Last year, the Community Purchasing Alliance Cooperative formed a national network of co-ops, the CPA Network (CPA). Three local co-ops now make up the CPA Network: CPA DC, CPA MA and PowerUp OH. Over the past decade, our flagship co-op in DC has helped community institutions save time and money, secure better contract terms, and shift spend to local and BIPOC-owned businesses on over $150 million dollars of contracting.

Insurance costs are on the rise — and not by small margins. Nonprofits of every shape and size, from charter schools to religious institutions, are experiencing notable spikes in their insurance premiums. Increases of 15% to 30% annually are becoming more common, and many organizations are seeing these jumps despite having no changes to their claims history, asset valuations, or operational risk.

I’ve spent years helping build a strong cooperative of charter schools and nonprofits in Washington, DC. Through that work, we’ve learned that thoughtful, collective purchasing can do more than trim budgets. It can build power, strengthen local economies, and reduce the daily burdens shouldered by operations leaders. This trip reminded me just how much appetite there is for that kind of support in places like Tennessee - and how possible it is to bring it there.