Over the last year, the RICH CITY nonprofit team has been working with our lawyers to incorporate as our own 501c3 nonprofit. RICH CITY, our new independent non-profit’s mission, will be to deliver programs and enterprises centered on three fundamental pillars: community voice, community service, and community-controlled assets to create a Rich City – where marginalized people have abundance and everything they need to thrive.

Like many smaller nonprofit organizations in Richmond and the United States, RICH CITY has been a fiscally sponsored project for the past 12 years. Other examples of Richmond-based non-profits that are fiscally sponsored include Richmond Trees, Eco Village Farm Learning Center, and West County Digs; all 3 of these organizations are fiscally sponsored projects by Earth Island Institute, which has served as a fiscal sponsor of over 75 projects/organizations for the past 40 years. Fiscal sponsorship is a vital tool for new not-for-profit organizations. It allows them to share the administrative, financial, and governance infrastructure of a more established organization, giving them the time, space, and support to develop impactful programs while they develop their own internal infrastructure. 

We are thankful to Urban Tilth for fiscally sponsoring our nascent organization and supporting and encouraging our growth. As we were making BIG plans in 2022 to design and launch our capital campaign to purchase the three core buildings associated with our current and future work in downtown Richmond, it became clear that we were outgrowing our fiscal sponsorship and needed to take the next step and transition from a fiscally sponsored project of Urban Tilth to our own independent 501c3 nonprofit. As a result of this realization, in 2023, RICH CITY was established as a California non-profit, and we are now completing the steps to establish RICH CITY as its own federal 501c3. This is an exciting moment of growth fueled by over a decade of hard work helping to transform our community into a healthier and more just Richmond. 

Rich City Rides Bike Skate Shop,

a for-profit worker-owned cooperative

In contrast to the nonprofit, since its inception, the Rich City Rides Bike Skate Shop Co-op has been a worker-cooperative business. The bike shop was founded by four worker-owners in September 2014 and incorporated as a California Cooperative Corporation in October 2017. Without a single bike shop in downtown Richmond in 2014, the Rich City Rides Bike Skate Shop was created to provide a crucial element of bicycling infrastructure, a place to repair and purchase quality bikes and accessories that catered to the Richmond community while also providing worker ownership for the enterprise's members.

The Co-op operated as an independent, for-profit, worker-owned business for almost ten years. At its height, four worker-owners and additional employees ran our community bike shop.  

The process of closing the bike shop has been difficult. While we are working through an investigation and legal process, there isn’t a lot of information that can be shared publicly at this time. We are doing everything we can to make sure everyone involved with the Co-op, myself included, is able to move on from this project in a productive way.  

This process has been painful. We will use what we've learned from this first worker cooperative project and take those lessons to create more successful worker cooperatives in the future. 

RICH CITY Community Hubs

Thanks to the success of our capital campaign, contributed to by over 100 individual donors, corporations, and foundations, RICH CITY was recently able to purchase 3 downtown Richmond properties that will be developed into 3 Community Hubs:

#1: RICH CITY Tech Lab1428 MacDonald Ave is envisioned as the RICH CITY Tech Lab, a sustainable Tech Lab designed to serve children, young adults, and seniors in the inner city community. It will feature a range of facilities and amenities to support digital literacy and innovation.

#2: RICH CITY Wellness Hub

1525 Ohio Ave is envisioned as the RICH CITY Wellness Hub it will be designed to cater to people of all faiths and backgrounds and prioritizes inclusivity, respect for diverse beliefs, and holistic well-being. The RICH CITY Wellness Hub will include spaces for workshops, meditation, games, dance, music, and art studios. Conveniently located adjacent to Unity Park, the wellness hub will also store games and equipment that can be borrowed for outdoor activities.

#3: Black Wellness Center

Last but not least, 1500 MacDonald Ave is envisioned as the Black Wellness Center. the. Tailored to Black people of all ages and backgrounds, the Black Wellness Center will incorporate a thoughtful approach that addresses the unique needs, experiences, and cultural contexts within the Black community. The Black Wellness Center currently plans to develop a Black childcare cooperative, cultural healing spaces, and holistic health services led by health service professionals. The Black Wellness Center plans to provide youth and family programs, space for cultural arts and expression, and intergenerational healing circles.