Six people standing in shallow clear water near a shoreline with seaweed in the Philippines.

We believe in the power of community. We believe just, equitable, and sustainable change only comes when local communities are the ones leading it — whether in the U.S. or internationally — and we challenge traditional donor structures that preserve, entrench, and recreate inequitable systems of power.

Our Vision & Mission

  • Our Vision

    Communities everywhere hold power over their own development.

  • Our Mission

    We champion community-led development by connecting people, resources, and networks so communities can drive change on their own terms.

Our core values ground everything we do.

  • A woman wearing a blue polo shirt with 'Coop Philippines' logo and a face mask, standing in front of a green wall with various posters, including a yellow 'Vision' poster and a bulletin board with photos and notes.

    Community Leadership

    Those closest to challenges are best positioned to define priorities, solutions, and success. We follow local leadership and work in service of it.

  • Group of people gathering around a table during a workshop in Morocco in a bright room with wood-paneled walls and large windows.

    Equity-Driven Partnership

    We believe change comes from mutual responsibility and shared struggle, not from saviors, handouts, or performative collaboration.

  • A group of young adults who participated in a youth advisory council in Guinea standing under a large leafy tree outdoors during daytime. They are smiling at the camera, with some holding notebooks and name tags around their necks.

    Trust & Accountability

    We invest in relationships built on honesty, reciprocity, and accountability to communities.

  • Three women sitting cross-legged inside a wooden hut, engaged in a conversation and sharing colorful woven textiles and yarns.

    Courage to Shift Power

    We are willing to challenge dominant systems, donor norms, and our own assumptions to move power and resources where they belong.

  • A group of diverse people engaging in outdoor yoga or stretching exercises on a grassy field, with traditional wooden houses and a blue fence in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    Learning & Humility

    We listen, adapt, and remain open to being changed by the communities and partners we work with.

  • An elderly woman with gray hair watering plants in a greenhouse or garden space filled with various potted plants and succulents on a table.

    Nostalgia is Not a Strategy

    We build on what works and strive toward a future defined by shared power, rather than recreating structures that perpetuate power imbalances.

Our work
Our work
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Resources
Resources