It’s National Caregiver Day! Ever wondered what happens when caregivers come together? They develop cooperatives that are building wealth among workers and providing exceptional care for their clients!

Despite the benefits to workers, their clients, and the community, there are very few Home and Community-Based Service cooperatives in Minnesota. Our Director of Shared Ownership, Electra, has been busy expanding shared ownership opportunities to our BIPOC and underinvested communities. We are currently working with 5 worker-owned home care businesses providing financial support and technical assistance to address the unique legal, business, and organizational characteristics of cooperative and employee-owned business models!

The owners of Cardinal Comfort Care LLC embraced the worker owned model and is now thriving with a mission to create a Care Model that puts caregivers and their clients first. By offering member ownership to raise wages and offer innovative training opportunities that create competent compassionate quality care for their clients.

MCCD along side Mni Sota Fund and Shared Capital Cooperative in collaboration with the MN Small Business Administration District Office held a Capital Strategies Symposium today. The morning was full of insightful conversation on building a more inclusive finance system.

We were joined by leaders in lending, community and economic development, philanthropy, and government discussing shared ownership enterprises and advancing racial equity and wealth building in BIPOC communities.

Special thanks to our speakers and panelists!

Speakers:
Geri Sanchez Aglipay, Regional Administrator, SBA
Neela Mollgaard, Executive Director, DEED Office of Small Business Innovation
Mayor Melvin Carter, City of Saint Paul

Panelists:
Jamar Smith, Executive Director, NICE MN
Kit Fordham, Executive Director, Mni Sota
E. Coco, Deputy Director, Rondo Community Land Trust
Christina Jennings, Executive Director, Shared Capital Cooperative

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, U.S. Small Business Administration, City of Saint Paul – Government, Sunrise Banks, Rondo Community Land Trust