About funding

An indispensable part of solidary trade's self-conception is direct support of cooperatives and social movements. For this purpose, funding is included in our coffee price and is distributed according to our coop's funding criteria. Regularly, this amounts to euro 0,40 per kg, as far as special extra solidarity coffees are concerned, this share can increase up to euro 2,40 per kg.

As a coop, Café Libertad Kollektiv doesn't generate commercial revenue, any surplus is going to the cooperative's reserves. Instead, ca. 60 000 euro are included in the calculation as a fixed expense, advertised and reimbursed as grants. This has been rendered possible by the solidarity of all people drinking our coffee.

The major share of funding is allocated to the establishment and autonomy of Zapatista communities and the support of coffee cooperatives. Yet, we are also supporting projects in other countries or social protests, trans-national camps and local movements by small-scale funding.

We have supported the construction of hospitals, schools and community buildings or the coops' purchase of coffee-processing machines. In Honduras, we have supported the work of indigenous organisation COPINH fighting for the rights of the indigenous population or of trans-gender organisation Arcoiris. Additionally, we have supported the establishment of new collectives and the development of a solidary economy, e.g. CACITA project in Oaxaca/Mexico, squatted vio.me factory in Greece, media collective Synapsis from Chile or social centres on the Philippines. Further grants have been reimbursed to activists on strike or subject to repression, to self-help organisations of migrant sex workers and HIV-positive people as well as LGBTI* organisations in Central and South America.

In our view, migration is a subject of ever-increasing relevance in the context of the global question regarding solidary types of economy. We have donated several thousands of euro as emergency aid for refugees' self-organisation in recent years. These funds have supported local activists and additionally have provided clean water, baby food, sleeping bags or tents.

Many cases of funding have been small-scale grants from Störtebeker Fund e.g. benefiting girls' meeting places, protest camps or anti-racist and anti-fascist groups. Furthermore, we have supported several political culture and media projects like a newspaper against genetic engineering, a brochure about Roma youths, the Contraste magazine, anarchist book fairs or libertarian self-publishing houses.

Collectively with FC St. Pauli fans and urban-political activists, solidarity espresso St. Pauli Roar has been created supporting anti-racist projects and the Right to the City movement. Funding is earmarked to benefit projects in the St. Pauli neighbourhood and elsewhere and is allocated autonomously by the group and just managed by Café Libertad Kollektiv.