The Data Commons Project is a collaborative effort among a diverse array of organizations in the U.S. and Canada who share a mission of building and supporting the development of a cooperative economy. Our goal is to develop an accurate, comprehensive, public database of cooperative economic initiatives in North America.

Our Vision

A vibrant movement for a cooperative and democratic economy is growing in North America. Offering innovative and effective alternatives to the "business as usual" of the distant, unnacountable corporations that dominate our economic, social and political landscape, cooperative enterprises and the organizations that support them are working to build an economy that truly works for people and the planet.

These grassroots efforts offer tremendous resources to workers, citizens, communities and the world. Joined together and strengthened in their common efforts, their message and example can be powerful and clear: another economy is possible.

The Data Commons Project is a collaborative effort among a diverse array of organizations in the U.S. and Canada who share a mission of building and supporting the development of a cooperative economy.

Our goal is to develop a democratically controlled, acurate, comprehensive publicly searchable and updatable database of cooperative economic initiatives in North America.

Thousands of these initiatives currently work in relative isolation, fragmented by geography, sector, and even organizational form. For them to succeed in changing the economic status-quo, they need to find each other, help each other, work together, and be counted. With a comprehensive, dynamic directory and communication system, cooperative businesses and initiatives can link together into a strong, mutually-supportive network--one capable of catalyzing broader social and economic change.

An essential first step in this long-term work, the Data Commons Project is developing a powerful tool that will strengthen connections, facilitate resource sharing, and lay the groundwork for developing a system of mutual exchange among enterprises working to build a cooperative and democratic economy.

For more information: http://dcp.usworker.coop/