For those interested in learning more about the theories, projects and models that inform Wellspring’s work, please see the resources below:

Mondragon Corporation (Basque Region, Spain)

Begun in 1956 in the town of Mondragón (in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain), and now the embodiment of the cooperative movement, the Mondragon Corporation today boasts over 83,000 employees in 256 worker-owned businesses that serve four economic sectors:  finance, manufacturing, retail, and education.  A short video about the history of the Mondragon Corporation is available at this YouTube link.

Evergreen Cooperatives (Cleveland, Ohio)

The Evergreen Cooperatives of Cleveland, Ohio are pioneering innovative models of job creation, wealth building, and sustainability. Evergreen’s employee-owned, for-profit companies are based locally and hire locally. They create meaningful green jobs and keep precious financial resources within the Greater University Circle neighborhoods. Worker-owners at Evergreen earn a living wage and build equity in the firms as owners of the business.  This YouTube video from 2010 provides additional information about Evergreen’s mission and planned businesses.

The Democracy Collaborative (University of Maryland)

The Democracy Collaborative was established in 2000 to advance a new understanding of democracy for the 21st century and to promote new strategies and innovations in community development that enhance democratic life. The Collaborative’s goals are to shift the prevailing paradigm of community development in the United States toward broadening citizen participation in ownership and workplace governance, stabilizing local communities, and ensuring equitable and inclusive economic growth that is environmentally and socially sustainable.

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Founded in 2004, the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives is a national grassroots membership organization of and for worker cooperatives, democratic workplaces, and organizations that support the growth and development of worker cooperatives.  The Federation facilitates the sharing of skills and information across worker cooperatives and advocates for policies that support worker-owned businesses. Members of the Federation include workplaces of all sizes across the nation and across a broad range of industries.

U.S. Solidarity Economy Network

The U.S. Solidarity Economy Network is part of a global movement for transformative social and economic justice.  The solidarity economy constitutes an alternative framework for economic development exemplified by cooperatives, social enterprises, land trusts, co-housing, the open source movement, and other activities and organizational forms that promote citizen solidarity, mutualism, cooperation, sustainability, and social and economic democracy.