The Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution on February 6 declaring 2025 the Year of Cooperatives. Spearheaded by Councilmembers Nic O’Rourke and Cindy Bass, the resolution makes Philadelphia the first U.S. city to officially embrace the emphasis year.

The resolution calls on the City of Philadelphia to explore all options to support the development and resilience of local cooperative businesses. Cooperatives “promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of local communities,” Councilmember O’Rourke said.

In a news release, the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives thanked the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance for their support in developing the resolution, along with Home Care Associates‘ Terrell Cannon, Masa Cooperativa‘s Carmen Guerrero, Childspace Centers‘ Janet Filante and the Philadelphia Hall Monitor.

“We believe, and the data backs us up, that cooperatives are vehicles for equitable wealth-building and community democratic control,” said Corey Reidy, Co-op Development Director at the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance. “Our hope is to support the growth of cooperatives in every neighborhood and for Philadelphia to be a beacon of a co-op city.”

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“I am proud that Philadelphia will be the first city this year to join the United Nations in declaring 2025 the Year of Cooperatives. We are joining a global effort to recognize co-ops as an important tool for building wealth through shared ownership and concern for community,” said Mo Manklang, Senior Director of Government Relations at U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives.

“People turn to co-ops in urgent times, and in this moment we urgently need to lean into democratically controlled businesses that serve Philadelphia and its people. We applaud City Council for passing this resolution and we look forward to collectively growing the co-op economy in Philly!” Manklang added.

The U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives was proud to support this effort. Shining a light on the importance of cooperatives is crucial. One way of raising the profile of cooperatives in your city or state is to encourage your representatives to introduce a resolution declaring 2025 as the year of cooperatives, in tandem with the International Year of the Cooperative resolution from the United Nations. Email policy@usworker.coop if you are interested in spearheading this effort in your region.