Rural cooperative development grants

The federal Project Grant award of $200,000.00 was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service and Rural Business Cooperative Services under the Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) program (CFDA 10.771). The grant was awarded on August 22, 2024 to the Northwest Agriculture Business Center (NABC), a non-profit organization in Mt. Vernon, Washington, to support technical assistance, training, feasibility studies, and business planning services for individuals and entities seeking to establish, expand, or enhance rural cooperatives and mutually-owned businesses. NABC's grant-funded work includes providing comprehensive services such as introduction to USDA programs, application training and support, farming business administrative training, computer skills development, business plan creation, land access and financial literacy education, and cooperative development assistance, with a focus on supporting minority producers and communities experiencing persistent poverty in Western Washington.