Black Co-op Secures Funding to Champion Policy Reform and Black Leadership in the Co-operative Sector
We’re delighted to share that Black Co-op has been awarded new funding from Trust for London, marking a significant moment in our journey to shape a more inclusive, representative, and just co-operative economy. At a time when the UK Government is actively exploring how to double the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector, our work is set to ensure that Black communities are not only included in this growth but are driving it.
This funding will support a bold and timely programme of work designed to tackle deep-rooted structural exclusion and elevate the voice, leadership, and innovation of Black-led co-operatives. Our approach is intentionally focused not on wholesale reform, but on the key pressure points where exclusion is most acutely reproduced: in national policy, in sector networks, and within the institutions that define how co-operatives are governed, supported and resourced.
The need for this intervention is urgent. Black-owned businesses already make a vital and growing contribution to the UK economy. A 2021 report by the Federation of Small Businesses and the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CRÈME) estimates that Black-led businesses contribute around £25 billion annually. More broadly, ethnic minority-led businesses contribute over £74 billion each year, employing nearly 3 million people and making up about one-sixth of all UK businesses. Yet despite these figures, Black-led co-ops remain largely invisible in policy discussions and sector strategy.
With the UK Government’s commitment to a Call for Evidence on Co-operatives and Mutuals launched at a Downing Street reception in June 2025 now underway, we are stepping into a rare window of opportunity. Our work begins during a critical policy moment, allowing us and our partners to contribute insights, shape legal frameworks, and influence decisions as they are being made. Black Co-op is committed to ensuring that Black communities are not only represented in these processes but are actively shaping the national policy agenda from the outset.
Over the next four years, we will deliver a range of strategic interventions. This includes producing a co-produced Black Co-operative Policy Playbook, convening key roundtables between policymakers and Black co-op leaders, establishing a national assembly of Black co-operative leaders, and launching a dedicated policy fellowship to embed lived experience and racial justice into cooperative governance. Alongside this, we will map the presence and needs of Black-led co-ops across the UK, strengthen peer learning networks, and connect Black cooperators into a more supportive ecosystem.
This is about much more than research and advocacy. It’s about building power, voice and ownership within Black communities. Our aim is to unlock the potential of co-operative models to deliver genuine economic democracy enabling Black people to create decent work, build collective wealth, and have real influence over the systems that shape their lives.
We are incredibly grateful to Trust for London for believing in this vision and for supporting us to take it forward at such a pivotal moment for the sector. Their commitment to addressing inequality in London and beyond continues to open space for systemic change.
We are excited about what lies ahead and are keen to connect with others, whether you’re a policymaker, funder, co-operator, or simply someone passionate about equity and justice in the economy. This is a collective effort, and we look forward to working with those who share our belief in a co-operative future that includes us all.
