Omni Commons
Omni Commons was a volunteer-run, collectively-governed community center and venue space in Oakland, California, that housed 11 member collectives (including Food Not Bombs and Counter Culture Labs) from 2014 to 2024. The California public benefit corporation funded operations through solidarity-based rent, donations, and grants before selling its building to CALLI.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Omni Commons does
Omni Commons was a volunteer-run community center and venue space located at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in Oakland, California, operated as one of the largest collectively-governed community centers in the Bay Area. Founded in 2014 as a California public benefit corporation (Omni Oakland Collective), it housed 11 member collectives — including Food Not Bombs, Counter Culture Labs, Bay Area Public Mycology, and Bay Area Public School — that made decisions through biweekly consensus-based delegate meetings. The organization stewarded the building from an initial lease in 2014, purchased it with a short-term loan in 2016, and ultimately sold it in 2024 to CALLI for the price of the remaining debt after failing to secure long-term financing. Its product offering was a shared physical venue with common areas, meeting rooms, and a commercial kitchen, combined with a solidarity-economy governance model where each member collective determined its rent contribution based on ability to pay.
The business model combined four revenue streams: member collective fees (need-based, consensus-determined), event rental and booking income, community grants and fundraising, and direct donations (including atypical asks such as toilet paper and building maintenance support). Go-to-market was entirely organic, relying on word-of-mouth through collective networks, a public wiki, and event calendars reaching approximately 5,000 individuals via mailing lists. No formal paid headcount was disclosed; operations ran on volunteer labor from the member collectives themselves. The underlying technology was a governance and shared-space coordination system rather than a software product — there were no APIs, no proprietary platforms, and no app.
Following the 2024 divestiture, the organization is no longer actively operating as a physical community space. Its website and wiki remain online as a historical archive, with CALLI now managing the 4799 Shattuck Avenue location for community use. The legal entity (Omni Oakland Collective) continues to exist in archived form, but no successor operating model or replacement revenue stream has been disclosed.
Omni Commons firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Omni Commons
- Legal name
- Omni Oakland Collective
- Website
- https://omnicommons.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Omni Commons was a volunteer-run, collectively-governed community center and venue space in Oakland, California, that housed 11 member collectives (including Food Not Bombs and Counter Culture Labs) from 2014 to 2024. The California public benefit corporation funded operations through solidarity-based rent, donations, and grants before selling its building to CALLI.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Omni Commons is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Omni Commons business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Member collective fees: Groups pay rent through a consensus process, committing to what they can and supporting each other to meet commitments. Fees determined by need and ability to pay.
- Event rental and booking: Revenue from recurring produced and booked events held at the shared community space.
- Community grants and fundraising: Community development grants and fundraising from dedicated friends and allies. Additional rent money sourced from grants.
- Donations: Direct donations from community supporters, with specific asks like purchasing toilet paper or helping with building maintenance.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Omni Commons product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Omni Commons operated a community center and event venue space at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in Oakland, California, stewarded by a volunteer collective of 11 member groups. It provided shared physical space, working groups, and consensus-based governance for community meetings, events, skillshares, and programming such as food justice, education, and mutual aid activities. The organization operated under a solidarity-based model where member collectives paid what they could and decisions were made collectively.
Product overview
Omni Commons is a community center and venue space located at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in Oakland, California. It was operated as a volunteer collective where members from 11 different collectives made decisions together using consensus through delegate meetings. The space served as one of the largest community centers in the Bay Area, providing facilities for events, meetings, and various community groups including Food Not Bombs, Counter Culture Labs, Bay Area Applied Mycology, and others. The organization was structured as a public benefit corporation and had a commercial kitchen in the basement. The property was sold in 2024 to CALLI.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Omni Commons Community Space
Quantifiable outcome
- Served as site where people met, came of age, got married, and died; countless organizations began with meetings at Omni
Companies that use Omni Commons
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Omni Commons technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Omni Commons partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CALLI (California Association for Liberation in the Interconnected)majorCALLI acquired the Omni Commons building at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in 2024 for the price of the remaining debt. This marked the end of Omni Commons' direct stewardship of the building. CALLI now manages the space for community use, and prospective space users should contact them.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Omni Commons competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CounterPulse: San Francisco performing-arts and community space supporting experimental artists and organizers — directly comparable as a nonprofit venue offering subsidized space and community programming in the Bay Area.
- The Marsh: San Francisco nonprofit performance and community venue — comparable as a Bay Area nonprofit venue space offering shared programming and community programming under a membership/event model.
- La Peña Cultural Center: Berkeley-based community cultural center hosting events, classes, and grassroots organizations under a nonprofit model — directly comparable as a Bay Area nonprofit venue stewarded by a community-oriented organization.
- The Crucible: Oakland-based industrial arts and education nonprofit operating a large shared workshop venue with classes and community programs — directly comparable as an Oakland nonprofit stewarding a major community facility.
- Eastside Arts Alliance: Oakland-based arts and cultural organization providing affordable space, programming, and organizing infrastructure for community groups — directly comparable as an Oakland-rooted civic/cultural venue serving grassroots collectives.
Regional players
- Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library: Oakland-based community lending library and meeting space serving activist and grassroots groups — comparable as an Oakland community space hosting meetings and organizing for progressive collectives.
Emerging players
- Counter Culture Labs: Oakland community biohacking lab that was a member collective at Omni Commons — comparable as a volunteer-run, mission-driven collective housed within the Omni community-center model.
- Sudo Room: Oakland volunteer-run hackerspace that was a member collective at Omni Commons — closely comparable as a volunteer collective operating out of shared community space with consensus-style governance.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Omni Commons social profiles
Digital presenceOmni Commons financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Omni Commons leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Omni Commons funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Omni Commons M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Omni Commons
What does Omni Commons do?
Omni Commons operated a community center and event venue space at 4799 Shattuck Avenue in Oakland, California, stewarded by a volunteer collective of 11 member groups. It provided shared physical space, working groups, and consensus-based governance for community meetings, events, skillshares, and programming such as food justice, education, and mutual aid activities. The organization operated under a solidarity-based model where member collectives paid what they could and decisions were made collectively.
Is Omni Commons a public or private company?
Omni Commons is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was Omni Commons founded?
Omni Commons was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Omni Commons based?
Omni Commons is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does Omni Commons make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Member collective fees are the primary driver. The others are event rental and booking, community grants and fundraising and donations.
Who are Omni Commons's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CounterPulse, The Marsh, La Peña Cultural Center, The Crucible and Eastside Arts Alliance. Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Counter Culture Labs and Sudo Room.
Does Omni Commons have an API?
No public API is recorded for Omni Commons.