Our Approach

Flexibility to invest across a range of structures

Employee ownership can take several different structures, including:

Employee Owned Trust (EOT)
EOTs preserve the business for the benefit of employees, who can receive a share of the company’s annual profits through dividends.

Employee Stock Ownership plan (ESOP)
An ESOP is a qualified retirement plan used to transfer a company’s stock to a trust administered on behalf of employees. Details on how ESOPs are implemented can be found here.

Stock Awards
Stock awards give employees an award based on the value of the company’s stock at a specified period of time.

Partnership through growth and transition

We invest alongside business owners in non-control positions that are ultimately held for the benefit of employees.

Impact without compromising returns

The Essential Owners Fund gives impact investors the opportunity to further the following objectives from the United Nations Sustainable Development goals.

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

The Essential Owners Fund encourages workers to adopt an ownership mindset and allows their voices to be heard in leadership, leading to better working conditions.

Reduce inequality within and among countries.

The Essential Owners Fund does this by implementing employee ownership or employee-benefitting structures which diversify shareholder bases and increase long-term economic stability for low-wage earners.

Gender and Racial Equity
The Essential Owners Fund does this by implementing employee ownership or employee-benefitting structures which diversify shareholder bases and increase long-term economic stability for low-wage earners.

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.

The Essential Owners Fund works to create intangible infrastructures for HR, innovative finance, and organizational practices in its investment companies.