A Guaranteed Income Program Rooted in Community Power
Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of Cooperative Futures, an innovative Guaranteed Income Program (GIP) that reimagines what economic security and community ownership can look like together.
A New Model
Cooperative Futures is the first program in the country to combine guaranteed income with worker-owned cooperative business incubation. Developed through a partnership between Beloved Community Incubator and Muslims for Just Futures, this program is rooted in the belief that people deserve not only to survive but thrive.
Over 18 months, up to 40 participants across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region will receive $500 in monthly guaranteed income, while working in small teams to launch cooperative businesses. This model directly addresses a core challenge faced by many people who aspire to create alternatives to traditional workplaces: the lack of financial stability needed to take risks, invest time, and build sustainably.
Guaranteed income creates more opportunity. Cooperative ownership builds long-term power.
Building a Regional Solidarity Economy
Cooperative Futures is about growing a regional solidarity economy led by Black, Brown, and Muslim communities. Participants won’t just receive stipends – they’ll engage in a comprehensive incubation process that includes:
- Training in cooperative business development
- Legal and technical assistance
- Access to non-extractive financing and loan readiness coaching through the DC Solidarity Economy Loan Fund (DC SELF)
- Ongoing mentorship and community support
- Access to the only peer-to-peer network for employee owned businesses in the region
By the end of the program, we expect to launch six to eight worker-owned cooperatives – businesses that are democratically governed, community-rooted, and built to sustain living-wage work.
Designed With and For Community
Cooperative Futures is intentionally designed to center those most often excluded from traditional economic systems: low-income, working-class, immigrant, and communities of color.
This work builds on years of organizing, relationship-building, and ecosystem development. It reflects a broader vision, one where communities collectively control the resources they need, and where economic systems are shaped by care, equity, and shared decision-making.
The program will contribute to a growing field of guaranteed income pilots, offering a replicable model that connects direct cash support with long-term wealth-building strategies.
A Historic Investment in Economic Mobility
Cooperative Futures is funded by an investment from the Health Equity Fund. The Health Equity Fund was created to improve health outcomes and health equity for DC residents, with a focus on social determinants of health, including economic mobility and community wealth building.
Our Work, Our Wealth, Our Future
Cooperative Futures is grounded in the idea that when people have what they need, they can build what they imagine. By pairing guaranteed income with cooperative ownership, we are not just launching businesses. We are cultivating a regional ecosystem where wealth is shared, work is dignified, and communities lead the way into a more cooperative future.
To learn more or get involved, please contact us at belovedcommunityincubator.org/contact-us.