A living web of changemakers and pioneers
Steward ownership doesn't happen in isolation. It thrives because of a growing network of entrepreneurs, investors, legal experts, policymakers, and field-builders who are all working toward the same goal: businesses that stay independent, purpose-driven, and use the positive power of entrepreneurship to create value and prosperity for people, planet & society.
Not a movement of one. A movement of many.
What makes steward ownership powerful is precisely that: it cannot be owned by any single actor. It grows through a diverse ecosystem of companies that dare to go first, investors who back them, lawyers who find the path, policymakers who make it easier, and field builders who carry the torch to new regions. Together, these groups create the conditions for a fundamentally different kind of economy.
With this website, we, the Purpose Foundation, are attempting to make this ecosystem visible. Because we can look at steward ownership from a variety of angles, each bringing in their unique perspective to make the topic flourish. And because we do believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
This also goes for ourselves. That’s why we are part of the Purpose Group, where we weave together in-depth practical expertise and visionary ideas to create our open-content materials. Find out more about our different entities here.
Six groups with one shared direction
Whoever you are – curious founder, mission-aligned investor, policy expert or regional champion – you have a role to play. Here's a snapshot of some of the core actors in the ecosystem and what they bring to the table. Some actors also sit at intersections of these groups or extend beyond them. We, at Purpose, are one example of these hybrids.
Companies & Entrepreneurs
Aligned Investors
Field Builders
Academics & Researchers
Policymakers & Legislators
Service Providers
Three threads running through the ecosystem
What holds it together
01 Shared Principles
02 Honest exchange
03 Long-term thinking
What’s currently happening in the ecosystem?
If you are now curious what all these actors are up to and which significant changes they have noticed in the steward ownership ecosystem, we have something special for you: Our 2025 Developmental Evaluation asks exactly that question to stakeholders across the ecosystem.
A global ecosystem
The steward ownership ecosystem is now active across five continents, with dedicated organisations building the field in their local context.
Beyond our ecosystem: allies and fellow travellers
Steward ownership doesn't exist in a vacuum. The movement is part of a broader conversation about how we want economies to work – and many organisations, movements, and thinkers are asking the same fundamental questions from different angles.
We find natural allies in the cooperative and employee-ownership world, in the commons and open-source movements, in impact investing and regenerative business communities, in B Corp networks, and in economic democracy advocacy. We share common ground with researchers studying trust-based governance, with social entrepreneurs challenging shareholder primacy, and with legislators exploring stakeholder capitalism in its many forms.
These aren't the same thing as steward ownership – and that distinction matters. But the underlying conviction is shared: that businesses can be structured to serve people and planet over the long term, without sacrificing independence, quality, or ambition.
We learn from these allies. We refer people to them when another model is the better fit. And we believe that a plurality of ownership alternatives is what a genuinely different economy looks like.
If your organisation works in an adjacent space and you'd like to connect, we'd love to hear from you.
Where do you fit in?
Whether you're an entrepreneur exploring your options, an investor seeking aligned opportunities, or a practitioner building expertise, the ecosystem has a place for you. Find your entry point and take the next step.