The Open Equity Foundation was registered in 2022 as a division of Sparrow Community Services. The Sparrow community is working to deploy the Open Equity Foundation as a charitable organization that can teach communities how to build and cultivate ecosystems of equitable stakeholder ownership. The efforts of the Open Equity Foundation in its current form are dedicated to developing the Open Equity Partnership Framework and stakeholder engagement programs through a series of prototypes deployed through Sparrow Capital and Sparrow’s network of assets and businesses in the Edmonton region. The Open Equity Framework In conjunction with our regional network of assets and operating businesses, Sparrow has also invested in the development of an innovative partnership framework called Open Equity. Open Equity is a framework for equitable ownership and stakeholder engagement. It adapts nimbly to a broad range of assets and initiatives, diverse contingency scenarios, and various configurations of stakeholder groups. The Open Equity Framework draws on the employee-ownership precedents of the ESOP movement, but allows for a broader range of stakeholder groups in addition to employees to be defined on the basis of the capacities and resources they contribute toward the value of an asset. Open Equity Is the Evolution of Stakeholder Ownership The Open Equity Partnership Framework Prototypes in DevelopmentA Regional Network of Stakeholder Ownership Beginning in 2021, Sparrow Capital began deploying Open Equity prototypes within our regional network of assets. First, we deployed Open Equity Prototypes 1.0 & 2.0 through Westmount 107 and the Brighton Block. We are currently developing Prototype 3.0, which we will use to transition Sparrow’s entire portfolio of assets and operating businesses into a regional ecosystem of stakeholder ownership. Prototype 1.0 The Open Equity Partnership Framework has been established and deployed in its first prototype under the Westmount 107 Open Equity Limited Partnership, which owns the Westmount 107 building. In 2021, Westmount 107 was converted from a conventional ownership structure into the world’s first Open Equity partnership. RGE RD Restaurant became its first Open Equity Tenant Stakeholder. You can read a case study of RGE RD’s journey here. Prototype 2.0 The Brighton Block is the world’s second Open Equity partnership. Sparrow is currently in leasing discussions with several tenant groups to activate the building. These entrepreneurial leaders will be Tenant Stakeholders under the Open Equity Partnership Framework when construction is complete. Prototype 3.0 Sparrow Capital is preparing to gradually convert its entire portfolio in the Edmonton region to the Open Equity Partnership Framework. This network of Open Equity partnerships will constitute Prototype 3.0, a regional-scale deployment demonstrating the potential of a community of entrepreneurial leaders collaborating through an integrated ecosystem of stakeholder ownership. When this transition is complete, each commercial asset, residential asset, and operating business under Sparrow’s management will become an Open Equity instance and our employees, tenants, investors, and other stakeholders will earn equity in the shared assets and businesses they are engaged with. Foundation Mandates Research History Study the history of equitable ownership economics. Precedents Map precedent equitable ownership organizations & ecosystems. Academia Engage academic alliances to study and inform Open Equity deployments. Development Prototypes Develop Open Equity prototypes. Funding Develop Open Equity funding. Alliances Develop alliances & partnerships. Administration Software Develop Open Equity administration software. Compliance Develop Open Equity compliance framework. Outreach Communities Outreach to precedent established ownership communities. Networks Outreach to leadership networks relevant to equitable ownership. Advocacy ESOP Legislation Support advocacy for Canadian ESOP tax legislation. OE Legislation Advocate for Canadian Open Equity legislation. Propagation Ventures Develop ventures via opportunities adjacent to established ecosystem. Succession Help business owners sell their business to their employees via stakeholder ownership transition. Other Communities Deploy Open Equity with stakeholders in other local community ecosystems. Other Jurisdictions Deploy Open Equity with stakeholders in other regional jurisdictions. Other Industries Deploy Open Equity with stakeholders in other industry sectors. Cross-pollination At scale, a latticework of interwoven local and interregional stakeholder interests could take many forms and adapt to a wide variety of applications.