Cooperative Education Fund supports virtual events during a global pandemic

In normal times the Association of Cooperative Educators' (ACE) annual summer institute convenes youth and cooperative educators to prepare the next generation of co-op leaders. With help from a Cooperative Education Fund grant, ACE is pivoting to a virtual platform to ensure that the cooperative community can still benefit from valuable training. The ACE webinar series will consist of nine webinars covering themes such as Health and Home Care: Co-operative Responses, Marginalized Populations and Crises: How to Get Out of Reinforced Marginalization Through Cooperation and the Role of the Co-operative Movement in the Economic and Social Reconstruction.

"The purpose of our webinar series is to unite co-op professionals, researchers, developers, students and learners, to promote education around co-operative values and principles, and to position the co-operative movement in the current context of the global pandemic," said Julien Geremie, ACE Administrator.

The Cooperative Education Fund also funded 10 other projects. The following organizations received grants for event sponsorship/scholarships:

• CooperationWorks!, Berkeley, CA - Building Blocks Online

• National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International, Washington, DC - Cooperative Leaders and Scholars Institute

• Northwest Cooperative Development Center, Olympia, WA - Cascade ROC Conference

• PathStone Corporation, Rochester NY - New York Resident Owned Community Leadership Institutes

• Ralph K. Morris Foundation, Minneapolis, MN – Scholarship support

The following organizations received grants for development of education materials:

• National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International, Washington, DC - Cooperative Employee Orientation Video

• Start.coop, Jamaica Plain, MA - Lean Co-op Course

• The Working World, Inc., New York, NY - Launch.coop

• Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Washington, DC - DC Employee Ownership Initiative: Cooperative Webinar Series

About the Cooperative Education Fund

The Cooperative Education Fund supports cooperative research, sponsors cooperative education events and scholarships, and develops cooperative education materials and programs. The Fund provides $90,000-$100,000 in grants, scholarships, and sponsorships annually. Applications for the 2020 Fall grant cycle must be submitted by October 1, 2020 by visiting www.cdf.coop/cooperative-education.