2023-2024 North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship Application

Written narrative questions

The North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship is centered on the history of Black cooperative economic thought and practice. NSBCF centers Black people. We honor the legacy of people who share ancestry of enslaved Africans in the Americas and place value on their legacy of cooperative economics and collective care. Would you please discuss your connection to this history and legacy and how you value their cooperative economic efforts?

What is your cooperative's name?

We are only accepting groups of 2 or more cooperators that are working towards the same effort. Please list your cooperative partners below.

Please provide a list of all the cooperators in your group who will be attending the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship sessions.

Please list the cooperative’s advisory committee if you have one. Will the cooperative’s advisory committee attend the sessions?

Please tell us more about why you are interested in the North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship.

Who have you been working with in your community?

For this cohort, NSBCF will also accept non-Black fellows who are working in Black-led cooperative efforts. To us, Black-led means that there are Black folks involved in making critical decisions about the direction of the cooperative and are accountable to the co-op and the board if in place. Please describe how your effort is being led, who are the Black cooperators in your work, and how long have you been working together?

What motivates you to learn about Black cooperative economics and why are they important to you?

Have you been involved in a cooperative, collective, or land trust before? If so, what type of cooperative, collective, or land trust? What were the benefits and challenges of that experience?

What is your idea for a cooperative, collective, or land trust that you would like support for? Share how far you are in the development of this idea.

What does support for you and your cooperative work look like?

Please provide a reference, a person who believes in your cooperative work. (Name, email, and phone number)

You may upload your resumé or a related supporting document, but it is not required.