A Brief Background: Community Enterprise and the Social Economy

The social economy is diverse - encompassing nonprofits, charities, co-ops and other groups, which are actively meeting social, cultural, economic and environmental needs in communities throughout the country. Many of these organizations operate community (or social) enterprises, which produce and sell products and services to paying customers. These enterprises provide a number of benefits, namely, they: meet under-served community needs, maintain or create jobs (often for people with barriers to employment), and generate revenue which supports the nonprofit's long-term sustainability. CSC has long recognized the value of community enterprise. For a brief outline of our work to date and our plans for the future, please visit our About page.