Courses
Ownership Capital Lab is developing a series of practical, accessible courses designed to deepen your understanding of the employee ownership (EO) investing landscape — from EO 101 to fund structures and deal mechanics to impact strategies and case studies.
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May 8 – June 19, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT (2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET) – Virtual
Employee ownership investing course for foundations, philanthropic institutions, and philanthropic advisors
Are you in philanthropy, and want to learn how your grants and investments can expand employee ownership?
Ownership Capital Lab is thrilled to offer our first-ever four-part educational course for foundations and philanthropic institutions—including staff, board, founders, and advisors—on addressing the racial and gender wealth gap through investments in the Ownership Economy.
This is a live, virtual course. Registration includes:
- Four (two-hour) educational sessions in May and June, 2025 about employee ownership investing (dates below).
- A curated syllabus of readings and media for EO education (optional but recommended for all attendees).
- Open office hours with course instructors to ask individualized questions.
- Joining a growing Community of Learning for foundations and philanthropic institutions.
- Receiving exclusive & early invitations to The Lab’s Employee Ownership events in 2025 and 2026.
Dates & times:
- Session 1: Thursday, May 8, 2025, 11 am – 1 pm PT (2 – 4 pm ET)
- Session 2: Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 11 am – 1 pm PT (2 – 4 pm ET)
- Session 3: Tuesday, Jun 3, 2025, 11 am – 1 pm PT (2 – 4 pm ET)
- Session 4: Thursday, Jun 19, 2025, 11 am – 1 pm PT (2 – 4 pm ET)
Why attend:
Wealth inequality is one of the biggest crises we face as a nation, undergirding poverty and health inequities, creating social unrest, economic instability and political polarization. We urgently need near-term, actionable and scalable solutions—like employee ownership (EO)—to address these issues.
This shared entrepreneurship approach is an innovative way for frontline workers to access the tremendous financial and professional benefits of business ownership, without the risks and burdens of starting a business. Employee ownership’s path to scale can be dramatically accelerated by significantly expanding investment capital to finance the sales of companies to EO.
Foundations are well positioned to play a leading role in scaling EO nationally–to create a more inclusive economy. There is also a rich set of potential collaborators, increasing interest and momentum in the space, and public policy that supports foundations taking action.
Please note: This course is geared towards foundations, philanthropic institutions, family offices and philanthropic advisors. If you have questions as to whether this course is the right fit for you or your institution, please contact Katherine at katherine@ownershipcapitallab.capital.
May 8th
Session 1
Introduction to EO investing
Learn about the history of Ownership Capital Lab and the foundational principles of employee ownership (EO). You will leave the first session with a deeper understanding of EO’s impact and growth potential, as well as a roadmap for EO capital growth. We’ll also share more about the major players in the EO ecosystem and how that might be changing in the coming years and we experience the Great Wealth Transfer to a younger generation of investors.
May 20th
Session 2
The opportunities for foundations and philanthropy
Learn about the gaps, needs, and opportunities for foundations and philanthropy to invest in addressing the racial and gender wealth gap through investments in EO. We’ll talk through many forms of investments—grants, low-interest loans, program-related investments, guarantees, market-rate investments, and how there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach based on the region, sector, priorities and demographics of your work.
June 3rd
Session 3
Deep-dive into the EO investment and capital markets landscape
Take a deep dive into the landscape of EO funding models, case studies proving the effectiveness of EO investments, and what’s needed on the ground for EO to succeed. We’ll also discuss innovative financing structures, and you’ll hear from guest speakers working in this space.
June 19th
Session 4
Full endowment activation
Learn how to build your foundation’s EO investment strategy across grants, loans, and other financing structures. You will hear from guest speakers who have successfully invested in this space. We will also share how you can stay in touch with our team, with office hours included as part of your registration for this course, and a Community of Learning specifically for foundations and philanthropic institutions.