Boston Ujima Project

Good Business Certification and Alliance: Ujima’s members have established minimum community standards for our Good Business Certification. These standards consider business practices like living wages, people of color and employee ownership, local purchasing, environmental impact, and affordability to draw a line between exploitative businesses and the enterprises in our communities we choose to support. Certified companies will be listed in a Good Business directory, receive a seal for storefront display, and be eligible to join Ujima’s Business Alliance, where they gain access to capital, technical assistance, cooperative purchasing, and other joint ventures to strengthen operations and market share.

Community Capital Fund: In December 2018, we were proud to launch the Ujima Fund as the first democratically governed capital fund in the US. The majority of Ujima members and investors will be working class people of color in Boston’s low-income communities. Additional capital will be raised from accredited investors, impact investors, and progressive foundations. All investors have an equal vote regardless of amount, modeling a “financial commons” that serves the needs of people and planet over private profit. To date, we have received 231 investments, totaling close to $2,000,000.

Anchor Institution Advocacy: Ujima leverages its networks to organize large “anchor institutions” like hospitals, universities and faith institutions to direct purchasing contracts and other capital to Ujima companies.