Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation
Accelerating the Cooperative Business Model
Upcoming Event: Global Launch of the Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation | April 8-9, 2026 | Davis, California
On behalf of UC Davis Grand Challenges, it is our distinct honor to invite you to the launch of The Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation in Davis, California, from April 8th to 9th.
We are convening elite stakeholders to move beyond theory and toward a practical “how-to” for achieving a global affordability and ownership agenda.
ABOUT
The Initiative for Cooperatives and Civic Innovation (ICCI) leverages the expertise and resources of UC Davis land grant mission to bring economic power to communities by scaling and supporting hybrid business models. These enterprises—ranging from cooperatives and employee-owned companies to public-benefit corporations and mutual enterprises—have the potential to create community wealth, yet they often face systemic barriers in financing, governance, and market access.
Why This Matters
Cooperatives work and have a proven economic impact. There are over 1 billion individuals across 150 countries that belong to co-ops, which create over 100 million jobs worldwide. However, these businesses often lack visibility and institutional backing. The “hidden economy,” which includes universities, public utilities, employee-owned enterprises, and mission-driven organizations, holds immense untapped potential but faces systemic barriers to scaling, financing, and policy integration. Our goal is to unlock this potential, democratize access to capital, and integrate hybrid enterprises into mainstream economic development.
Mission and Vision
The Initiative will advance Cooperative and Hybrid Business models to increase their impact and to grow awareness of their benefits among the business community, policy makers, consumers, and educators. The Initiative will also connect community leaders with the tools, capital, and support systems needed to generate and maintain the economic impact and wealth provided by these business models.
The Initiative enhances general knowledge, professional expertise, and resource base to place Cooperative and Hybrid Businesses on parity with and as a complement to other corporate models.
Our Approach
Our Initiative invests in a methodology of appreciative inquiry and interactive executive education. The approach is not just about studying cooperative and hybrid enterprises in theory, but about elevating them in practice; working to grow them, fund them, and embed them into our economy, so that communities have a stake in their own future. We are building an ecosystem that connects entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, community members, and research institutions through these innovative Business Models to drive substantive change. By integrating cutting-edge research and cooperative enterprises into economic development strategies, we aim to empower communities to scale local solutions, ensuring an enduring economy benefitting all.
Our Pillars
Pillar 1: Actionable Research
Conduct data-driven research for use by current cooperatives, start-up cooperatives, policy makers, and educational institutions:
- Case Studies
- Survey Data Sets of Cooperative Best Practices
- Economic and Community Impact Policy Briefs
- Articles and white papers
Provide Best Practices detailing the economic advantages of the cooperative business model, as well as growth and impact strategies. Information will be formatted to provide insights into the environment in which co-ops fully leverage their competitive advantage.
Pillar 2: Executive Education
Develop and deliver evidence-based curricula and training sessions for existing and emerging cooperative leaders, staff, board members, and policymakers.
- Educational certificate programming for executives, board members, economic development officers, policy makers
- In-person and online MBA curriculum, specializing in co-ops and hybrids
- An Annual Thought Leaders Conference
- Case Studies and Curricula that can be utilized by Colleges and University Business Programs
- A Mentors Consortium of retired executives working with the next generation of talent
Pillar 3: Incubation and Engagement
Facilitate a thriving Mentor Network as well as Incubation Services, that connect Cooperative ventures with:
- Subject-matter experts
- Cooperative business strategies
- Capital Resources (loans and loan pools, private capital, and other forms of capital by investors that want to “Do Good while Doing Good”)
Accelerate existing and start-up cooperatives by providing what they need to grow their existing businesses or start new ones.
