Cooperative community’s generosity helped CDF expand its work in 2021

Supported by contributions of over $340,000 from more than 450 donors, and nearly $500,000 in programmatic funding, CDF in 2021 expanded its cooperative development efforts. CDF awarded nearly $1 million in grants in 2021 for education, development, and crisis management across cooperative sectors.

"CDF in 2021 continued to broaden our reach to include more communities,” said CDF Board Chair Rich Larochelle, “But we commit to doing even more to make sure cooperatives drive an inclusive and equitable economy through our grantmaking, programs and education.”

Highlights from 2021 include:

• Essential support for cooperative education projects. 

• Scholarships for attendees who could not otherwise have attended key learning events, such as the Co-op IMPACT Conference, St. Mary’s University cooperative education courses, and the CCMA Conference.  

• Leadership and funding for the creation of a secondary cooperative to support home care cooperatives. 

• Technical assistance and data driven resources to 16 existing and start-up home care co-ops. 

• Sponsorship of 17 cooperative events in the U.S. that brought together thousands of people virtually and in-person.  

• In collaboration with NCBACLUSA, important advances in our work on DEI, including publication of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Trends in the Cooperative Community, a report on a firm-level, cross-sector survey of NCBA CLUSA members conducted by the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and coordination of a DEI Peer Learning Cohort to catalyze and support cooperatives in strengthening their DEI practices for greater impact. 

• An important new focus on the value of cooperatives in enhancing Native American communities through our role in co-hosting Cooperating to Enhance Native American Food Economies with the Native American Agriculture Fund and NCBA CLUSA.

Your year-end contribution can help CDF accomplish even more in 2022. Donate online at http://weblink.donorperfect.com/2021donation or complete the donation form and send a check to Cooperative Development Foundation, 1775 Eye Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC, 20006. If you are interested in supporting an event in 2022, contact Kirstie Boyette, Fundraising and Funds Manager, at kboyette@ncba.coop.