ABOUT
Built with the region, for long term economic health.
We are a team with deep roots in capital, systems, and community stewardship working to transition the Mountain and Piedmont economies of North Carolina to be in service of people and within environmental limits.
WHO WE ARE
Driven to build collectively
We coordinate the support system so that people can collaborate effectively and do their best work.
The Co-Lab builds investable and fundable portfolios of activities that can realize desirable economic shifts and lead to positive community outcomes.
Our aim is for the community to lead this work over time, with the connection, intelligence, and capital to steward it themselves.
THE BIOREGION
59 counties of North Carolina
Our starting point goes from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the eastern edge of the Piedmont. Our focus is on strengthening one cohesive regional economy that already weaves together rural communities, towns, and urban centers.
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TRANSITION PATHWAYS
Routes to a stronger future.
Our focus areas act more like pathways, each with unique contexts, challenges, existing momentum, and a theory of change. These pathways were chosen as the right starting points through input from the community, and will evolve over time.
Circular Materials & Industry
Keeping materials in use and value in the region.
Regenerative Food, Forestry & Land
Food, land, and water systems that heal as they produce.
Stable, Secure & Affordable Living
Housing and the conditions for people to stay and thrive.
Health, Community Resilience & Prosperity
The shared wellbeing that holds a region together.
POLY-CAPITAL
Transitioning our economy requires money and more.
We bring initiatives together around shared missions and provide the resources they need. We refer to this blend of support as "poly-capital."
Capital
Money in the forms the work can actually use.
Knowledge
Research, analysis, and practical experience from those who have done this before.
Technical
Direct support for designing, structuring, and delivering the work.
Human
Talent, leadership, and experience in the region.
Relational
Trust, convening, and connections that enable efforts to find each other and reinforce one another.
Advocacy
Policymaking, mindset shifts, and connections.
In good company.
PARTNERS
Shaped through collaboration with regional and international partners. Our partnerships will expand as the work grows.
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