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
ROC USA
ROC USA assists owners of manufactured homes to form a cooperative to purchase the land that they live on.
Rural and Cooperative Business Development Services at the Kohala Center
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Shared Capital Cooperative
Shared Capital Cooperative is a CDFI that provides financing to cooperative businesses.
South Carolina Center for Cooperative and Enterprise Development
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
South Dakota Value Added Agriculture Development Center
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Sustainable Economies Law Center
Sustainable Economies Law Center provides legal tools including education, research, and advice to help communities with cooperative development and the development of sustainable sources of food, housing, energy, and jobs. SELC provides valuable information on worker cooperatives, cooperative housing, and nonprofits.
U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
The United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives fosters the creation of jobs and worker-owned businesses through education and advocacy.
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - Texas Rural Cooperative Center
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.
Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability (VA FAIRS)
Cooperative development centers provide technical assistance and other services to help cooperatives, their members, and individuals and businesses considering starting a cooperative.