In collaboration with the northwest agriculture business center and northwest cooperative development center, lake county community development corporation (DBA mission west community development…

Lake County Community Development Corporation (doing business as Mission West Community Development Partners) received a $582,501.74 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services under the Rural Cooperative Development Grants program (CFDA 10.771) for the period of September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2026. The award supports a multi-center partnership involving the Northwest Agriculture Business Center and Northwest Cooperative Development Center to deliver technical assistance for the startup, expansion, and improvement of cooperatively and mutually owned businesses in rural areas of the Northwest and Mountain regions.

Under this grant, the partnership will provide comprehensive services including feasibility studies, business planning, and governance training to support rural cooperative development and value-added processing initiatives. Key deliverables include creating jobs through cooperative training and services, facilitating market access for local food producers through food hub network coordination, and supporting ownership transitions and cooperative conversions. The initiative also emphasizes cross-regional collaboration with partners such as Cooperative Development Services, the University of Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, and the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives to promote innovative community-owned real estate and cooperative farming models while advancing cooperative development practices nationwide.

In collaboration with the northwest agriculture business center and northwest cooperative development center, lake county community development corporation (DBA mission west community development partners) will lead a multi-center partnership to enhance the quality of life and sustainable economic well-being of rural residents in the northwest and mountain regions. By leveraging our collective experience, capacities, and reach, our centers will deliver technical assistance to start, expand, and improve cooperatively and mutually owned businesses, create jobs through training and services to develop rural cooperatives and value-added processing, promote networking across states and regions, and synchronize data collection and analysis to achieve efficiencies and improve program evaluation. Our complementary areas of specialization, including finance, food hub network coordination, community development, and cooperative conversions will result in business formation, increased market access for local food producers, rural revitalization, and successful ownership transitions. Meanwhile, we will promote new approaches in community-owned real estate and cooperative farming models through cross-regional collaboration with cooperative development services, the university of nebraska cooperative development center, and university of wisconsin center for cooperatives to generate new projects and advance the practice of cooperative development across the entire united states.