Our Program Director, Bianca, and BCI Network Member, The 51st, spoke on panels at the 2025 Cooperative Impact Conference earlier this month. Each shared about how our region’s solidarity economy has national implications.

🛌✨ Rest is resistance.
We believe that caring for ourselves & our people is essential to the long haul. That’s why our staff will be offline for the month of August to prioritize rest, reflection, & restoration.
We’ll be back in September. Until then, take care of yourselves & each other.

✨ Big news! @Sankofadc is now a worker-owned cooperative 🎉 Join us in celebrating this milestone + welcoming them to the BCI community! 🖤 We'll talk about how Sankofa transitioned into a cooperative and how you can too! RSVP www.eventbrite.com/e/1396643812...

📅 **July 12**
🕕 **6–9PM**
📍 **Sankofa**

You're invited to Community Pitch Night!
Hear from participants in BCI’s Co-op Incubation Program & learn about emerging co-ops.

That pastry in the photo? 🍰👀 Just a tasty sneak peek of one of the co-ops you’ll meet.
July 22nd, 7pm, at the Festival Center. Free to attend! RSVP at the link in bio.

Wayne & Ma Theresa are the first vendors in the city to receive a Microenterprise Home Kitchen permit! BCI supported them with the license application process & they were able to buy a food cart with a loan from the BCI License Fund. Visit them at their new vending site near Alethia Tanner Park!

UPDATE: Location change
We're looking forward to our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour next week at *Metrobar DC* May 15th. Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us!

Today we honor the legacy of workers who stood up, spoke out, and organized for dignity, safety, and justice on the job.

Co-ops aren’t just businesses - they’re acts of resistance and visions of what’s possible. Today, we recommit to growing a future where work is just, shared, and values driven.

Worker-owned cooperatives put people and planet over profit. When workers have a real stake in the businesses they run, sustainability becomes a shared priority—not an afterthought.

This Earth Day, we're celebrating the co-ops creating a better world by design. 💪🏾 🌱 💚

Our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour is May 15th from 6-9pm at @kaloramamarket! Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us! The social hour is free, RSVP with the QR code.

We're excited to announce that Kristen is joining us as Director of Membership and Outreach. Kristen is deeply rooted in local DC community organizing efforts. Outside of work, she enjoys the outdoors, playing games, crafting, sports, and reading.

Dupont Coffee Collective, DC’s newest employee-owned and operated coffeeshop + bakery, is open! Stop by and support local workers! Dupont Coffee is open Monday - Saturday 7am-6pm, Sunday 7am-3pm!

Our mini-incubation cohort is HERE!

👥 Who should join?
✔️ Teams of 3+ exploring co-ops
✔️ Owners transitioning to employee ownership

✨ What you’ll get:
✔️ 1:1 coaching
✔️ Financial & business planning
✔️ Funding & management guidance

Limited to 8 groups—apply now!

@swamprosecoop, with the support of a loan from BCI's DC SELF (DC Solidarity Economy Loan Fund), bought their first truck and hired 2 new worker owners full time! We’re thrilled that this BCI Network member, which does such important work to sustain/increase native plant presence, continues to grow!

We're excited to announce that Celeste is joining us as Director of Operations. Celeste is a DC-born, Silver Spring-raised community organizer committed to racial, economic, and gender justice. Outside of work, they enjoy cooking, trivia, and live music.

Join us for COOPS 101 - a 2 hour webinar on the basics of COOPs: what are they, how they benefit workers and community, and details about how you can build a cooperatively owned business. Our first webinar is February 26th from 7-9pm EST. Register with the link in our bio.

Our next Solidarity Economy Social Hour is February 23rd from 1-4pm at @wundergartendc! Whether you’re a worker-owner/co-op member, union member, organizer, mutual aid-er, or just curious about what’s going on with the solidarity economy in DC, join us! The social hour is free, find RSVP in our bio.

As we like to say, the regional #solidarityeconomy is already here and it's our job to highlight, strengthen, and cultivate it – and now you can too, with our New Economy totes! Link to order is in our bio.

#ANewEconomy #GraceLeeBoggs