About Working World
Create non‑extractive financial infrastructure that shifts economic power to workers and communities by financing and supporting worker cooperatives and community-owned enterprises.
Focus Areas
Worker cooperativesCooperative developmentCommunity development financial institution (CDFI) lendingNon-extractive financeTechnical assistance and capacity buildingCommunity power and democratic ownership
Who They Fund
workers / workforce traineesaspiring or existing cooperative members/entrepreneurscommunities seeking equitable economic recovery (e.g., economically displaced or underserved communities)
Funding Style
program-specific support
About Working World
A defining feature of The Working World Inc is its use of non-extractive capital to finance worker cooperatives and other democratic enterprises. The foundation’s recent grants show a consistent pattern of larger commitments tied to equitable recovery and cooperative development, including a $2,000,000 grant to New Era Windows LLC and a $1,500,000 grant to Brooklyn Stone & Tile. Those awards sit alongside repeated support for cooperative infrastructure, suggesting that the funder backs both individual enterprises and the networks that help them grow. The Working World Inc also uses program-related investments, which aligns with its stated aim to create financial infrastructure that shifts economic power to workers and communities. Its grant list includes support for organizations in industries such as windows, stone and tile, food, bicycle repair, and bookstore cafés, but the common thread is ownership and control by workers or communities. Several recipients appear in multiple years, pointing to relationships that extend beyond one-off awards. The foundation’s activity is national, with grants reaching worker-cooperative ecosystems in cities including Chicago, Brooklyn, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and San Francisco.
What Working World Funds
In cooperative development, The Working World Inc has backed a range of local and regional intermediaries. It gave $1,000,000 to Possibility Labs in San Francisco for cooperative development, then made follow-on support to Colaborativa La Milpa in Asheville across multiple years. It also funded the New York City Network of Worker Cooperatives in Elmhurst for cooperative development in 2024 and 2025, showing attention to network building as well as enterprise finance. The foundation’s equitable recovery work is anchored in worker-owned businesses. It awarded $2,000,000 to New Era Windows LLC in Chicago for equitable recovery, $1,500,000 to Brooklyn Stone & Tile in Brooklyn for equitable recovery, and $250,126 to Red Emma's Cooperative Corporation in Baltimore for equitable recovery. In the same broad area, Our Harvest Cooperative Inc in Cincinnati received $123,800 in 2024. Technical support and ecosystem development also appear in its grantmaking through organizations such as Southeast Center for Cooperative Development in Nashville, which received multiple awards for cooperative development.
How Working World Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3M
Total Assets
$85.7M
Total Revenue
$10.1M
Total Expenses
$10.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $19K and $117K, with a median of $33K.
25th Percentile
$19K
Median
$33K
75th Percentile
$117K
Geographic Reach
National18 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
BRENDAN MARTIN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Working World?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime