Co-op Structure & Model

Forwardkind is registered as a Public Benefit Limited Cooperative Association (LCA) with the State of Colorado. The LCA is a hybrid between a limited liability company (LLC) and a corporation. It is an entity built on the law of unincorporated entities. Like LLCs, it allows for investor members, returns on investment to patrons and non-patrons, and voting rights for investors, while adhering to cooperative principles. Where it differs from an LLC is in the distribution of financial returns based on patronage and voting based on membership (one-member, one vote).

LCA’s, as member-owned and democratically-governed entities, seek to grow and operate sustainably for the benefit of their members, and thus do not set out with the objective of demutualizing or undergoing a liquidity event. In addition to creating value for its shareholders, it has three additional legal attributes: 1) accountability, 2) transparency, and 3) purpose.