Tackling Big Challenges
The Cooperative Development Fund supports cooperative development, research, and technical assistance for cooperatives serving the needs of seniors, international cooperative development, and affordable housing. Grants given out by this Fund, typically no more than two annually, historically have ranged from $20,000 to $30,000. There is only one cycle of grant giving, in January, for this Fund.
The Cooperative Development Fund grant process involves two stages - the submission of a concept paper and, if chosen, the submission of a full proposal. The intent is that unless the full proposal is not submitted or is significantly lacking, the concept papers chosen will receive grants.
Grant Process
Submit a two page concept paper about a project that is related to cooperatives serving the needs of seniors, international cooperative development, or affordable housing. Concept papers should include:
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A brief description of the entity submitting the proposal, its capacity and expertise, and the population it serves;
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A brief description of the concept, major deliverable(s), and any connection it has to any other cooperative development project;
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How the concept promotes measurable outcomes, with a focus on historically underserved communities and residents in urban areas, through cooperative development;
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High level budget; and
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A description of how the success of the concept will be measured.
Concept papers are due on January 15. The Advisory Board will meet in January to choose up to two concept papers to move forward to the next stage. Decisions will be relayed within one to two weeks of the Advisory Board meeting. If the concept paper is chosen to move forward, the applicant must submit a proposal that includes scope of work, personnel, detailed budget, deliverables, and outcomes. Successful applicants will be given 30 days after they have been notified of the Advisory Board's decision to move forward with their concept paper to submit a full proposal.