Two startup co-ops will receive $5,000 worth of business coaching from PACA in 2016

Are you starting a co-op in the Philadelphia area? If so, apply now to receive a Catapult Grant of $5,000 worth of customized, hands-on coaching and advice from the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance to help launch your co-op.

Thanks to support from National Cooperative Bank (NCB), PACA is seeking two startup co-ops or co-op conversions to work together with PACA staff to make progress towards launch. The work will take place from June through December 2016. There is no pre-set programming; all technical assistance will be tailored to each of the two recipient groups. PACA staff will spend approximately 80 hours with each co-op over the course of six months.

Applications were due by April 29. Applications are now CLOSED.

Examples of support from PACA through the Catapult Grant:

• Raising capital for your co-op
• Decision-making in a co-op
• Recruiting members
• Communication strategies
• Policy creation

Criteria for selection:

• groups must be in the Philadelphia metropolitan area
• projects must be past the idea stage (i.e., a steering committee has been formed; you have a defined, agreed-upon mission and vision)
• groups comprised of low income and/or low wealth individuals prioritized
• projects with potential for large scale impact prioritized

Catapult Grant Timeline:

Friday, April 29, 11:59 pm: Call for applications closed

Early May: Selection committee makes decisions

Saturday, May 14: Catapult Grant recipients announced at CO-UP