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Heirloom Library
Explore trusted sources on employee ownership and democratic governance. Heirloom explains what each source is useful for, so you can follow a guide or look up exactly what you need.
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Showing 25 of 140 published resources.
Reset search and filtersNational Center for Employee Ownership
A clear NCEO overview explaining what an EOT is, how it works, why owners choose the model, and how EOTs differ from ESOPs and worker cooperatives.
Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center
A 2025 toolkit explaining EOT definitions, comparisons with ESOPs and worker co-ops, ideal business profiles, best practices, policy context, funding sources, and a Clegg Auto case study.
Project Equity
Project Equity’s overview of EOTs, including how the model works, why it is flexible, and how it can provide employees with profit sharing and a voice in governance.
National Center for Employee Ownership
A clear NCEO primer explaining how ESOPs are structured, how the trust works, how shares are allocated, and why ESOPs are commonly used for business succession.
National Center for Employee Ownership
NCEO’s ownership culture hub explaining why employee ownership performs best when paired with information-sharing, employee voice, and owner-like thinking.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO guide focused on how a sale to an ESOP can provide succession, liquidity, continuity, and employee ownership for closely held companies.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO booklet landing page introducing employee ownership for business succession, including owner stories, FAQs, sale process basics, and research findings.
USDA Rural Development
A USDA guide explaining how to conduct a feasibility study for a cooperative business.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO guide for companies under about 20 employees that want employee ownership but may not be good ESOP candidates.
Ohio Employee Ownership Center
A guide for small and medium-sized business owners planning ownership and management succession, including goals, stakeholders, valuation, and transition planning.
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
A USFWC Co-op Clinic mini guide on the role, composition, and accountability of worker co-op boards.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO guide comparing two paths: creating an ESOP inside the company or selling the company to an existing ESOP-owned acquirer.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI guide to democratic management practices organized around power, information, people, and money, with tools and examples for worker co-ops and democratic workplaces.
Democracy at Work Network
A handbook for creating accountability and evaluation systems in small and medium-sized worker cooperatives.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO article explaining the ESOP committee’s role in plan administration, fiduciary decision-making, and employee communications.
ESOP.org / National Center for Employee Ownership
A broad ESOP basics resource covering plan mechanics, statistics, governance, employee rights, valuation, and common uses.
Project Equity
Project Equity’s ESOP overview explaining the model, common use cases, ownership transfer mechanics, and how ESOPs compare to other employee ownership forms.
Democracy at Work Institute
A DAWI guide explaining how governing documents can codify democratic ownership, governance structure, growth, and conflict-resolution pathways.
Common Trust
A practical Common Trust guide to the financial mechanics of an EOT transaction, including financing, structuring, seller payment, and deal design.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
A legal guide to converting an existing business to cooperative ownership, including entity formation, governance documents, asset transfer, financing, and transaction steps.
Democracy at Work Institute / South Mountain Company
A practical resource from South Mountain Company with tips for effective meetings and consensus decision-making in worker cooperatives.
National Center for Employee Ownership
An NCEO article describing participant rights, including voting rights, disclosure, diversification, distributions, and benefit protections.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
A legal and practical manual from SELC, EBCLC, and the Green Collar Communities Clinic on starting and operating a worker-owned business.
Project Equity
A Project Equity comparison of ESOPs, worker cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts.
Democracy at Work Institute
A plain-language DAWI overview of what worker cooperatives are, how they differ from other models, and how ownership and voting typically work.