🕒 7-Minute Read If you’ve ever been in a group trying to decide something big—what to spend money on, how to grow, when to stop and reassess—you know it can get messy fast. Now imagine that group is the business. That’s how things work in a worker cooperative: the people who do the work also …
Mad Markets – Legal Infrastructure for Innovating Impact Investing in Organic Food Systems
At Jason Wiener|p.c., we are honored to work alongside founders who are advancing a more equitable, climate-aligned economy—leaders like Alex Heilman and Phil Taylor, co-founders of Mad Markets. Building on the success of the Mad Cap spin-off from their parent company Mad Agriculture, which has supported over 100 farmers transition to regenerative practices across 30,000 acres, Mad Markets represents an innovative evolution in sustainable agriculture financing.
Learn how Mad Markets navigated a tough investment climate to close a transformative deal—and how our team helped design a scalable legal framework to fuel a new era of mission-driven acquisitions in sustainable food through a values-driven investment fund.
Is a Cooperative the Right Choice for Your Business?
Introduction With the United Nations designating 2025 as the “International Year of Cooperatives,” it’s an opportune time to explore whether a cooperative is the right choice for someone exploring business entity options. When it comes to starting or structuring a business, founders have many options available – from traditional sole proprietorships and partnerships, to corporations …
COOP OF THE MONTH – APRIL 2025
Comradery Worker Cooperative is a worker-owned platform cooperative empowering independent creators to earn sustainable income through low-fee subscriptions while resisting tech monopolies. With a democratic structure, mutual aid network, and slow-growth model, it builds long-term stability and fosters cooperative organizing across creative industries.
COOP OF THE MONTH – MARCH 2025
Farm Generations Cooperative, creator of GrownBy, empowers farmers through a farmer-owned e-commerce platform that supports local food systems, offers equity to members, and champions food justice. Despite capital challenges, they innovate with SNAP accessibility and mission-aligned crowdfunding to build a sustainable, farmer-first marketplace.
COOPERATIVES BUILD A BETTER WORLD
2025 has been designated the “International Year of Cooperatives” by the United Nations, and our firm is committed to educating the public and the business community about how cooperatives can create more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic opportunities. So why are cooperatives increasingly recognized as a powerful vehicle for building economic justice and a better …
Grantmaking by Public Charities to other Nonprofits and to For-Profit Organizations
One of the ways tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations can further their missions is through grantmaking – providing financial support to other organizations (nonprofit or for-profit) working on related initiatives. However, when 501(c)(3) organizations want to engage in grantmaking, they need to be weary of some the federal tax-exempt requirements that may affect their ability to provide …
BOIR Reporting is Back, with deadline extension
Dear Clients, We want to alert you to a significant development regarding Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA): BOI Reporting Deadlines Extended to January 13, 2025: Despite earlier legislative proposals to extend the deadline for existing reporting companies to January 1, 2026, Congress did not include this extension in the …
The Public Support Test for Certain 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
Because I recently worked with a few clients who are seeking 501(c)(3) tax exemption status, I found inspiration to explore and explain the public support test that is a requirement for certain organizations seeking that 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. For any nonprofit to obtain tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status, the organization must file an application for recognition of …
GABRIELA ARCE JOINS JWPC AS ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Jason Wiener|p.c., a public benefit corporation (“JWPC”), is pleased to announce the addition of Associate Attorney, Gabriela Arce, an exceptional attorney with a diverse background in international trade, corporate governance, and business law. With a particular focus on impact investing and democratic capitalism, Gabriela brings a wealth of experience and expertise to JWPC’s clientele. Before …
