CooperationWorks!
 | |
| Company type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cooperative development |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Deb Trocha, Chair |
| Website | cooperationworks.coop |
CooperationWorks! is a network of organizations promoting rural development through the formation of cooperatives in the United States. CooperationWorks! is organized as a cooperative of 21 member development centers. The co-op facilitates the coordination of cooperative development efforts and provides business expertise to its member organizations.
CooperationWorks! is partnered with the National Cooperative Business Association and the Cooperative Development Foundation.[1]
History
Legislation was signed into law in 1990 authorizing grants to establish a network of rural cooperative development centers throughout the United States. The development centers worked together on an informal basis for nine years. The Madison Principles, a set of standards for cooperative development, were developed in 1995 in Madison, Wisconsin.[2] In February 1999, representatives from nine cooperative development centers on the U.S. met in Denver to found CooperationWorks!
In September 2009, the USDA awarded $2.9 million in grants to 15 members of CooperationWorks! to create jobs and foster economic development in rural communities.[3]
Members
- Arkansas Rural Enterprise Center
- California Center for Cooperative Development
- Common Enterprise Development Corporation
- Cooperative Development Institute
- Cooperative Development Services
- Democracy Collaborative
- Food Cooperative Initiative
- Fund for Democratic Communities
- Indiana Cooperative Development Center
- Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Business Development
- Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
- Keystone Development Center
- Latino Economic Development Center
- Mississippi Center for Cooperative Development
- Montana Cooperative Development Center
- NASCO Development Services
- National Cooperative Development Association
- National Network of Forest Practitioners
- Nebraska Cooperative Development Center
- North Dakota Rural Electric and Telecommunications Development Center
- Northwest Cooperative Development Center
- Ohio Cooperative Development Center
- Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Cooperative and Economic Development Center
- South Dakota Value Added Agriculture Development Center
References
- ^ Purchasing Co-ops Give Small Businesses an Edge. Natural Products Marketplace. 22 May 2009.
- ^ Livingston, Jane. Revised co-op development curriculum gets test drive in Madison workshops. Rural Cooperatives. 1 January 2006.
- ^ AGRICULTURE DEPUTY SECRETARY MERRIGAN AWARDS $4.8 MILLION IN RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. USDA. 15 September 2009.