Pay It Forward Membership Fund
The Pay It Forward Membership Fund helps provide free Co-op memberships to community members who cannot afford the investment, as well as support for existing members who cannot afford to keep up with their upcoming member payments. This program is funded by People’s Member-Owners to expand access to Co-op membership benefits, including discounts, patronage dividends, and the ability to participate in the Co-op’s democratic processes.
How to Apply for a Pay It Forward Membership
If you would like to become a member of the Co-op but are financially unable to invest in a share, you can apply for a Pay It Forward (PIF) membership Additionally, if you are already a Member-Owner and need support with upcoming individual member payments (i.e. the $30/year it takes to keep your membership active), you can fill out a PIF application as well. Pay It Forward Memberships are free and are awarded by a lottery system based on funding we have available at the time. This means that recipients of free Pay It Forward memberships will be selected at random, and will be granted memberships when funds are available.
PIF memberships are equivalent to one $30 investment into a member share, which will activate your member benefits for a full calendar year. In order to reach full equity at the Co-op, folks invest $180 over a long period of time. If you would like to reach full equity (member for life), you must reapply for PIF annually, or you may continue to invest in your share yourself if you find you have the funds to do so.
PIF applications are reviewed on a monthly basis, or whenever funds are available. Applications may take one month to process.
Pay It Forward Memberships give you access to the Co-op’s member benefits, which currently includes:
Quarterly 10% off discounts
Access to the Food For All program, which offers a 5% discount on your groceries if you’re experiencing financial hardship
Ability to participate in the Co-op’s democratic processes – vote in our annual elections!
Access to the Hands-On Owner Program – apply to work one 3-hour shift per week in exchange for a 15% discount at the register
Patronage Dividends – when the Co-op makes a profit, you will receive a percentage of what you spent at the Co-op as a dividend.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
Anyone who is experiencing financial hardship can apply.
We encourage folks who use Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Oregon Health Plan, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), as well as those experiencing unemployment and students, to apply.
We do not check these credentials. This is an honor-based program. With increasing costs of food and living, we understand that many people are experiencing financial hardship and do not qualify for government assistance programs. We encourage anyone who receives a low income to apply.
How to contribute to the Pay It Forward Membership Fund
Give the gift of Co-op Membership!
Whether you’ve already invested the maximum amount into your Co-op share, or just want to help other community members access Co-op Membership, you can now sponsor memberships for others.
By contributing to the Pay It Forward Membership fund, you can continue to invest equity into the Co-op while also helping us make our member benefits available to more community members who may not be able to afford to invest in a Co-op share.
Pay It Forward Memberships are nonrefundable to those who sponsor the memberships. These memberships are awarded based on a lottery, and Member-Owners may not sponsor memberships to specific individuals through this program.
Contribute to the Pay It Forward Membership Fund by rounding up your total to the next dollar at the register.
