Propolis housing cooperative

What Propolis housing cooperative does

Propolis Housing Cooperative (legally Propolis Cooperative Housing Society) is a non-profit housing cooperative founded in 2019 in Kamloops, British Columbia. The organization is developing the Propolis Hive, a 6-storey mixed-use net-zero building at 422/424 Tranquille Road comprising 53 residential units (bachelor to 3-bedroom) above ground-level commercial space and an integrated childcare facility, with first occupancy targeted for 2027. The building's technical package combines on-site solar and wind generation, passive heating/cooling design, high-performance insulation, and rooftop food production to target net-zero operational emissions, with universal-design accessibility applied across unit layouts and common spaces.

The cooperative operates a member-ownership model in which future residents purchase one-time membership shares (typically averaging $2,000 in BC, per Propolis) and pay monthly housing fees set below Kamloops market rents, rather than building equity through traditional home ownership. Capital is raised through a stacked non-dilutive structure: community bonds issued in three tiers (Worker Bee at 2.5%, Queen Bee at 3%, Apiary at 3.5% over 3-year terms, minimums of $1,000 / $5,000 / $10,000), government and impact grants (CMHC Co-Investment, Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Sustainable Affordable Housing Fund, ChildcareBC New Spaces Fund), impact loans (a $270,000 bridge loan from Thrive Impact Fund in November 2023), credit-union bridge financing, and tax-receipted donations processed through the Kamloops Food Policy Council. A $1.1 million community bond campaign was completed on March 31, 2025.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led and direct: prospective members engage via the cooperative's website, newsletter, and community events such as the annual Jane's Walk festival, while bond investors subscribe self-serve through DocuSign and Tapestry Community Capital's bond platform. The operating partnership stack includes Nexbuild Construction as building partner, Tapestry Collective Co-op as project development partner, and the Kamloops Food Policy Council as fiscal sponsor for donations. The cooperative positions itself explicitly as a platform for a future network of housing opportunities in Kamloops, rather than as a single-asset developer, though no second site is currently under development.

Name

Propolis housing cooperative

Legal name

Propolis Cooperative Housing Society

Website

https://propoliscooperative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Propolis Housing Cooperative is a Kamloops, BC non-profit developing a 53-unit net-zero member-owned cooperative housing building at 422/424 Tranquille Road, targeted for 2027 occupancy. Capital is raised through community bonds, grants, and impact loans; members pay below-market monthly housing fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing / Cooperative Housing

NAICS

New Multifamily Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) (236116), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH), Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB), Cooperative (Co-op) Housing Association Management (BPAJAHAC)

Keywords

• Affordable housing
• Housing cooperative
• Net-zero buildings
• Community bonds
• Non-profit housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamloops

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member housing charges: Ongoing revenue stream from monthly housing fees paid by cooperative members occupying the 53 net-zero units. Fees are intended to be set below market rents to keep housing affordable, forming the cooperative's primary recurring operating revenue once the building is operational (planned move-in 2027).
2. Community bond investments (capital raise): Propolis raises capital by issuing community bonds to individual investors in three tiers (Worker Bee, Queen Bee, Apiary), each paying fixed interest over a multi-year term. While this is capital raising rather than revenue, the cooperative commits to scheduled interest payments to bondholders as an ongoing financial obligation once bonds are issued.
3. Donations: Tax-receipted charitable donations from individuals and organizations, routed through Kamloops Food Policy Council for tax receipting. Funds the cooperative's pre-development and capital costs.
4. Grants and concessionary loans: Non-dilutive capital from government and impact funders, including CMHC Co-Investment, Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Sustainable Affordable Housing Fund, ChildcareBC New Spaces Fund, Thrive Impact Fund loan, and credit union bridge financing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Propolis Housing Cooperative develops and operates member-owned, non-profit cooperative housing in Kamloops, BC. Its first project is the Propolis Hive, a 6-storey, 53-unit net-zero mixed-use building at 422/424 Tranquille Road offering below-market monthly housing fees, universal-design accessibility, rooftop food gardens, and on-site renewable energy. Members purchase a one-time membership share and pay monthly housing fees; construction is planned to begin Fall 2025 with first occupancy in 2027.

Product overview

Propolis Housing Cooperative (Propolis Cooperative Housing Society) is a single-organization, non-profit housing cooperative based in Kamloops, BC, founded in 2019. Its core offering is the Propolis First Affordable Net-Zero Housing Development at 422/424 Tranquille Rd, a 6-storey mixed-use net-zero building comprising 53 affordable residential units and ground-floor commercial space, operated as non-profit cooperative housing. This physical development is financed by the Propolis Community Bond Campaign (with its Worker Bee, Queen Bee B, and Apiary bond tiers, processed through Tapestry Community Capital and DocuSign), and supported by two community programs: the Jane's Walk Festival in Kamloops and the Propolis Donations Program (run in partnership with the Kamloops Food Policy Council). A Newsletter / Membership Interest List captures prospective future residents while the first building is still in planning. The architecture is therefore a single primary product (the housing development) with a financial-instrument module (the community bonds) and supporting community-engagement programs (Jane's Walk, Donations, Newsletter).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Propolis Affordable Net-Zero Housing Development (422/424 Tranquille Road) Propolis's flagship 6-storey mixed-use net-zero residential building in Kamloops' North Shore, delivering 53 affordable residential units (bachelor to 3-bedroom) above ground-level commercial space, operated as non-profit cooperative housing and priced below market rents. Features include universal design, common gardens, amenity spaces, a shared vehicle program, on-site solar/wind generation, high-performance insulation, and passive heating/cooling. Future residents buy a one-time membership share and pay affordable monthly housing fees.
• Propolis Community Bond Campaign Asset-backed community bond offering used to finance the first Propolis development. Issued at a $1.1 million cap and processed through Tapestry Community Capital and DocuSign, with three tiers: Worker Bee Bond ($1,000 minimum, 2.5% simple interest, 3-year term); Queen Bee B Bond ($5,000 minimum, 3% simple interest, 3-year term); Apiary Bond ($10,000 minimum, 3.5% simple interest, 3-year term). Interest is paid at end of term.
• Propolis Donations Program Charitable donation program supporting Propolis's affordable, sustainable housing work, administered in partnership with the Kamloops Food Policy Council, which issues charitable tax receipts to donors on behalf of the cooperative. Funds pre-development and capital costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 53 net-zero residential units in a single 6-storey development, with move-in planned for 2027.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nexbuild ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNexbuild Construction is the building partner for the Propolis Hive, a 6-storey mixed-use net-zero development at 422/424 Tranquille Road, Kamloops. The partnership covers construction of 53 net-zero residential units, with construction planned for Fall 2025.
• Tapestry Collective Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTapestry Collective Co-op is a project development partner working with Propolis on the cooperative housing development.
• Kamloops Food Policy CouncilminorOthersDonations to Propolis are processed through the Kamloops Food Policy Council, which issues charitable tax receipts to donors on behalf of the cooperative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New Commons Development: Toronto-based non-profit developer of new co-operative housing for marginalized groups. Directly comparable in being a non-profit building community-owned co-op housing in Canada.
• Options for Homes: Toronto non-profit developer focused on below-market home ownership and shared-equity affordability models. Comparable to Propolis as a non-profit developer of permanently affordable housing outside the speculative market.
• Champlain Housing Trust: Burlington, Vermont-based community land trust that combines permanently affordable resale housing with a cooperative/community-ownership ethos. Closely parallels Propolis's mission of below-market, member-governed, community-financed housing.
• Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation: Ottawa non-profit co-operative housing provider managing multiple apartment buildings for members. Closely matches Propolis's member-owned, multi-family co-op operating model in Canada.

Broad incumbents

• Co-operative Housing Federation of BC: Industry body representing BC's non-profit co-operative housing sector. Comparable to Propolis as the umbrella for the co-op housing model it operates within, though CHF BC is an advocacy/services body rather than a developer.
• BC Housing: Provincial housing agency that funds and operates a wide range of affordable housing in BC, including co-op and non-profit supply. Comparable as a counterparty and funder in the BC affordable housing ecosystem, though much larger in scope.
• Habitat for Humanity Canada: National non-profit affordable housing developer with similar permanently-affordable, community-supported mission, but operates at much larger scale and via a different (homeownership) model than Propolis's rental co-op.

Emerging players

• Aboriginal Housing Management Association: BC association supporting Indigenous non-profit housing providers. Comparable as a BC non-profit affordable housing network with cooperative governance elements, though focused on Indigenous communities.

Others

• Thrive Impact Fund: BC-based impact lender providing concessionary loans to mission-aligned housing and social enterprises. Directly relevant as Propolis's $270K short-term lender and as a comparable impact-capital counterparty for non-profit housing developers.
• Tapestry Community Capital: Toronto-based financial platform that operates the community bond issuance infrastructure used by Propolis. Relevant as a key enabling partner in the cooperative's capital stack, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/propolis-cooperative-housing-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Propolis housing cooperative