Cooperatives (Co-ops)

USA International Year of Cooperatives

http://www.usa2012.coop

The United Nations has declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives because of the role of the cooperative business model in achieving economic viability while also contributing to social and community benefits. The key strategic priorities of the Cooperative Steering Committee are to help build and sustain the cooperative movement, help achieve enabling legislation and policies, increase access to capital, and improve education about cooperatives. Visit the site to see how you can be part of expanding the movement. Read more about USA International Year of Cooperatives...

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives

http://usworker.coop/front

The U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives is a national trade association of worker cooperatives and other employee-owned, democratically run workplaces. The federation aims to provide education, training, and technical assistance to its members. Read more about U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives...

ROC USA

http://www.rocusa.org

Following in the footsteps of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, ROC USA aims to develop a national network of technical assistance providers to enable mobile home residents to purchase land through cooperatives, creating resident-owned communities. Residents assisted by ROC USA are thus able to build wealth through collective ownership of the manufactured housing park's land. As of April 2009, in New Hampshire where the model was first developed, 92 member cooperatives controlled 20 percent of that state's total manufactured housing market. Read more about ROC USA...

Northwest Cooperative Development Center

http://www.nwcdc.coop

The Northwest Cooperative Development Center is a nonprofit organization devoted to assisting new and existing cooperative businesses, from daycare centers to credit unions. The group's mission is to foster community economic development, primarily through the cooperative business model. It provides a range of business planning and cooperative education services. Read more about Northwest Cooperative Development Center...

North American Students of Cooperation

http://www.nasco.coop

Founded in 1968, the North American Students of Cooperation is a trade association of U.S. and Canadian-based campus and community cooperatives, providing education, training, and technical assistance to member cooperatives. Read more about North American Students of Cooperation...

Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NOBAWC)

http://www.nobawc.org

The Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives is dedicated to building workplace democracy in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. The group provides support for its worker cooperative members as well as assistance with the development of new worker cooperatives. Read more about Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (NOBAWC)...

National Telecommunications Cooperative Association

http://www.ntca.org

The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association is a national trade association representing more than 550 local telecommunications companies throughout rural America, including both cooperatives and small, independently owned companies. Read more about National Telecommunications Cooperative Association...

National Cooperative Grocers Association

http://www.ncga.coop

The National Cooperative Grocers Association is the largest trade association of retail food cooperatives with 94 member co-ops with 400,000 member-owners in 31 states. Founded in 1999, the association aims to develop joint purchasing, marketing, and other mutual support activities. Read more about National Cooperative Grocers Association...

National Rural Electric Cooperative Associations

http://www.nreca.coop

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is a national trade association of 900 member cooperatives that serve 37 million people in 47 states. The association represents members in regulatory hearings, as well as provides research, training, education, and advocacy services. Read more about National Rural Electric Cooperative Associations...

National Cooperative Business Association

http://www.ncba.coop

The National Cooperative Business Association is a trade association that represents cooperatives in a wide variety of fields, including agricultural cooperatives, credit unions, food co-ops, purchasing co-ops, worker co-ops, and others. Read more about National Cooperative Business Association...

National Cooperative Bank

http://www.ncb.coop

The National Cooperative Bank provides financial services to cooperative organizations and other community development groups. Services offered include real estate, small business, and commercial lending programs as well as a variety of community development services. Read more about National Cooperative Bank...

National Association of Housing Cooperatives

http://www.coophousing.org

The National Association of Housing Cooperatives is a nonprofit national federation of housing cooperatives, mutual housing associations, member associations, other resident-owned or controlled housing organizations, professionals, and individuals interested in promoting the interests of cooperative housing communities. Read more about National Association of Housing Cooperatives...

National Association of Federal Credit Unions

http://www.nafcu.org/

Founded in 1967, the National Association of Federal Credit Unions is a trade association that represents the interests of federal credit unions before the federal government and the public. Read more about National Association of Federal Credit Unions...

Local Enterprise Assistance Fund

http://www.leaffund.org

The Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) is a non-profit community development financial institution established in 1983. LEAF provides low cost financing to cooperatives and community-owned businesses nationwide. LEAF tailors its financing to the specific needs of cooperatives and provides financing for working capital needs, purchase of fixed assets, business expansion, and development of new business lines. Read more about Local Enterprise Assistance Fund...

Federation of Southern Cooperatives

http://www.federation.coop

Founded in 1967, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives has provided self-help economic opportunities for many low-income communities across the South. A primary objective of the Federation is the retention of black owned land and the use of cooperatives for land-based economic development. Read more about Federation of Southern Cooperatives...

Credit Union National Association

http://www.cuna.org

Credit Union National Association is the national trade association of credit unions. In cooperation with state credit union leagues, CUNA provides research, advocacy, education, and business development services to member credit unions. Read more about Credit Union National Association...

Cooperative Network

http://www.cooperativenetwork.coop

Committed to building Wisconsin's and Minnesota's cooperative businesses, the Cooperative Network serves more than 600 member-cooperatives, owned by more than 6.3 million residents in those states. The largest statewide association of its kind, the Network provides government relations, education, marketing, and technical services for a wide variety of cooperatives including farm supply, health, dairy marketing, consumer, financial, livestock marketing, telecommunications, electric, housing, insurance, worker-owned cooperatives, and more. Read more about Cooperative Network...

Cooperative Development Services

http://www.cdsus.coop

A non-profit organization founded in 1985, Cooperative Development Services has provided consulting services for over 500 cooperatives in a number of sectors, including food co-ops, senior housing co-ops, forestry co-ops, and value-added agriculture. Read more about Cooperative Development Services...

Cooperative Development Institute

http://www.cdi.coop

Serving communities throughout the New York and the New England region, the non-profit Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) provides cooperative business education, training, and technical assistance to all types of cooperative enterprises, from agriculture, to credit unions and worker-owned cooperatives. CDI is also involved in many different discipline areas, from new cooperative business start-ups and cooperative banking, to leadership development and education. Read more about Cooperative Development Institute...

Cooperative Capital Fund of New England

http://www.coopcapital.coop

Launched in 2007, the Cooperative Capital Fund of New England (CCF) is a socially responsible investment fund that invests in cooperative businesses in the form of "patient capital," or equity-like financing. CCF assists the parts of New England cooperative industry that are established in areas of high need but limited financial resources, providing capital that acts like equity without requiring co-ops to give up control over their own management and destiny, as traditional venture capital might. Read more about Cooperative Capital Fund of New England...