Across the UK, people are coming together to create businesses that are owned and run by workers. From food distribution and childcare to sustainable transport and forestry, worker co-operatives are creating jobs, strengthening communities and giving people greater control over their working lives.
In December 2025, workers.coop launched Own The Future, its first accelerator programme for new and emerging worker co-operatives. Delivered in partnership with Outlandish/Space4 and Tipping Point, the programme supports participants to develop their ideas into sustainable worker-owned businesses.
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is supporting Own The Future through a grant of £85,512 over 30 months. The Workers Coop is funded through the Better economics strand of the Sustainable Future programme, under the sub-theme of innovations and new models for purpose or values-driven businesses that consider sustainability and community, and not just profit.
The programme is supporting a diverse cohort of worker co-operatives:
Participants have taken part in training sessions covering people and culture, marketing and communications, alongside one-to-one mentoring from Natasha (Outlandish), Adriana (Tipping Point) and Eva (workers.coop). These sessions help participants clarify goals, address challenges and make informed decisions about funding and specialist support.
Progress across the cohort reflects the different needs and ambitions of each co-operative. ZED Waltham Forest and Feral Express are researching how other cargo bike courier services operate, while Nanny Solidarity Network is strengthening its governance structures. Canopy Coop is embedding sociocratic processes into its ways of working, and Valley Roots is developing areas ranging from digital infrastructure to partnerships with high street vendors.
The programme supports co-operatives that are developing alternative approaches to business, with a focus on cooperation, shared ownership and social and environmental wellbeing.
Co-operatives can play a role in addressing challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, low-quality work, underinvestment in communities and weakening social ties. They encourage local economic activity, create quality jobs and give workers a greater say in how businesses are run.
Participants came together in June 2026 at Worker Co-op Weekend, where they took part in targeted development sessions alongside wider skills-building workshops.
Support through the programme is flexible and responsive, with each co-operative following a learning journey tailored to its needs. By the end of the accelerator, participants will join the federation as full enterprise members.
Embedded within the wider worker co-operative movement, Own The Future provides access to shared knowledge, practical tools and collective experience. Alongside tailored support, participants become part of a network built on collaboration, mutual support and shared learning.