Locally Owned and Controlled
There is a growing national movement towards intentional local ownership. Communities are leveraging shared ownership models to launch businesses and to raise capital to acquire and control key real estate assets. This form of community capital pooling serves as an alternative funding mechanism to traditional lending and investments.
Wealth Our Way (W.O.W.) is a collaborative initiative designed to support communities in launching wealth-building models, based on their terms, that advance their quality of life, build wealth and shift power dynamics in their neighborhoods.
Model Types
The Desk supports the following shared ownership models:
Community Investment Vehicles
A CIV is a legal investment mechanism that provides collective community investment in neighborhood assets based on shared development goal(s). In its perfect form, it is majority-controlled, majority-owned and designed by residents or local members.
Download our CIV Assessment Tool
Worker Co-Ops
A business that is owned and controlled by its employees, who share in both the decision-making and the profits of the business. In a worker co-op, every worker who meets basic eligibility requirements can become a co-owner of the business, which comes with the right to vote for and serve on the board of directors.
Our W.O.W. Approach
Producing and maintaining resources and tools to support the design and implementation of commercial shared ownership models by community groups and organizations
Assisting local organizations in assembling a team of subject matter experts and securing resources to create models appropriate for their communities
Guiding implementation efforts, including acquisition of properties, fundraising, and back-office support
Providing capital grants and connecting projects to funders to advance the real estate component of their model
W.O.W. Capital Grant Program
The W.O.W. capital grant program provides structured technical coaching, capital coordination, and other related resources to support the launch of both worker co-ops and CIVs across the City of Chicago. The W.O.W. framework provides the necessary technical resources to help ensure success as communities design wealth-building models their way.
Learn more about our W.O.W Capital Program