Ownership
Shared Ownership Center @ Nexus (SOC@N)

Changing the face of ownership by promoting worker cooperatives, real estate investment cooperatives, and other shared ownership models.

The LOCAL Fund

Nexus is proud to have been selected to administer the LOCAL Fund, which comprises two cooperative development programs: Worker Ownership and Community Ownership. This fund was launched by the City of Saint Paul in 2024 and will continue through 2026.

Learn more by watching our information session recording, or by attending an upcoming webinar!

2025 Business Planning Webinar Series

  • April 10: Concept to Business Plan
  • April 24: Creating Your Cooperative
  • May 8: Finance 101
  • May 22: Conversion Basics
  • June 5: Projections and Sources & Uses
  • June 18: Access to Capital
  • June 26: How to Apply for the LOCAL Fund

LOCAL Fund: Worker Ownership

The LOCAL Fund: Worker Ownership (WO) will support the development of worker cooperatives. It is a $1.25M program that includes technical assistance and grants for worker cooperative start-ups, for business conversions to worker ownership, and for existing co-ops.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today.

Each project that applies for a grant will be reviewed by a grant committee consisting of Nexus staff, City of Saint Paul staff, and City of St. Paul community members. General eligibility criteria include:

  • Start-ups receiving technical assistance must have at least three (3) founders, at least one of whom is a Saint Paul resident, and the start-up should commit to incorporating in Saint Paul.
  • Cooperatives receiving Emergency Financial Hardship Assistance must have at least three (3) worker-owners, have existed as a small business for at least two (2) years, be located in Saint Paul, and must demonstrate negative impacts from COVID-19.
  • Cooperatives receiving start-up/expansion/transition grants must be in a Qualified Census Tract (QCT) in Saint Paul OR meet SBA disadvantaged business qualifications.

The above eligibility criteria were determined in conjunction with the City of Saint Paul and the Federal Government.

The goals of the LOCAL Fund: Worker Ownership

  • Improve the financial condition of Saint Paul workers through worker-ownership opportunities. We are specifically looking to support BIPOC workers.
  • Improve the financial stability of low-income Saint Paul neighborhoods through support of worker-owned small businesses.
  • Increase number of banks, Community Development Financial Institutions, and other capital providers funding cooperative development in Saint Paul.

The Shared Ownership Center at Nexus will offer technical assistance and grants to help achieve the LOCAL Fund: Worker Ownership’s goals. We will support businesses with technical assistance and training:

  • Business and financial planning services
  • Establishment of cooperative business structures
  • General small-business needs

The LOCAL Fund: Worker Ownership will offer the following grants to support worker co-op development:

  • Business expansion or start-up grants
  • Emergency Financial Hardship Assistance grants
  • Construction grants for the rehabilitation of commercial properties to prepare for a new business opportunity
  • Stipends for members of small co-op start-ups and conversions

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP1612 awarded to Nexus Community Partners by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

LOCAL Fund: Community Ownership

The LOCAL Fund: Community Ownership (CO) supports the development of shared ownership commercial real-estate in the City of Saint Paul. It is a $1.25M program that includes technical assistance and grants for predevelopment, acquisition, demolition, and rehabilitation of commercial and mixed-use vacant properties located in Qualified Census Tracts.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today.

The goals of the LOCAL Fund: Community Ownership

  • Increase and diversify the pool of future community ownership entities
  • Increase and diversify local community ownership in Saint Paul
  • Increase number of investors, lenders, and other capital providers who fund community ownership in Saint Paul.

The Shared Ownership Center at Nexus will offer technical assistance and grants to help achieve the LOCAL Fund: Community Ownership’s goals. We will offer the following technical assistance:

  • Educational events on cooperative and shared ownership models
  • Feasibility studies for early-stage projects

The LOCAL Fund: Community Ownership will offer the following grants to support shared ownership of commercial real estate:

  • Pre-development grants, including funding for attorneys, environmental work, financial modeling, architectural design, surveys, and due diligence.
  • Acquisition, Demolition and Rehabilitation (ADR) Grants for eligible projects that have completed predevelopment

All eligible Community Ownership projects must include a shared ownership entity, such as a cooperative or land trust, and they must include a commercial component.

Some examples of eligible participants include: real estate investment cooperatives, commercial tenant cooperatives, community investment trusts, commercial community land trusts, and other shared ownership entities approved by the City. Projects must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Projects must have a prospective property on the city’s vacant building list — not the vacant lot list — that is also located in a Qualified Census Tract in the City of Saint Paul.
  • Prospective Community Ownership entities — meaning those with pending incorporation — need to have at least three founders, at least one of whom is a Saint Paul resident.
  • Existing Community Ownership entities — meaning those already incorporated — must either have a majority of the members be residents of Saint Paul OR must have articles and/or bylaws with a geographic focus in a QCT in Saint Paul.
  • All eligible projects must include a commercial component.

These eligibility criteria were determined in conjunction with the City of Saint Paul and the Federal Government.

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP1612 awarded to Nexus Community Partners by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Top questions about the LOCAL Fund

How can I apply?

To start your application, please fill out the Shared Ownership Center’s Inquiry Form.

The form gauges where your business, worker-owned cooperative, or community ownership entity are in the cooperative development process—from starting up to finalizing— and asks about your interest in the LOCAL Fund.

The Shared Ownership Center will review your response, and follow up with you about eligibility for the LOCAL Fund. If you are eligible, you will receive an invitation to apply to the LOCAL Fund.

When does the grant open?

The LOCAL Fund is open now. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until September 1, 2026.

Can I apply right now?

Yes. The first step in the application process is completing the Shared Ownership Center’s Inquiry Form. After submission, if your business, worker-owned cooperative, or community ownership entity are eligible for the LOCAL Fund, you will receive an invitation to apply.

How long will this take?

The LOCAL Fund application process can take anywhere from 3-6 months, from the initial inquiry through finalizing and submitting an application to receiving a grant.

Prior to being able to submit a complete application, a worker-owned cooperative or community ownership entities may need additional technical assistance.

On average, technical assistance for a worker-owned cooperative start-up takes 18 to 24 months. Technical assistance for an existing business to transition to a worker-owned cooperative generally takes about 12 to 18 months.

Technical assistance for starting a community ownership entity, like a real estate investment cooperative, roughly takes about 18 to 24 months. The actual time it takes varies based on each community ownership entity’s unique situation.

View all FAQs

SOC@N News & Events

April 28, 2025

LOCAL Fund Webinar: Finance 101

April 21, 2025

Save the Date: Rooted in Legacy, Owning Our Future

April 10, 2025

LOCAL Fund Webinar: Creating Your Cooperative

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