributions, and redistributes small funds to members using a cooperative decision making process.
The purpose of Coop Fund is to
A cooperative is an organization in which ownership and decision making are distributed democratically between all members.
The International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) defines a cooperative as, "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."
Cooperatives are based on values of
| self-help | self-responsibility | |
| democracy | equality | |
| equity | solidarity | |
| honesty | openness | |
| social responsibility | caring for others |
Thank you for your interest in joining Coop Fund. To become a member, email coopfundcooperative@proton.me
bucket - A place to keep the money.
bylaws - Legal document developed by and agreed on by members, that sets out the practical, governing rules of a cooperative. [view Coop Fund bylaws]
caring for others - Investing in the needs of other people.
certificate of incorporation - Legal document that sets out the purpose of the organization, legal incorporators and directors. [view Coop Fund certificate of incorporation]
community - People in communication.
cooperative - 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.
decision making - All members have one vote, and are encouraged to participate in decisions regarding the governance of Coop Fund and how funds are allocated.
democratic member control
- Members have the right to participate, to be informed, to be heard and to be involved in making decisions. Members are the source of all authority in the cooperative.
“The basic unit of the co-operative is the member...This basis in human personality is one of the main features distinguishing a cooperative from firms controlled primarily in the interests of capital.” - ICA Background Paper
equality - Equal rights and opportunities for people to participate democratically improves the use resources and fosters mutuality, understanding and solidarity.
equity - Fair distribution of income and power in society should be based on labor, not ownership of capital.
experimental - This is an experiment.
funds - Money paid by members, that is kept in the Coop Fund bank account. Money paid out to members who make proposals for funds that they need.
honesty - Transparency about how decisions are made and how things are done.
Loomio - The online decision-making platform.
member - Individuals or organizations who voluntarily accept the terms of membership, subscribe to Coop Fund, and who can apply for funds.
member contributions - The money members pay into Coop Fund.
needs - Something that is required. In the case of Coop Fund members are asked to think about what they need, and if Coop Fund could be a structure that supports part of those needs.
openness - Willingness to listen and revise.
platform - A space for individuals to conduct collaborative work.
proposal - Members make Proposals that are requests for funding. A Proposal can be for funds that will help with individual needs and or to further mutuality with others or to develop cooperation in work and life.
resources - Funds, conversation, community.
self-help - People are able to improve their circumstances through joint action which can be more powerful than individual effort.
self-responsibility - Members are accountable.
small funds - As the project grows the amount of funds grows. Because of the nature of this project, Coop Fund may not always have a large amount of money to give out.
social responsibility - Consider the needs of society
solidarity - A cooperative has a responsibility for the well-being of its members and other cooperatives.
voluntary and open membership - Coop Fund is a voluntary organization, open to all persons willing to accept the responsibilities of membership without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
voting - Members make their decisions based on whether a proposal is in line with the mission and purpose of Coop Fund.
workshop - Coop Fund provides education and training for members and non-members.
[1]Some of these definitions are adapted from the International Co-operative Alliance.
Questions? Email coopfundcooperative@proton.me.
Documents
Links
Coop Fund is committed to the guidelines of The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), the cultural arm of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
We make this commitment amidst Israel's and the United States' devastating and relentless genocidal assault on Gaza; the terrorization of the Palestinian people; and the current US administration's criminalization of pro-Palestinian speech acts. With this in mind, we fervently reject the conflation of antisemitism with advocacy for a free Palestine. PACBI upholds freedom of expression. It does not focus on individual artists, writers, or art workers, but instead constitutes a lens for self-scrutiny and a call for institutional and material transformation. As a cooperative, whose ownership and decision-making are distributed democratically between all members, we work in solidarity with historical and contemporary anticapitalist struggles, and acknowledge how these struggles resist the violence of white supremacy, heterosexism, ableism, gender binaries, and environmental destruction. We understand that this anticapitalist struggle must reject the violence of Zionism. In our organizational capacities, we join the PACBI movement with a commitment not to fund projects involving complicit Israeli institutions, their cultural products, or any project that seeks to “normalize” Israel's oppression against Palestinians and/or the dehumanization of Palestinians, in line with BDS anti-normalization guidelines. We refuse to play any role in normalizing occupation, apartheid, and genocide. As an experimental funding platform that accumulates financial resources through member contributions and redistributes small funds to members working in the cultural field, we are committed to modes of care and solidarity that directly correlate with PACBI's objectives toward Palestinian freedom, justice, and equality. We commit to integrating education and awareness about PACBI into our evaluation of each funding proposal that we receive, while maintaining our commitment to the artists, writers, and art workers who comprise our community and whose projects we will continue to support. More information available at https:bdsmovement.net/pacbi