Cleveland, Ohio

In Cleveland, Ohio, the Cleveland Foundation – in collaboration with local institutions and community groups – partnered with The Democracy Collaborative to develop progressive procurement strategies, to create the Evergreen Cooperatives, a network of green industrial enterprises that supply goods and services to large local anchor institutions like the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western University.

Evergreen is owned by its employees, the vast majority of whom are Black, many returning citizens, and live in nearby historically underserved and under-resourced neighborhoods.