The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

charitable organization engaged in

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

development in the United States. CDF administers revolving loan funds, provides grants, and fosters economic development through the formation of cooperatives. CDF is partnered with the

National Cooperative Business Association The National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) is a United States membership organization for cooperatives, which are businesses that are jointly owned and democratically controlled. The association was founded in 1916 as the Cooperative ...

History

The Cooperative Development Foundation was founded in 1944 as The Freedom Fund. The organization initially assisted in the development and reconstruction of cooperatives in Europe after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. CDF wrote the check that created the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe which provided economic relief for Europe. The Freedom Fund changed its name to the Cooperative Development Foundation in the 1980s and turned its focus to domestic cooperative development, though it still supports international efforts.

Programs

CDF administers the Kagawa Fund, a fund providing gap financing to

housing cooperative A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity, usually a cooperative or a corporation, which owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. Housing cooperatives are a distinc ...

s, and the Jacob Kaplan Fund for the development of senior housing cooperatives. The Howard Bowers Fund provides scholarships for training the staff and boards of

food cooperative A food cooperative or food co-op is a food distribution outlet organized as a cooperative, rather than a private or public company. Food cooperatives are usually consumer cooperatives, where the decisions regarding the production and distribution of ...

s. United Co-op Appeal, CDF's workplace giving program, raises funds for 18 organizations promoting cooperative development with the support of the Nationwide Foundation. Organizations that benefit from the fund include

ACDI/VOCA ACDI/VOCA is an international development nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., United States, that fosters broad-based economic growth, increased living standards, and community development. Incorporated in 1965, ACDI/VOCA's mission is ...

, CHF International, the CDF Fund, Cooperative Development Institute,

Cooperative Development Services Cooperative Development Services (CDS) is a nonprofit organization engaged in cooperative development in the United States. CDS works primarily with food cooperatives and senior housing cooperatives, providing consultation services and co-sponsor ...

, the Cooperative Emergency Fund, the Cooperative Fund of New England, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, the

CooperationWorks! 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 c ...

Scholarship Fund, the

ICA Group The ICA Group is an American not-for-profit entity specializing in consulting organizations wishing to become fully owned by the employees. The organization has a reliable work history with the NCBA. While ICA primarily provides consultation to ...

, the MSC Fund, the Jim Jones Fund, the NCBA Fund, the National Network of Forest Practitioners
NRECA International FoundationNorthwest Cooperative Development Center
the Shirley K. Sullivan Fund, an
Prospera
(formerly the Women's Action to Gain Economic Security). CDF played a key role in organizing relief efforts by cooperatives following the

9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...

. In the aftermath of the

Asian tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

and

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, CDF raised close to $200,000 for economic recovery. CDF also administers the

Cooperative Hall of Fame The Cooperative Hall of Fame recognizes individuals from the United States who have made outstanding contributions to cooperatives. The Hall of Fame was established in 1974 and is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation. Nominations f ...

, that annually recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to cooperatives. Co-op Hall of Fame picks five "heroic" inductees.
''Rural Cooperatives.'' 1 November 2007.

References

External links

*{{Official website, www.cdf.coop
Cooperative Hall of Fame.
1944 establishments in the United States Charities based in Virginia Cooperatives in the United States