The 2014 Farm Bill recognized the economic development and wealth-building opportunities of cooperatives by requiring that Federal agencies and cooperative organizations foster and coordinate on cooperative development. Federal partners include agencies with jurisdiction over cooperatives and with programs that cooperative businesses can use. The Agriculture Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Labor Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are all agencies with direct jurisdiction over cooperatives. The Small Business Administration is required under the Main Street Employee Ownership Act to enter agreements with Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to conduct training and provide information and resources on employee ownership through cooperatives. Other agencies have programs, information, and/or tools that cooperatives can access depending on the cooperative’s business. States and private sector cooperative organizations are also partners and are encouraged to be active participants in the Interagency Working Group. If your organization is not included here, please contact us at CoopInfo@usda.gov .
Private Sector Partners
Cooperative Professionals Guild
The Cooperative Professionals Guild provides educational and networking opportunities for legal and accounting professionals who support cooperatives, particularly cooperatives made up of minority and underserved populations.
Credit Union National Association
The Credit Union National Association provides legislative advocacy, training, conferences, and products for credit unions.
Democracy at Work Institute
The Democracy at Work Institute helps groups affected by inequality using the worker cooperative form of business.
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund engages in cooperative economic development and fosters land retention through resolution of heirs property issues. The Federation also advocates for equitable racial and economic treatment of Black farmers, landowners, and communities in the rural south.
Food Co-op Initiative
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Georgia Cooperative Development Center
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
ICA Group
The ICA Group provides extensive resources on worker cooperatives and cooperative conversions, child care cooperatives, and home care cooperatives. They provide information on obtaining loans as well as sample worker cooperative documents. Many of their resources are in Spanish as well as English.
Illinois Cooperative Development Center at Western Illinois University
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Indiana Cooperative Development Center
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Industrial Commons
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.