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We are working with our members through the Reinvest in Our Power campaign to create regenerative economic models that support, nourish, and build thriving communities well into the future. One of the ways is through our democratically-run, non-extractive Our Power Loan Fund and Incubator. This fund provides loans to Just Transition projects with mutually agreed upon terms, little-to-no collateral, and reasonable interest that is cycled back into the community, rather than into profits. We then work with recipients to propagate loan funds in their local community, building up community self-reliance.

There are two ways to support this work:

• Gift Capital – Essentially investor lingo for a donation, or a contribution that you do no expect to be returned. These types of gifts are important to establish funding pools, support fund administration, and provides the ability to build in financial buffers in case recipients run into difficult times.
• Investment Capital – Is exactly what it sounds like! This money is directed into projects and paid back over time to the investor with little or no interest – rates tend to be anywhere from zero to a little higher than CDs and bonds, but not like what you’d see from the stock market. This is a great way to put money you don’t currently need to use doing good, and shift from investing in individual futures to our collective future.

If you’re interested in learning more and supporting this work, please get in touch with our Reinvest Project Co-Directors, Lauren Ressler (focuses on $100m Reinvest Campaign) at [email protected], or Lupe Romero (focuses on Our Power Loan Fund) at [email protected].

Indigenous, Black, Latinx, Asian, and other Communities of Color have perpetually had their land and labor stolen for hundreds of years. In a country where nearly all wealth has come from this extraction: Reparations of land and wealth is an important step towards climate justice.

The food sovereignty work of our members has shown that returning stewardship of land to these communities supports innovative solutions to many of the problems that we face. BIPOC-led community land trusts are another important method for advancing a Just Transition.

If you want to make financial or land reparations to this type of work, you can find a list of our members who are working on food sovereignty here and learn how to give to them directly on their websites. For additional information and resources, reach out to our Resource Mobilization Co-Director, Mark Chavez at [email protected].

While many people might be familiar with their local grocery cooperative, the opportunities for what the cooperative business model can provide is endless: everything from medical, child, and pet care, to construction, dining, and the arts. They’re also structured in a way that empowers laborers while creating a feedback loop to cycle money back into a community, rather than letting corporate profits and shareholders extract it.

Before you buy something online, head out to the store, or hire someone for a service, see if you can get what you’re looking for from a local cooperative. The United States Federation of Worker-Owned Cooperatives has a large directory of worker-owned cooperatives across the country. If you don’t find one on there, be sure to check around your local community. Also keep in mind that these businesses can also benefit from other forms of support like board leadership, donations, and direct investments.