To all of our partners, our funders, and everyone who participated in our programming in 2024, thank you for a year full of relationship building, learning, sharing ideas, and developing and testing new models. Together, we’re pushing the bounds of what’s possible for a Just Transition to a solidarity economy.
We advanced Collaborative Governance strategies.
Several government departments at the state and city level are invested in deep community engagement, empowering frontline community members to participate in co-designing policies and programs. This demonstrates a shift from exclusionary to participatory decision-making and will result in laws and public services that work better for everyone.
- Thanks to the Just Futures partners’ advocacy efforts, the State of Washington funded a Community Assembly pilot program for $2 million.
- With the Just Futures partners, we developed a plan for data collection at Assemblies, ensuring that data is collected in a transparent and ethical way with community members’ full and informed consent.
- We joined the Just Futures partners in leading the State’s Community Assembly pilot program, selecting six community-led organizations across the state to anchor Assemblies that covered a breadth of topics, from mental health to small business development.
- We led a training on Collaborative Governance for the City of Seattle’s Green New Deal Oversight Board, preparing them to support two Community Assemblies of their own.
- We acted as a Movement Partner for three Community Assemblies, anchored by MLK Labor, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and the Equitable Recovery and Reconciliation Alliance.
- We delivered two trainings on deliberative democracy to HEAL (Healthy Environment for All) agency leaders and staff, preparing them to deepen their community engagement efforts.
We championed the Community Wealth Building framework.
We were excited to engage with hundreds of community members and government employees around the Community Wealth Building framework. From community-owned real estate to progressive procurement, many people want to learn more and adopt Community Wealth Building strategies as a way to prevent displacement, close the racial wealth gap, and advance economic justice.
- We published “Community Wealth Building: Strategies to Close the Racial Wealth Gap in Seattle and Our Region,” a report summarizing our research and recommendations.
- We participated in a Generational Wealth Building workshop on MLK Day at Garfield High School, sharing with the public about the racial wealth divide in Seattle, the barriers to accessing capital faced by BIPOC communities, and our hopes, dreams, and strategies for generating community wealth with the Department of Neighborhoods and Headwater People.
- We hosted a day-long workshop on Community Wealth Building with The Democracy Collaborative’s Sarah McKinley, making the case for Community Wealth Building to a sold-out house.
- We led a Community Wealth Building workshop for Social Justice Fund Northwest grantees.
- We led workshops on Community Wealth Building and progressive procurement for Seattle Public Utilities, preparing them to implement their community-centered Shape Our Water plan.
- We participated in The Democracy Collaborative’s national Community Wealth Building learning cohort, sharing learnings and struggles with our peers in cities across the U.S.
- We supported the Cultural Space Agency’s Effloresce Summit, a two-day gathering that brought together community leaders, cultural organizers, and creatives for an immersive experience of learning, collaboration, and connection with sessions on community ownership, healing spaces and cultural real estate development.
- We celebrated two years of the Generational Wealth Initiative with the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, members of the GWI community roundtable, pilot project leads, Headwater People, and many other friends and colleagues who were curious to learn more about the initiative.
We strengthened the people’s economy movement.
Through convening and relationship building, as well as solidifying People’s Economy Lab’s organizational infrastructure, we strengthened the People’s Economy Lab network and aligned our local work with international movements.
- We facilitated an Economics for Emancipation learning series for a cohort of 20 King County community leaders, engaging in deep learning and conversations about the economy as it exists and the economy we’d like to create.
- We participated in conferences across the country, including Just Economy Conference, Wellbeing Economies, Othering & Belonging, Race Forward, and RWJF Flourish. Through these conferences, we built relationships with national partners and brought invaluable learnings back to Washington.
- We participated in the Washington Belonging Table, Race and Social Equity Task Force, JumpStart Defense Coalition, and New Economy Coalition Communications and Resource work groups.
- We were featured in an interview with New America, a case study by The Democracy Collaborative, a radio story by the Public News Service, and a blog post by the Northwest Area Foundation, “How Grantee-Led Systems Change is Evolving Our Funding.”
- We relaunched the New Economy Washington Funders Collaborative. If you’re a funder and you’re interested in learning more, give us a shout.
- We launched an Instagram account.
Organizational Changes
- We solidified our theory of change and three program areas.
- We transitioned to a new fiscal sponsor, The Praxis Project.
What can you expect in 2025?
- We’re continuing to pilot and spread the word about the Community Assembly model, as well as research and promote other tools for Collaborative Governance.
- We’re diving deeper into specific Community Wealth Building strategies, including community-owned real estate and progressive procurement.
- We’re planning to host more events this year, online and in person.
- We’re hiring a part-time Administrative & Operations Coordinator!
Advancing a regenerative and equitable economy doesn’t happen in a few years. Thank you for sharing our vision and for sticking with us for the long haul!
Donate to People’s Economy Lab.
