Wellspring’s mission is to create an economy that is cooperative, equitable, democratic, and sustainable. We work with historically under-served communities in the Greater Springfield region by developing a network of worker cooperatives and by supporting community-led initiatives to cultivate cooperatives and collective well-being.
The Wellspring Collaborative formed in 2011 as an informal network and with support from the University of Massachusetts, Creative Economy Grant. A grant from Third Sector New England supported the development of the Wellspring Collaborative and was incorporated in April 2014 as the Wellspring Cooperative Corporation (WCC).
Wellspring was awarded a Roadmaps to Health grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2011 through our fiscal sponsor, Partners for a Healthier Community. This grant represented a shift in Robert Wood Johnson funding to support change in economic and social conditions responsible for health inequalities. Wellspring was one of twelve organizations across the country selected for this first round of grants, and the only project dedicated to creating jobs as a long-term strategy to improve health. Anchor institutions and local funding partners matched the Robert Wood Johnson grant, which supported the business planning and development of the first Wellspring cooperative business.
