Rural cooperative development grants

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Cooperative Development Grants program (CFDA 10.771) awarded a $200,000 Project Grant to the Northwest Cooperative Development Center (N W C D C), a non-profit organization that provides business development services for cooperatively owned businesses in the Pacific Northwest. This funding supports N W C D C's efforts to deliver technical assistance, training, feasibility studies, business planning, and other services to individuals and rural entities seeking to establish or enhance cooperative enterprises across sectors such as agriculture, fishing, utilities, retail, and credit unions. The grant has also allowed N W C D C to sub-award funding to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, N W C D C has received other federal grants from the Treasury Department's CDFI Fund and the Rural Housing Service to further its cooperative business development work in rural communities.