The City of Chicago recently announced a commitment to worker ownership as part of its community wealth-building strategy, awarding grants to 17 organizations through its Department of Planning and Development. Democracy at Work Institute is excited to join grantees selected to design and implement two-year technical assistance programs for business development. Chicago’s Community Wealth Building initiative prioritizes worker ownership as part of a multi-pronged effort to drive equitable economic development in the city. Also prioritized are community land trusts, limited-equity housing cooperatives, and community investment vehicles. In a press release announcing the grants, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “Since I… more

The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) announced today the promotion of Senior Managing Director Vanessa Bransburg to Co-Executive Director of Operations and Programs. Bransburg will lead the organization alongside DAWI founding Executive Director Melissa Hoover, who will become Co-Executive Director for Partnerships and Growth until transitioning to a new role in 2023. “As DAWI celebrates ten years of powerful work, we are consciously undertaking a shift in leadership that will support our growth into the next phase,” said Hoover, DAWI Executive Director. “Vanessa has been essential to building DAWI from almost the beginning, and I can think of no better… more

Apis & Heritage Capital, incubated by nonprofit Democracy at Work Institute, acquires Denver and El Paso-based firms, sell to BIPOC, essential workers via ESOP WASHINGTON, DC (May 24, 2022)— Apis & Heritage Capital Partners (A&H) has announced transitions to employee ownership for its first two portfolio companies: Apex Plumbing Co. (Denver, Co.) and Accent Landscape Contractors, Inc. (El Paso, TX). Together, the firms employ more than 150 mostly BIPOC workers. A&H was incubated at Democracy at Work Institute and launched with seed funding from Kendeda Fund, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Citi Community Development. The firm announced its initial close… more

The Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) is proud to announce Director of Strategic Partnerships Anh-Thu Nguyen has appointed to the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC)’s inaugural Workforce Policy Strategy Council. Anh-Thu joins 26 other new members on this inaugural council. NYCETC, the nation’s largest city-based workforce development association, has over 200 member organizations that annually provide job training and employment services for more than 750,000 people, and works to ensure that every New Yorker has access to the skills, training, and education needed to thrive in the local economy, and that every business is able to maintain… more

With support from the Rockefeller Foundation, DAWI’s Legacy Business Fund by Apis & Heritage Capital Partners (A&H) has announced its first close at $30 million, doubling its target of $15 million. Launched with a planning grant from Citi Community Development, funding from the Kendeda Fund, and additional support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Fund and A&H have been incubated at DAWI to address the widening racial wealth gap by transitioning businesses with large workforces of color into employee-owned firms. A&H aims to purchase eight closely held companies from retiring founders, turning 500 workers into owners over the next five… more

The State Small Business Credit Initiative program could catalyze significant business retention and broaden business ownership at the same time. In early June, the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) and the Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX) both sent letters to the Department of the Treasury in response to the Treasury’s notice and request for information concerning the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), to encourage implementation of support for state employee ownership centers and more broadly for employee ownership transitions. These transitions are when business owners sell part or all of their company to their employees. The most common forms… more

This has been an exhausting year, and DAWI is taking a Recovery Summer for our staff to rest, restore, and partake in the gradual reopening of our world. For the next three months, our offices will be closed every other Friday (that’s 6/4, 6/18, 7/2, 7/16, 7/30, 8/13, 8/27). As a worker-directed nonprofit organization, we prioritize the well-being of our members. We know investing in staff is an investment in the impact we’re able to make. We’ll be working and generally responding at a slightly slower pace. Our time at work will also be concentrated on the areas we’ve prioritized… more