CDF expands work with two USDA grants

CDF was awarded two grants from USDA to support the Foundation's work coordinating the Home Care Cooperative Initiative and the development of home care cooperatives. The grants also include funding for prefeasibility studies for a community health multi-stakeholder cooperative and a community owned ski facility, and to facilitate discussions on the use of cooperatives to enhance Native American food systems.

The $200,000 Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) provides funds to:

• Host the 2021 National Home Care Cooperative Conference;

• Provide education, outreach and coordination of home care development steering committee activities;

• Launch a shared service cooperative for home care cooperatives;

• Continue work on developing a home care cooperative start-up toolkit; and

• Conduct a prefeasibility study for a community owned cross-country ski facility in Hayward, Wisconsin.

The $175,000 Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) will be used to:

• Provide direct technical assistance to rural home care cooperatives;

• Coordinate discussions with cooperative developers and the Native American agricultural community on cooperative development to enhance food systems in Indian Country;

• Conduct a home care market study in Puerto Rico;

• Conduct a home care benchmarking survey;

• Partner with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center to hire a home care cooperative developer to work in Washington State; and

• Conduct a prefeasibility study for a community health multi-stakeholder cooperative in Jackson, Mississippi.