What is Community Wealth Building?
Community Wealth Building (CWB) is a concept with many names and identities including: the new economy, solidarity economy, and more recently, a democratic economy. Whatever name we give it, the common thread is a recognition of the need for systems change that shifts from ME (a capitalist approach to wealth building) to WE (one that acknowledges our interrelatedness and interdependence) and supports efforts to build local economies with broadly held ownership options.
Some of the most common community wealth building strategies include: cooperatively owned businesses, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), community land trusts that allow community control of land and housing, community benefits agreements, and commitments by anchor institutions to buy locally produced products and services.
Our communities are all facing economic challenges associated with an ever-increasing wealth gap across the United States. It is an ideal time to work together to imagine a new way of doing business that creates an inclusive, sustainable economy built on locally rooted and broadly held ownership.
Do you have an idea that will strengthen our local economy, anchor jobs locally, and build prosperity for all? Let's put that idea into action! Three x Three can support your team in whatever stage of CWB program development you are in; from just getting started with a readiness assessment to designing a program and implementation plan. A few of our CWB services include:
- Organizational Readiness Assessment
- Facilitation of CWB Learning Circles for your organization and stakeholders
- CWB Asset Mapping and Needs Assessment
- Community-Engaged Strategic Plan Facilitation
- CWB Program Design, Implementation Planning, and Measurement
Not ready to design a CWB strategy but want to learn more about building equity and opportunity within your own organization? Three x Three can work with you and your team to create space for learning, skill building, and collective problem solving that will keep your organization thriving.
