Make your co-op dream a reality with the Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus! The second session in our spring webinar series takes place Thursday, April 24, 3-4:30 pm CT on Zoom. We’ll cover how to assemble your dream team, start planning your bylaws, and accessing an attorney and technical assistance.
Each webinar builds upon the last and is aligned with the LOCAL Fund application. By the end of the series, if the LOCAL Fund is a good fit for you and your team, you will be ready to apply!
Fill out the form below to register for Session 2: Creating Your Cooperative.
Business Planning Webinar Series Session 2: Creating Your Cooperative
Our April workshop explores pursuing and financing higher education through a university or college. Jered Pigeon, Campus Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Minnesota State University – Moorhead, will also discuss some of the challenges and pressures of achieving an accredited education. Fill out the form below to register!
Jered Pigeon is a seasoned business analyst and company strategist with over 12 years of experience advising and consulting institutions in both the education and manufacturing sectors. Specializing in hiring and recruiting strategies, fostering organizational growth through cultural initiatives, and providing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coaching, Jered is dedicated to facilitating positive change within organizations.
Join our North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship for a Black Study Session on April 30! The session will hold space for participants to experience self-care and community care, with guest speakers guiding participants in different practices.
North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship Black Study Session: Self-care and Community Care
Alanna Morris is a dancer-choreographer, educator, and artist organizer. After a 10-year career with TU Dance, she founded an arts & cultural organization, I A.M. Arts, to support critical dance performance, wholistic education, and community life. Alanna is the director of the Roots and Wings Institute for Embodied Wisdoms, which launched in 2024, empowering creatives and nonprofits with project management and integrated health services. Alanna is also an adjunct professor at Hamline University.
Priscilla Momah
Founder of Coco Womb Wellness, Priscilla Momah is a wellness practitioner, certified yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner, and Thai yoga bodyworker who offers a range of healing experiences throughout the Twin Cities. She curates soulful embodiment experiences that fuse music, sound healing, and mindfulness practices into unique workshops designed to cultivate care and connection. Through breathwork, meditation, sound baths, and somatic movement, Priscilla creates immersive journeys that invite participants to tap into deep relaxation and healing. Her offerings include group sound baths, private 1:1 Thai yoga bodywork sessions, and carefully crafted workshops that nourish the body, mind, and spirit.
Our Shared Ownership Center is hosting a free business planning webinar series for cooperatives this April through June! Sessions will take place (almost) every other Thursday, 3-4:30 pm CT, on Zoom. Each webinar builds upon the last and is aligned with the LOCAL Fund application. By the end of the series, if the LOCAL Fund is a good fit for you and your team, you will be ready to apply!
Fill out the form below to register for our first session, Concept to Business Plan.
Christina Nicholson and Mara O’Neill will guide you through the necessary foundations in starting a business. They will go over how to assess the feasibility of a business plan and different types of cooperative businesses. This will be an interactive session with time for a robust Q&A.
Meet the Facilitators
Christina Nicholson, Cooperative Finance Developer – Worker Owner Initiative
In my role at Nexus, I serve as the Cooperative Finance Developer for the Worker Owner Initiative (WOI), which is part of Nexus’ Community Wealth Building Strategy. I help both start-ups and existing businesses understand the role worker ownership can play in successful owner retirement strategies as well as improved workplace cultures for teams. With solid technical assistance and organizational support, worker-owner cooperatives can grow and perpetuate community wealth by expanding opportunities for local business ownership.
I have been working in cooperatives in Minnesota for 25 years in a wide range of roles, from front-of-house retail to construction to cooperative consulting. In all of my endeavors, the thread has been working to connect communities to each other through common cause. This has been framed for me as a shared economy that questions the normative culture of the unequal exploitation of labor. Rather than focus on what is wrong, cooperatives look to inspire a shared sense of success and equity among community members within the cooperative.
When done well, cooperatives celebrate the unique contributions of individuals while challenging assumptions about how we perpetuate destructive myths around gender, race, and class. I am so excited to be a part of Nexus and look forward to learning from my peers who continue to inspire me with their vast knowledge of community wealth building, leadership, and development of strategic partnerships!
Mara O’Neill, Consultant
Mara O’Neill has over four decades of experience in the field of community economic development providing technical assistance and underwriting loans to new and expanding small businesses. She is also experienced in managing and operating all aspects of a revolving loan fund including loan documentation and closing, perfecting liens on collateral, loan servicing, and tracking loan funds. She currently provides consulting services to small nonprofit organizations in the areas of small business loan program development and management.
From 2011 until 2020, Mara was the Loan Program Director for Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD). Before joining MCCD, Mara was Director of Capital Investments for First Children’s Finance (FCF), a nonprofit organization supporting the business side of childcare, where she oversaw the loan and grant program and developed FCF’s childcare business training program. She was Chief Operating Officer at Neighborhood Development Center, a community–based non-profit organization providing training, financing and ongoing technical assistance to new micro-businesses in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. She also worked for the Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development for 12 years providing financing and technical assistance to small businesses and developers.
Mara has a BS Degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is certified as an Economic Development Financing Professional by the National Development Council, now known as Grow America. She is a recipient of the Top Women in Finance Award from Finance and Commerce Magazine and in 2019 she received the Champion Award from Credit Builders Alliance.
Business Planning Webinar Series Session 1: Concept to Business Plan
Thank you for your interest in the Shared Ownership Center's Business Planning Webinar Series. Registration for this session is now closed.
Our March Open Road Fund Community Education Session will focus on single-family homeownership. Jeff Wills, Economic Services Manager and Housing Counselor of Model Cities Inc., will offer resources and information to help first-time homebuyers on their journey to buying and maintaining a home. Fill out the form below to register!
Jeff Wills, a native of Queens, NY, came to Model Cities with over a decade of experience as a homeownership advisor, banking manager, and consumer lender. A constant in Jeff’s career is his relentless advocacy for economic equity, with a particular focus on financial empowerment for disenfranchised and disadvantaged communities of color. Jeff graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as a student athlete and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing Education.
The disconnect between our bodies and their innate power has persisted through generations, fueled by societal disempowerment and a gap in education about female body health. Many people who menstruate have endured prolonged struggles with hormonal imbalances, menstrual discomfort, and emotional ailment. When a person gains a comprehensive understanding of the intricate workings of their body and mind during each menstrual phase and hormonal shifts, they can strive for healthy methods to express their truth, release stagnant emotions, and assert personal boundaries.
ROOT is inviting a cohort of individuals to engage in a guided learning experience on how to use ancestral wisdom for menstrual cycle healing. On March 27, the cohort will meet with holistic hormone specialist Stacey Constante and explore how modern and ancestral medicine can be integrated to honor cyclical hormonal rhythms. On April 28, the cohort will reconvene to share how they’ve applied these teachings to their own menstrual cycles.
Part 1: Thursday, March 27, 6:30 – 8:30 pm CT Part 2: Monday, April 28, 6:30 – 8:30 pm CT
These virtual workshops will bring awareness to the importance of remembering and nurturing our sacred gift as menstruating people. The womb, which defines our uniqueness, serves a profound purpose beyond mere reproduction; it is the vessel of our life force, memory storing, and ultimately releases emotions for healing.
Stacey Constante (RN, BSN, MSCN) is the founder of The Nourished Goddess and Alas Unidas Retreats; a health specialist for Seven Retreats; and a Women’s Holistic Hormone Practitioner. With over a decade of experience in the medical field and a personal journey with endometriosis, she has a deep understanding of the limitations of conventional medicine, especially when it comes to women’s health. Stacey passionately advocates for the merging of modern and ancient healing practices to transcend the confines of conventional nutrition. A self-identifying mestiza with roots in the northern and central Andean highlands of Ecuador, Stacey blends her personal and professional experience with her ancestral heritage to inform her approach to healing.
The Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus is hosting a free business planning webinar series for cooperatives April through June! Sessions will take place (almost) every other Thursday, 3:00 – 4:30 pm CT, on Zoom.
Each webinar builds upon the last and is aligned with the LOCAL Fund application. By the end of the series, if the LOCAL Fund is a good fit for you and your team, you will be ready to apply!
April 10: Concept to Business Plan
Learn types of business plans, their key components, and how to get started on making your cooperative dream a reality.
How will you design your cooperative? We’ll cover how to assemble your dream team, start planning your bylaws, and accessing an attorney and technical assistance.
May 8: Finance 101
Learn the ins and outs of budgeting, balance sheets, and cash flows.
We’ll dive into the feasibility of converting existing businesses into cooperatives and go over the transition process.
June 5: Projections, Sources & Uses
Everything you need to know about startup costs, revenue, expenses and more.
June 18: Access to Capital
Learn the Five C’s of Cooperative Credit, how to shop around for the right loan, and go over a sample loan application.
Please note that this webinar is now happening on Wednesday, June 18. It was originally scheduled for June 19.
June 26: How to Apply for the LOCAL Fund
Now that you know the business planning basics, it’s time to learn how the LOCAL Fund can help! We’ll review the parts, process, and timeline for the application.
Our February Open Road Fund Community Education Session will focus on business ownership and entrepreneurship. Jacob Bell from Family Freedom Center will discuss tips and advice for starting and maintaining a business, possible resources, and a brief history and importance of Black businesses to Black community stability.
Jacob Aaron Bell is a leader in economic development and Black business ownership in Duluth, serving as Executive Director of Family Freedom Center. Raised on the West Coast but deeply connected to Duluth through his family’s legacy of community organizing, Jacob stepped into leadership following the passing of his father, Xavier Bell, who helped build Family Freedom Center into the city’s first autonomous Black nonprofit. Since taking the helm in 2021, he has expanded the organization’s mission beyond advocacy, turning it into a powerhouse for economic mobility, ownership, and wealth-building within the Black community.
ORF Community Education Sessions are free, virtual, live, and open to all while centering Black people and Black experiences. This is a Black-centered space where we will prioritize uplifting Black voices and safety.
As an added bonus, workshop attendees will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card! We’ll select two winners live during the session. (Must pre-register and be present to win.)
A lot has changed since our founding in 2004. Through it all, our communities have remained strong because of our collective care, ingenuity, and unrelenting drive for transformative change. To celebrate 20 years of working together, we’re hosting five events throughout 2025. At each gathering, we will look back to look ahead, and envision a brighter, more powerful future for us all.
We’re starting off with our longest-running program: The Boards & Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI)! Mark your calendar for our virtual event, Building Power through Bold Leadership, on March 27, 10 am – 12 pm CT on Zoom.
Fill out the form below or follow this link to register!
For 12 years, BCLI has been helping community leaders build the skills and networks they need to create big policy change, from city-wide paid sick time to fighting housing discrimination. With fascism on the rise, this work is more important than ever. We must continue to work together to identify, train, and support leaders who are reflective of and responsive to our communities. Together, we are powerful!
Hear from guest speakers on the scope and impact of BCLI. You’ll learn how this program will continue to shape how decisions are made throughout Minnesota—and walk away with the tools and relationships we need to navigate these times.
Featuring:
Hodan Hassan, former State Representative for MN Senate District 62B, and BCLI alumna
Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Victoria McWane-Creek, Consultant/founder of Organization 4 Full Participation, BCLI alumna, and current North Star fellow
All are welcome! This isn’t just for Twin Cities folks; BCLI is building bridges across Minnesota. Mark your calendar and join us—we can’t wait to see you there!
Nexus Community Partners Event Registration
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Join us for our first Open Road Fund Community Education Session of 2025! Katherine Lankford of Finance and Affirmations will explore money shame, helping us understand our personal money story and how it impacts our financial decisions.
As an added bonus, workshop attendees will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card! We’ll select two winners live during the session. (Must pre-register and be present to win.)
Open Road Fund Community Education Sessions are free, virtual, live, and open to all while centering Black people and Black experiences. This is a Black-centered space where we will prioritize uplifting Black voices and safety.
Learn about the LOCAL Fund at an upcoming City of Saint Paul District Council meeting! The Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus is excited to connect about our new grant program. The LOCAL Fund supports worker-owner cooperatives and real estate investment cooperatives.
All district council meetings are open to the public, and you don’t need to RSVP if planning to attend in person. To join virtually, some of the district councils ask that you RSVP by contacting them via email. Read on to learn how to plug in!
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6 pm
Summit-University Planning Council (Ward 1)
Neighborhood Development Committee Meeting
Hybrid
This Black Study Session will introduce the solidarity economy, explore connections between the solidarity economy and Kwanzaa, and engage in an observance of Kwanzaa through different practices. New Economy Coalition defines the solidarity economy as “a global movement to build a just and sustainable economy where we prioritize people and the planet over endless profit and growth.” Kwanzaa comes from the phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means “first fruits” in Swahili. It is a Pan-African holiday celebrating Black culture.
Guest speakers will include Kenna Cottman and Jayanthi Rajasa, Voice of Culture, and Ebony Gustave, Art.coop. We invite you to bring a picture of an ancestor and an item that is meaningful to you. In addition, please consider reviewing the Nguzo Saba, which means “seven principles” in Swahili, to reflect on the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Join us for an evening to learn together and engage in shared practices in community with one another!
Black Study Sessions are free, virtual, live, and open to all while centering Black people and Black experiences. This is a Black-centered space where we will prioritize uplifting Black voices and safety.
North Star Black Cooperative Fellowship Black Study Session: Solidarity Economy and Kwanzaa
