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News from F4DC

The Fund for Democratic Communities is a Greensboro, North Carolina based foundation supporting community-centered initiatives and institutions that foster authentic democracy and make communities better places to live.

Programs

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  • Grassroots Economies

    In order to build communities that are democratic, just and sustainable, we need businesses that are rooted in their place and responsive to the communities they serve. We are working with people across the Southeast growing new economies based on these principles through the development of cooperative structures.
  • Participatory Democracy

    We believe in authentic democracy where everyday people join one another on the basis of equality and concern for the common good to make collective decisions and take positive action. Participatory democracy encompasses emergent methods for engaging broader groups of people in the vital work of self-governance.
  • Grassroots Matching Grants

    Nonprofits and community groups will continue to face shrinking funding streams from large donors and grant sources. Our matching grants program helps these groups develop constituent bases capable of providing long-term sustainable financial support.

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Food Co-op Initiative Seed Grants

Food Co-op Initiative Announces Grant Opportunity

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Our friends at the Food Co-op Initiative are making grants to new food co-op startups. Below is the press release they issued yesterday: Food Co-op Initiative today announced they are accepting applications for grants up to $10,000 for development of new grocery co-ops. The Seed Grant program provides a cash award along with proven resources [...]

A Pathway to Responsible Community Ownership of the Renaissance Center

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Executive Summary The best option for ongoing community wealth building in Northeast Greensboro is to for the City to allow the community to purchase the Renaissance Center in Northeast Greensboro. This document maps out the pathway to that end. Community ownership is made possible by the development of a Community Land Trust (CLT). This community-controlled [...]

Bessemer Center, Northeast Greensboro (Photo by Eric Ginsburg, Yes Weekly)

The Early History of F4DC’s Role in Community-Based Efforts to Build a Cooperative Grocery Store at Bessemer Center

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Earlier this week, I drafted this history to clear up some confusions about how and when work on the Renaissance Community Coop started, and the role that F4DC has played. We decided to post this history on our website so that more people have access to it during this period when City Council is deciding [...]

Bessemer Center, Northeast Greensboro (Photo by Eric Ginsburg, Yes Weekly)

Private investment is private investment, whether it comes from individuals or a community

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The Renaissance Community Coop will bring $1.3 million in private investment to Phillips Avenue, and has already raised more than half of that amount. The Renaissance Community Coop (RCC) is really on a roll! Self-Help Credit Union has stepped up with a term sheet offering $700,000 toward the start up costs for launching a community-owned [...]

Eliminating food deserts and building community ownership are keys to sustainable development

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Steve Dubb and David Zuckerman recently published a great article explaining how eliminating food deserts is critical to developing sustainable communities. This is precisely what the folks in Northeast Greensboro are working on through the Renaissance Community Coop. We are thrilled to join them in this effort and excited about the transformative potential it has [...]