Building the network that builds cooperatives

Like so much of the cooperative ecosystem, the story of CooperationWorks! is deeply linked to that of the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF).

In 1990, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program, the only federal program dedicated to advancing cooperative businesses.

Over the next 10 years, leaders in cooperative development and advocacy worked informally via the Cooperative Development Network to share ideas and best practices, and to build the capacity necessary to support projects in rural communities across the country.

From this network, and with the support of CDF and NCBA CLUSA, a shared vision of a formal organization emerged, and in July 1999, CooperationWorks! (CW) was founded to create, as their vision statement declared, “a unified system of cooperative development centers and development partners, [to] provide the highest quality professional services, honoring our diversity and creating leading edge cooperative solutions.”

Read the rest at NCBA CLUSA