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October 2022

The Power of Co-operation

By News

This week is Co-op Week, a time to celebrate the impact that the co-operative sector has had on communities across Canada, and reflect on co-operative values and principles.

So, what exactly is a co-op?

Co-operatives are people-centered enterprises that are owned and controlled by and for their members to bring about common economic, social, and/or cultural goals. Co-operatives bring people together in a democratic and equitable way, following the ‘one member, one vote’ principle. 

As a co-operative organization ourselves, and one that supports other co-operatives to raise community investment, we firmly believe in the benefits that co-operatives bring to society. Because they are not owned by shareholders, co-ops are a vehicle that allow people to take control of their economic future and retain economic and social benefits within their communities. 

More broadly than this, we believe in co-operation – co-operation among community members, among community organizations, among sectors – to create a better future. Co-operation is at the core of what we do, and the essence of community financing. We know that doing things together yields far better results than when done alone. 

To mark the occasion of Co-op Week, our team has been reflecting on this years’ theme: “Co-operation in the World of Tomorrow”. 

Mary Warner, Co-Executive Director 

Mary Warner“I believe in a future where profits are returned to supporters rather than banks, and where investors can feel proud that they put their money in something that they believe in. To me, ‘co-operation in the world of tomorrow’ means communities coming together to support a common goal and jointly investing the capital it will take to realize that vision.”

Satyameet Singh, Campaign Manager

Satyameet Singh“A Co-operative offers it’s members a concrete way to contribute to our inter-dependent reality; one where bridges replace walls. At Tapestry, when I see a cool Co-operative in action – one with shameless idealism and a strong collective resolve – I feel alive.” 

Karen Scottie, Human Resources and Administration Manager 

Headshot“I imagine a world where problems, such as climate change, homelessness and poverty, are not shrugged off due to profit’s bottom line. I see inclusive communities whose inhabitants, both human and non-human, flourish with home-fullness, vibrant public and active transportation, and an economy based on the health of the planet. One step toward this vision is if community members could raise their own funds for their projects, to be the investors themselves. Community bonds make this possible.”

Tapestry receives CMHC support to mobilize investment in affordable housing

By Affordable Housing, News

Tapestry Community Capital has been selected as a winner of the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) Housing Supply Challenge to scale up community investment in the affordable housing sector. 

“We are incredibly excited to have the support of CMHC,” says Ryan Collins-Swartz, Co-Executive Director of Tapestry. “With this funding, we will help affordable housing providers to tap into a new source of capital, enable more projects to get off the ground, and increase the supply of affordable housing in Canada.”  

Community bonds are a social finance tool used by nonprofits, charities and co-ops to finance capital projects with impact. Similar to traditional bonds, they are interest bearing loans. The key difference – they provide investors with both a financial and social return. 

While unlocking private capital, community bonds also build a powerful sense of community ownership. Residents, local businesses, and institutions alike can all invest to improve their community, while earning a fair return. Organizations such as Brique par Brique in Montreal, QC and The Mount in Peterborough, ON have successfully utilized community bonds to finance the construction of affordable housing. 

“We have witnessed the power of community bonds to garner community support for projects,” says Mary Warner, Co-Executive Director at Tapestry. “When someone becomes an investor, they are not only becoming financially invested but also emotionally invested in the outcome of the project. For a sector that is often afflicted by NIMBYism, this support is critical.” 

Tapestry is working with multiple partners to support program implementation. Key to the solution are a series of demonstration projects that will utilize and showcase the community bond model. Cumulatively, these projects will leverage $40 million in community investment, financing over 2000 affordable housing units. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Tapestry to build a long term, sustainable, and value aligned funding source for our organizations to acquire and preserve affordable housing,” says Chiyi Tam, Executive Director of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. “We are eager to forge a path forward, demonstrate the community bond model, and support other like minded organizations to follow in our footsteps.” 

The solution also focuses on increasing the participation of retail and institutional investors in affordable housing. By raising awareness among investors and streamlining the process to invest in community bonds, Tapestry will grow the community investment marketplace tenfold. 

“We know there is very strong interest among investors to support affordable housing projects and Tapestry is creating the pathway to make that a reality across communities” says Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha, Tapestry Board Member and responsible and impact investment advisor. 

The program launched in early October and will run until March 2024. For more information about the upcoming events and support for community financing, sign up to The Thread newsletter here.


Photo credit: Cathy Crowe

About Tapestry Community Capital

Tapestry Community Capital is Canada’s leading non-profit service provider for community bonds. For the last decade, Tapestry has been supporting social purpose organizations across Canada to assess, structure, and manage community investments. Tapestry has supported in raising over $100 million from over 4,000 community investors.

For media inquiries, please contact Stephanie Pinnington at Stephanie@tapestrycapital.ca.

About the Housing Supply Challenge 

The Housing Supply Challenge is an innovative competition that encourages interested parties from across the country to propose creative solutions to Canada’s housing crisis. The goal: to help meet Canada’s pressing need for safe and affordable homes by breaking down barriers to the creation of new supply.

Tapestry participated in Round 2 of the program, Getting Started, which seeks to find solutions to pre-development challenges, such as community resistance and obtaining financing. The program granted incubation funding to 29 organizations to allow them to further develop and test their solution proposal. After six months of research and consultation, Tapestry submitted a final solution funding proposal – “Financing Affordable Housing with the Power of Community”. Tapestry is one of 14 organizations selected for funding and will share a pool of $38 million to implement their solutions. 

Working with Tapestry

By News

For the past 5 months, the Tapestry team has had the pleasure of working with Suzanne Faiza. Suzanne, joined our team as a Researcher, supporting Tapestry’s involvement in the CMHC Housing Supply Challenge, as well as a clean energy project in Atlantic Canada. 

This fall Suzanne will be returning to her Masters of Planning program at the University of Toronto, equipped with new experience and expertise in social finance and community economic development. 

Suzanne, who originally trained and worked as an architect, contributed a wealth of understanding of the affordable housing sector to our growing team. Beyond her knowledge, she brought incredible enthusiasm and excitement to every aspect of work she engaged in. 

“Working on the Housing Supply Challenge was an incredible experience,” she shares, “It gave me an amazing opportunity to understand the affordable housing landscape in Ontario, learn first hand from those actively trying to solve what is one of our country’s greatest challenges, and see the role that social finance can play in increasing Canada’s affordable housing supply.” 

One of Suzanne’s key responsibilities was coordinating and leading stakeholder research. Engaging with co-ops, government bodies, non-profits, and investors, Suzanne always came prepared with creative questions and eagerness to learn from those we consulted with. 

“Attempting to find out what people need is really the bread and butter of being a planner, so it was great to put my facilitation skills to use.”

Contributing to a clean energy project was something new and exciting for Suzanne.

“I’ll be honest, at the beginning it was a little daunting for me because I had to play catch up and learn so many new terms and acronyms!” Suzanne admits. “I really appreciated that the team gave me the opportunity to just absorb information when I needed to,” she said, “In our housing work, I was building off previous experience, but in our clean energy project, a lot of it was completely new to me, so it was very rewarding.”

Reflecting on her experience with the Tapestry team, Suzanne shared that she appreciated the lack of hierarchy in sharing and contributing ideas, the strong commitment of the organization to work-life balance, and the support which she received to grow in her role. 

“Easily the best place I’ve ever worked at!” Suzanne concludes with a big smile. 

We are eager to see where Suzanne’s next year of her Masters program takes her and know that we will be collaborating again in the near future! 

Are you interested in social finance and the work that we do at Tapestry? Keep an eye on our Careers page for new opportunities and sign up to our newsletter for the most current updates on open positions.

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