Fellowship for Intentional Community
Encyclopedia
The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) nurtures connections and cooperation among communitarians and their friends. It provides publications, referrals, support services, and sharing opportunities for a wide range of intentional communities, cohousing
groups, ecovillages, community networks, support organizations, and people seeking a home in community. The FIC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in the United States.
, the Communities Directory
, Journal of Cooperative Living, FIC Newsletter and the Intentional Communities web site. It also sponsors and presents periodic Community gatherings, including annual gatherings at Twin Oaks
and Art of Community events in various locations around the US.
, Michigan
, which still has one of the largest concentration of intentional communities per capita. The group/network of 19 student-run houses in Ann Arbor had formed The International Cooperative Council (ICC), a forerunner of FIC.
The Fellowship for Intentional Communities was founded as Inter-Community Exchange in 1940 by Arthur E. Morgan (1878-1976) for communication and exchange of goods between intentional communities. During the World War II
, some of these communities served as refuge for pacifists.
Among of members of "Inter-Community Exchange" were Hidden Springs in New Jersey
; Tangy Homesteads in Philadelphia; Tuolumne Co-operative Farms near Modesto
, California
; Skyview Acres at Pomona
, New York; Parisfield near Brighton
, Michigan
; Kingwood in New Jersey; Quest near Royal Ark, Michigan; Canterbury outside Concord
, New Hampshire
; May Valley
near Seattle; The Valley near Yellow Springs
, Ohio
; St. Francis Acres/Glen Gardener in New Jersey; Koinonia Farm near Americus
, Georgia
; and the Bruderhof (Society of Brothers).
In 1952, FIC created the Homer Morris Loan Fund — which has subsequently provided over $200,000 in small loans to intentional community businesses and associated enterprises. When the FIC's activities decreased in the '60s, the loan fund continued separately as the non-profit Community Educational Service Council, Inc. (CESCI), and the FIC held annual gatherings of communitarians in conjunction with CESCI's board meetings.
In 1954, FIC began holding annual conferences at Yellow Springs, Ohio and Pendle Hill, Pennsylvania
.
Then "Inter-Community Exchange" gradually weakened and was dissolved in 1961; a major reason for this was withdrawal of the Bruderhof (largest and most prosperous member).
It was revived under the it's current name "Fellowship for Intentional Community" and incorporated as non-profit organization in 1986.
In the mid '80s, inspired by the earlier FIC and other regional community networks, a number of community activists sensed that the time was ripe to organize a continental communities network. The FIC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable educational organization (meaning that all donations are fully tax-deductible). Participation has been expanded to include most of North America — the Fellowship now includes a wide range of individuals, well over a hundred intentional communities, and various support organizations.
Cohousing
A cohousing community is a type of intentional community composed of private homes supplemented by shared facilities. The community is planned, owned and managed by the residents – who also share activities which may include cooking, dining, child care, gardening, and governance of the...
groups, ecovillages, community networks, support organizations, and people seeking a home in community. The FIC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in the United States.
Activities
The FIC publishes Communities magazineCommunities magazine
Communities: Life in Cooperative Culture is a primary resource for information, issues, and ideas about intentional communities in North America - from urban co-ops to cohousing groups to ecovillages to rural communes.-History:...
, the Communities Directory
Communities Directory
The Communities Directory, A Comprehensive Guide to Intentional Community provides listing of intentional communities primarily from North America but also from around the world...
, Journal of Cooperative Living, FIC Newsletter and the Intentional Communities web site. It also sponsors and presents periodic Community gatherings, including annual gatherings at Twin Oaks
Twin Oaks
Twin Oaks Community is an ecovillage and intentional community of about one hundred people living on 450 acres in Louisa County, Virginia. It is a member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities. Founded in 1967, it is one of the longest-enduring and largest secular intentional communities...
and Art of Community events in various locations around the US.
Vision
Mission
Purposes
The FIC declare it's main purposes as:Organizational history
History of FIC began in 1937 in Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, which still has one of the largest concentration of intentional communities per capita. The group/network of 19 student-run houses in Ann Arbor had formed The International Cooperative Council (ICC), a forerunner of FIC.
The Fellowship for Intentional Communities was founded as Inter-Community Exchange in 1940 by Arthur E. Morgan (1878-1976) for communication and exchange of goods between intentional communities. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, some of these communities served as refuge for pacifists.
Among of members of "Inter-Community Exchange" were Hidden Springs in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
; Tangy Homesteads in Philadelphia; Tuolumne Co-operative Farms near Modesto
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; Skyview Acres at Pomona
Pomona, New York
Pomona is a village partly in the Town of Ramapo and partly in the Town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of New Hempstead, east of Harriman State Park, north of Monsey and west of Mount Ivy. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 3,103, a 13 percent...
, New York; Parisfield near Brighton
Brighton, Michigan
Brighton is a principal satellite city of Metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
; Kingwood in New Jersey; Quest near Royal Ark, Michigan; Canterbury outside Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
; May Valley
May Valley
May Valley is a nearly flat snow-covered valley along the west flank of Forrestal Range, at the juncture of the Lexington and Saratoga Tables, in the Pensacola Mountains. Mapped from surveys and U.S. Navy air photos, 1956-66. Named by Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Walter H. May,...
near Seattle; The Valley near Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Yellow Springs is a village in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the location of Antioch College and Antioch University Midwest. The population was 3,487 at the 2010 census...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
; St. Francis Acres/Glen Gardener in New Jersey; Koinonia Farm near Americus
Americus, Georgia
-Early years:Americus, Georgia was named and chartered by Sen. Lovett B. Smith in 1832.For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
; and the Bruderhof (Society of Brothers).
In 1952, FIC created the Homer Morris Loan Fund — which has subsequently provided over $200,000 in small loans to intentional community businesses and associated enterprises. When the FIC's activities decreased in the '60s, the loan fund continued separately as the non-profit Community Educational Service Council, Inc. (CESCI), and the FIC held annual gatherings of communitarians in conjunction with CESCI's board meetings.
In 1954, FIC began holding annual conferences at Yellow Springs, Ohio and Pendle Hill, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Then "Inter-Community Exchange" gradually weakened and was dissolved in 1961; a major reason for this was withdrawal of the Bruderhof (largest and most prosperous member).
It was revived under the it's current name "Fellowship for Intentional Community" and incorporated as non-profit organization in 1986.
In the mid '80s, inspired by the earlier FIC and other regional community networks, a number of community activists sensed that the time was ripe to organize a continental communities network. The FIC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable educational organization (meaning that all donations are fully tax-deductible). Participation has been expanded to include most of North America — the Fellowship now includes a wide range of individuals, well over a hundred intentional communities, and various support organizations.