Carolina Common Enterprise
Carolina Common Enterprise is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt cooperative development organization that works for economic equity and community resilience by supporting the development of cooperative and community-owned enterprises across the Carolinas. We provide expert training, legal services, and strategic guidance to help communities launch, grow, and sustain cooperatives and community-owned enterprises of all kinds that build local wealth and prioritize people over profit.
Our approach of “helping people help themselves” supports community-based entrepreneurs to address local economic and social needs through mutually owned enterprises.
This Co-op Month, we are asking you to stand with us and contribute to our Cooperative Development Fund or to our Operations Fund. By contributing to CCE, you are helping us keep co-ops alive, strengthen community and build shared prosperity – because real community wealth is built together.
The Cooperative Advantage
We believe that the communities deserve to know all their options when it comes to business ownership, housing, food access, and legacy building. CCE specifically supports the development of cooperatives because they restore power to the people. The cooperative enterprise model gives its members more power over their time and money, thereby giving them greater control over their lives and livelihoods. As an enterprise controlled solely by its members, the cooperative stays focused on its members’ needs rather than outside interests. Cooperatives can be a powerful pathway for:
- First time organizers
- Entrepreneurs seeking to collaborate
- Employers seeking business succession
- Families facing housing instability
- Communities seeking to retain wealth locally
- And more!
Here’s a glimpse of what we offer:
- Webinars and community information sessions on cooperative models
- Study Circles: small group learning tailored to your audience (residents, entrepreneurs, or youth)
- Train-the-Trainer Study Circle Certification: equipping your team to educate and inspire others about co-ops
- Ongoing support for groups exploring the feasibility of launching cooperatives
- Networking opportunities with a statewide ecosystem of emerging and established co-ops
Featured project: Front Porch Food Co-op
The Front Porch Grocery Co-op in Warrenton, NC — a Black-led initiative formed to restore access to fresh, local food in a rural area that lost its last full-service grocery store. This effort is being guided through our co-op development pipeline and is a prime example of community-led economic self-determination in action.
Newsletter
Stay up to date with CCE’s work, news, and upcoming events by subscribing to our newsletter below. You will receive no more than 2 emails per month from us.