FALL 2024 COHORTS
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
When does Solid State take in new groups?
Solid State takes in new groups twice per year, our application season opened September 3rd and ended September 23rd 11:59pm, chosen groups were notified on October 1st. Our next application season is due to take place in February 2025.
What kind of groups are we looking for at Solid State?
Solid State prioritizes racialized migrant communities, with a focus on refugees, asylum seekers, and first and second generation migrants. Our mission is to help people in these communities build enterprises that create sustainable jobs, working past extractivism and exploitation. Ideally, these will take the form of worker co-ops. If you are not familiar with co-ops, please check out this resource to get a basic introduction: Intro to Co-ops.
We will also consider non-profits that intend to be grant-supported or otherwise non-revenue generating, if they make a valuable community impact and incorporate cooperative principles into their organizational structure and governance. Cooperative principles include values like democratic decision-making, member ownership, and shared responsibility, which ensure that the organization operates in a fair and inclusive manner.
For September’s intake, we are planning on selecting up to four groups - we anticipate more demand than we can fill, and a competitive application process. Groups that are not selected in the upcoming intake are encouraged to apply again during the next intake period and to explore becoming a partner organization to Solid State. External partners can still use Solid State’s space and be part of the community, and access support in less formal ways depending on staff capacity.
What do groups that are selected for development support at Solid State get?
Groups at Solid State are given comprehensive support for establishing their enterprise. We are able to help you from ideation and planning all the way to becoming a successful and sustainable organization, depending on your organization’s needs - including
Learning about solidarity economy principles
Identifying your purpose, mission, vision, and values
Designing your organizations governance and management structure
Incorporation - creating a legal entity for your organization and obtaining a business number, bank account, certificate of incorporation.
Business Planning - identifying who you will serve and how you will serve them in a financially sustainable way that allows for decent wages and growth
Brand and identity, marketing and community engagement - crafting a brand that speaks to your target audience and putting it out there through events and social media
Fundraising and Financing - grant writing assistance and potential access to loans at very favourable terms from Seed Commons (more information here: https://seedcommons.org)
A supportive network full of connections to potential funders, partners, and clients.
A space to work and access to communal meals with our community.
Contact us.
For any questions or further information please contact:
Syed Khawar - Coop Developer