Grants — to establish a co-op?

12/31/22

CLOSED, seems like annual event

Total Funding: $3,000,000

Maximum Grant Amount: $175,000

Application Period: 60 days

Matching Funds Requirement: None

Who may apply for this program?

Cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers are eligible.

How may funds be used?

Grants must be used to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Examples of technical assistance are:

Feasibility studies
Business plans
Strategic planning
Leadership training

I’d have to look at past grants to see what all can be included.

Used to run the local Azure pick up and order from the Frontier Coop for our members. Couldn’t afford it anymore, ran out of time and money for the monthly pickup in Kingman early morning, had to make a special trip and go straight back to Meadview with the cold and frozen food.

I love co-ops because it saves so much money when ordering in bulk and so much time when members share information and experiences and provide high-quality products.

Unfortunately, the people of Mohave County are so cliquish. And that was before Trump. And before I came out as a socialist (because I didn’t know I was one). I have learned a lot since 2016 when I first got on Facebook and joined local and political groups. So much division, and so much infighting. I had lived in Mohave County since 2000 and had managed to avoid most politics till 2016.

So how can I restart a co-op for organic food and teach others how to grow in our harsh climate?

Had the farmstand in Meadview and that helped with promoting the gardening club, but I couldn’t get anyone to seriously grow EXTRA food for sale or trade. Especially not organic.

I often ordered gardening supplies in bulk and gardening club members could buy supplies from me at cost at the meeting. But after my partner moved out in 2016 I ran out of time and money fast and I started managing a vacation rental in Meadview.

Would really like to get “something” going again, especially with the new lots.

https://www.usda.gov/topics/farming/resources-small-and-mid-sized-farmers — 25% of grant must be our money

The Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program (RCDG) supports Rural Cooperative Development Centers, which in turn, provide technical assistance to individuals and entities improving the economic condition of rural areas by supporting start-up, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other business entities. Cooperatives have often been the mechanism used by small and midsized producers to work together to access new markets or market value added products. In 2013, business and cooperative funding through Rural Development helped 17,773 rural businesses, including 4,200 farmers and 4,472 small businesses. These investments created or saved over 41,600 jobs. Under the 2014 Farm Bill USDA will be creating an Interagency Working Group to improve coordination of programs and services between federal agencies and national and local cooperatives through the RCDG program.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program/az#to-apply