What Democracy Collaborative does

The Democracy Collaborative is a nonprofit action-oriented think-do tank founded in 2005 in Cleveland, Ohio that develops and disseminates the Community Wealth Building (CWB) framework for local economic transformation. It serves local, regional, and national governments, anchor institutions (universities, hospitals, large nonprofits), community organizations, and academic researchers across the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and the Netherlands. The organization functions simultaneously as a research institute and a practitioner network, working through advisory engagements, training sessions, publications, and policy advocacy.

The organization's core intellectual asset is its five-pillar CWB framework — Inclusive and Democratic Enterprises, Progressive Procurement, Locally Rooted Finance, Fair Work, and Just Use of Land and Property — developed in Cleveland in 2005 and now adopted by practitioners in more than a dozen cities and regions. Complementing the framework are two analytical dashboards, the Index of Systemic Trends (US) and the UK Index of Systemic Trends, which chart political-economy health across indicators including inequality, poverty, financialization, and life expectancy. Additional products include The Next System Project (a research and development laboratory for systemic alternatives), Tracking the Crisis (a weekly newsletter), and the CWB Community of Practice connecting practitioners globally.

The Democracy Collaborative is funded primarily through foundation grants and philanthropic contributions, supplemented by fees from advisory and consulting engagements. Named funders include the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which in July 2025 awarded a grant supporting a Kansas City research consortium led by Washington University in St. Louis. The organization maintains three offices — in Shaker Heights, Ohio (headquarters), Washington DC, and Cleveland — and is led by CEO Stephanie McHenry and President Joe Guinan following a leadership transition from founder Ted Howard.

Name

Democracy Collaborative

Legal name

The Democracy Collaborative

Website

https://democracycollaborative.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Democracy Collaborative is a nonprofit think-do tank that develops and disseminates the Community Wealth Building framework and related policy research. It serves governments, anchor institutions, and community organizations across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and additional international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Policy Research and Advisory

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Community wealth building
• Economic development policy
• Democratic economy research
• Nonprofit advisory services
• Social enterprise frameworks

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Grant Funding: The Democracy Collaborative operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through grants and philanthropic contributions from foundations supporting economic democracy, community development, and systemic change initiatives.
2. Research and Advisory Services: The organization provides advisory services to governments, institutions, and organizations implementing CWB strategies, including consulting engagements, action planning, and technical assistance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Democracy Collaborative is a nonprofit think-do tank that provides research, advisory services, and analytical tools to help governments, anchor institutions, and community organizations implement Community Wealth Building (CWB) — a five-pillar economic development model covering democratic enterprises, progressive procurement, locally rooted finance, fair work, and just use of land. It also produces the Index of Systemic Trends dashboards (U.S. and U.K.), publishes research and a weekly newsletter, and convenes a global Community of Practice for CWB practitioners.

Product overview

The Democracy Collaborative operates as an action-oriented think-do tank offering a portfolio of research, advocacy, and analytical products centered on building a democratic economy. Their core offerings include Community Wealth Building (CWB) — an economic development model with five strategic pillars — and The Next System Project — a research and development framework for systemic economic transformation. They also provide two analytical dashboards: the Index of Systemic Trends (US) and the UK Index of Systemic Trends, which track economic health indicators across multiple dimensions. Additional offerings include a weekly newsletter (Tracking the Crisis), a Community of Practice for CWB practitioners, publications, training sessions, and events. The organization does not operate a unified software platform but rather offers frameworks, dashboards, and community resources for economic policy reform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Wealth Building (CWB): An economic development model that transforms local economies based on communities having direct ownership and control of their assets
• Next System Project
• UK Index of Systemic Trends
• Index of Systemic Trends (US)

Products and services

• Community Wealth Building (CWB) An economic development model and methodology that transforms local economies through direct community ownership and control of assets, organized around five pillars: inclusive and democratic enterprises, progressive procurement, locally rooted finance, fair work, and just use of land and property. It is offered to governments, anchor institutions, and community organizations as the foundational framework for CWB strategy and action planning.
• The Next System Project A research and development program that develops bold thinking and systemic alternatives addressing economic inequality, racial injustice, failing democracy, and climate collapse through a democratic economy framework. It produces strategic analyses, publications, and policy interventions that complement the on-the-ground CWB practice.
• Index of Systemic Trends (U.S.) An online data dashboard charting the health of America's political economy across multiple systemic indicators including poverty, wealth and income inequality, wage stagnation, higher education costs, homeownership, corporate taxation, labor union density, incarceration, healthcare costs, climate change, and life expectancy. It is used by policymakers, researchers, journalists, and movement leaders to assess long-term direction of travel of the U.S. political economy.
• UK Index of Systemic Trends An online data dashboard charting the health of Britain's political economy across indicators including economic growth, inequality, poverty, financialization, life expectancy, productivity, environmental degradation, and trust in government. It assembles evidence in one place to judge the fundamental orientation and long-term direction of Britain's political economy, and is used by U.K. policymakers, researchers, and practitioners.
• Research and Advisory Services (CWB Advisory Engagements) Direct advisory and consulting services for governments, anchor institutions, and community organizations to develop Community Wealth Building strategies, action plans, and implementation frameworks. Engagements have included work with Preston City Council, Dublin City Council, the City of Chicago, the Northern Ireland Executive, and Emory University/Emory Healthcare.
• Tracking the Crisis A once-per-week newsletter that rounds up administrative, legislative, and other actions by the Trump Administration and the wide array of movement responses, helping subscribers manage the flow of information and political activity relevant to democratic economy work.

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Hope Institute (South Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025TDC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Hope Institute to formalize cooperation on advancing Community Wealth Building in South Korea. The partnership includes joint research, learning exchanges, pilot projects, and co-development of policy tools and practitioner networks for CWB in diverse municipal contexts.
• Northern Ireland Executive - Minister for CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDC served on the Independent Minister's Advisory Panel on Community Wealth Building, which produced 26 key recommendations across the five pillars of CWB with a suggested governance framework for embedding action across all levels of government in Northern Ireland.
• Washington University in St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington University leads a research consortium studying effective CWB models from across the US and adapting them to Kansas City's economic landscape. TDC contributes applied research on CWB action planning and insights from the CWB community of practice.
• Aspen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Kansas City research consortium studying CWB models and adapting them to Kansas City's distinctive economic and demographic landscape.
• Olin Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Kansas City research consortium bringing academic research capabilities to the study of CWB models and their applicability to local conditions.
• Centre for Health & Social Equity (CHASE) at Northumbria UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting the UK Index of Systemic Trends 2026 launch event as CHASE's inaugural Policy Seminar. TDC chose Northumbria as venue to bring the Index to a national audience beyond London.
• Prof. Howard ReedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Howard Reed serves as Senior Fellow at TDC and leading author of UK Index of Systemic Trends, and Professor (Practice) of Public Policy at Northumbria University.
• Democracy Policy NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Democracy Policy Network and T1International to produce the Public Pharmaceuticals: State Policy Kit, offering practical guidance for state-run pharmaceutical manufacturing.
• T1InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Public Pharmaceuticals: State Policy Kit providing solutions for state governments to establish public mechanisms for manufacturing and distributing affordable generic medications.
• Scotland's Economics FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDC hosted two events at Scotland's Economics Festival in Edinburgh, including 'Trump's America and the Crisis: Beyond capitalism to economic democracy' and 'Owning our future: Community Wealth and Economic Democracy'.
• Bohemians Football Club (Dublin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDC team worked with Bohemians FC to help launch their CWB strategy in Dublin. Bohemians, a fan-owned club founded in 1890, serves as a convening presence for CWB in Ireland, with President of Ireland Catherine Connolly endorsing CWB as a hopeful direction.
• National Civic LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted a webinar 'Democracy and the Economy: Rethinking Civic Participation' featuring TDC President Joe Guinan exploring the relationship between economic policy and democratic participation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PolicyLink: National research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through local policy. Comparable as a research-to-implementation intermediary working with anchor institutions and local governments on equitable economic development.
• CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies): UK-based think tank and intermediary that researches and advocates for Community Wealth Building and progressive local economic strategies. Most directly comparable peer — operates in the same CWB policy space, with overlapping practitioner network and government advisory work.
• Roosevelt Institute: U.S. progressive think tank working on economic democracy, antitrust, and rebuilding a more equitable economy. Closely comparable in framing — combining research with policy advocacy to reshape political-economic systems.
• New Economics Foundation: UK think tank focused on economic alternatives, inequality, and local economic resilience. Comparable as a mission-aligned think-do tank producing frameworks, indices, and policy advocacy on democratic and sustainable economic models.
• Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) / Solidarity Economy Network: Network organization advancing locally rooted, democratic, and equitable economies. Comparable peer in building place-based economic ecosystems and convening practitioners across communities.

Broad incumbents

• Economic Policy Institute: U.S. nonprofit think tank producing research on inequality, wages, and labor markets. Comparable as a research-driven organization advocating for systemic economic reform, though focused more narrowly on federal labor policy.
• Urban Institute: Major U.S. research organization producing evidence on economic opportunity, housing, and community development. Overlaps with TDC's measurement of community-level economic outcomes but operates at much larger scale across many policy domains.
• Aspen Institute: Major U.S. policy and ideas organization addressing economic and social issues. TDC is partnered with Aspen on the Kauffman-funded Kansas City CWB research consortium; Aspen is a larger, broader-scope peer rather than a direct CWB competitor.

Emerging players

• Next City: Nonprofit news organization covering urban development and equitable city-building. Adjacent peer — promotes and disseminates ideas about progressive local economic development, overlapping audience with TDC's practitioner network.
• Pratt Center for Community Development: Community economic development organization working on equitable neighborhood economies in NYC. Comparable as a place-based practitioner working on inclusive local economic strategies, though more geographically focused than TDC.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/democracycollab
• Facebookfacebook.com/democracycollaborative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Democracy Collaborative