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Home / Impact / Public policy / Employee Ownership state policy database

Below you will find a comprehensive collection of public policies that are designed to advance employee ownership (EO). We created this database to serve as a tool for researchers, policymakers, advocates and practitioners seeking to learn about, advocate for or benefit from state EO policies.

Use the map below to explore policies by year, category, state or status. Click on a state and use the filters to drill down on specific details. If you want to leverage this tool or have any updates or edits, please get in touch.


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Frequently asked questions

What kinds of policies does this database cover?

This database contains information on a wide range of state-level policies related to employee ownership in the U.S., including proposed and enacted legislation, executive orders, and funding outlays aimed at fostering employee-owned businesses. It does not cover federal- or local-level EO policies yet, but we plan to expand this database to include policies at all levels of government.

What types of policies fall within each of the policy categories?

We have organized these policies using 7 key categories. To learn more about this policy framework, view our policy platform. (Note that these categories are not exclusive: many bills advance EO using policies from multiple categories.)

  • Accessible capital: policies designed to increase capital availability and reduce barriers to financing EO.
  • Affordable technical assistance (TA): policies focused on subsidizing employee ownership feasibility assessments and TA for worker-owners.
  • Comprehensive state law: policies that establish a robust EO support framework with various provisions for advancing EO, such as creating dedicated state EO offices, subsidizing technical assistance, providing financial incentives like tax credits and grants, and fostering education and outreach programs.
  • Economic development programs: policies that embed education, TA and capital access for EO into government economic development programs.
  • Education and awareness: policies aimed at educating business owners, their advisors, employees, lenders and others about succession planning and EO options.
  • Enabling environment: policies that establish a more inclusive legal framework enabling employee-owned businesses of all types to form and operate effectively.
  • Incentives for Employee-Owned businesses (EOBs): policies that establish tax credits, exemptions, procurement supports or other financial incentives for EOBs.

How up-to-date is this information?

This is a living resource, and we aim to update the database regularly to ensure it reflects the latest developments and changes in state-level employee ownership policies.

Where can I go to learn more?

The “Bill URL” for each EO policy and source link to additional information on that policy.

To learn more about EO policy in general, we encourage you to visit Project Equity’s Public Policy page to explore our efforts to advance supportive EO policy measures at the local, state and federal levels.

More information can also be found at the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA).

What sources of information were used in developing this database?


To ensure our database is comprehensive and accurate, we leveraged existing resources from leading organizations and research centers focused on EO, including the Center for Community-Based Enterprise, Democracy at Work Institute, National Center for Employee Ownership and UW Center for Cooperatives, which we complemented with independent research into policies related to EO across all 50 states.

 

Contact Sarah McBroom (sarah@project-equity.org) to explore options for your state.

To add to or edit this database, email Tyler Rivera (tyler@project-equity.org)

What can we do about it?

We can all play a role in supporting local businesses and promoting employee ownership

Small business recovery agenda

Join us in advancing an agenda that supports small businesses and employee ownership. With our partners, we are working across the country to help business owners in need of strategies to address the challenges that keep them up at night: hiring, employee retention and business growth, while also addressing the urgent need for succession planning.

Employee ownership helps our local economies build resiliency and equity.