Community Wealth Building
Proven framework that keeps wealth circulating locally through democratic ownership, creating economic resilience and shared prosperity. Successfully implemented in Preston, Cleveland, and adopted by multiple national governments.
Tier: S – One of the most impactful movements transforming economies today. The Five Pillars framework produces replicable results, rewiring economies to work for all of us.
Primary Website: The Democracy Collaborative – Join the Movement Today
Resources: Action Guide for advancing Community Wealth Building in the US

Key Figures:
- Neil McInroy (CLES, UK) – architect of Preston Model, “rewiring wealth and power” framing
- Matthew Brown – Preston Council Leader who implemented it
- Ted Howard & Marjorie Kelly (Democracy Collaborative, US) – Cleveland Model architects
- Gar Alperovitz – political economist, Democracy Collaborative founder
Key organizations:
Preston City Council – the breakthrough case study everyone references
CLES (Centre for Local Economic Strategies) – UK think tank driving this
Democracy Collaborative – US hub for community wealth research/implementation
Community Wealth Building Unit Scotland – government-backed implementation
Featured Articles:
The role of ‘Community’ in Community Wealth Building
Where to start?