-  About RD                  -  Key Priorities                    -  Priority Points Program Chart 
                -  Rural Development Priorities: FY 2023 
                -  Rural Development Priorities: FY 2024 
              -  History 
              -  Farm Bill 
              -  Grant Awards 
              -  Careers at Rural Development                    -  Current Job Opportunities 
              -  Rural Data Gateway 
              -  Leadership                    -  Under Secretary  
                -  Deputy Under Secretary 
                -  Chief Operating Officer 
                -  Administrators 
                -  State Directors 
              -  Agencies                    -   Rural Business-Cooperative Service                      -  Rural Business-Cooperative Service Contacts 
                -   Rural Housing Service                      -  Rural Housing Service Contacts 
                -   Rural Utilities Service                      -  Rural Utilities Service Contacts 
              -  Offices                    -  Business Center 
                -  Civil Rights                       -  Civil Rights Contacts 
                  -  Equal Employment Opportunity Branch 
                  -  Program Compliant Processing and Resolution Branch 
                  -  Program Compliance and Training Branch 
                  -  Posters 
                  -  Civil Rights Training 
                  -  Limited English Proficiency 
                  -  Civil Rights Library 
                  -  Accessibility Statement 
                -  External Affairs 
                -  Innovation Center                      -  Innovation Center Divisions 
                -  Risk Office 
                -  State Offices 
                -  Servicing Office 
              -  Initiatives                    -  Healthy Food Financing Initiative 
                -  Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development                      -  Partners                        -  Federal 
                    -  Tribal 
                    -  State & Local 
                    -  Private Sector 
                  -  Funding Resources                        -  Grant Funding 
                    -  Equity Capital 
                    -  Loans and Guaranteed Loans 
                    -  Revolving Loan Funds 
                    -  Crowd Sourcing 
                    -  Technical Assistance 
                    -  Other 
                  -  Development Tools 
                  -  Publications & Information 
                -  Promise Zones 
                -  Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) 
                -  Rural Placemaking 
                -  Substantially Underserved Trust Area (SUTA) 
              -  Tribal Relations                    -  Tribal Relations Events 

Publications and Information includes descriptions, case studies, models, sample documents, videos, papers, maps, and strategies to assist with cooperative development. If your information is not represented here, please contact us at CoopInfo@usda.gov .

USDA Cooperative Programs provides many publications, reports, and educational materials. These are primarily authored by USDA staff but include publications by University partners and other cooperative specialists.

View All USDA Cooperative Services Publications

## Publications

### LinkCooperative Conversions: "Legal Guide To Cooperative Conversions" by by Janelle Orsi, William Lisa, & Sushil Jacob

This publication is a guide to the legal aspects of converting an employer-owned business to an employee-owned cooperative. The guide includes conversion models, case studies, and sample documents for a cooperative conversion in California. 

### LinkCooperative Conversions: Investment Capital for Worker Cooperatives by Alison Lingane, Project Equity and Annie McShiras, Self-Help Federal Credit Un...

“A Guide to Worker Coop Conversion Investments” and “Addressing the Risk Capital Gap for Worker Coop Conversions” explain and detail to potential investors the range of options for investing directly or indirectly in worker-owned cooperatives, especially in the context of worker coop conversions. The papers describe worker cooperatives and worker coop conversions including how financial statements are different and how deals are structured. The papers also address how to attract more financing for worker cooperatives including through raising the profile of worker cooperative conversions, standardizing and impact metrics, and assuring quality technical assistance. Authors: Alison Lingane, Project Equity and Annie McShiras, Self-Help Federal Credit Union.

### LinkEconomic Growth: "A Moment of Opportunity: Strategies for Inclusive Economic Growth" by Michelle Miller-Adams, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad Hershbein

A research report highlighting strategies, creating cooperative ecosystems which address economic development

### LinkGovernance: "Cooperative Governance Research Initiative by Courtney Berner and Dr. Laura Hanson Schlachter

Conducted by the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, it is the first national, cross-sector, mixed-methods study on governance practices among US cooperatives.    

### LinkChild Care Cooperatives: "Today's Landscape of Childcare Cooperatives" by Hilary Abell, Kim Coontz and Ricardo Nuñez 

Overview of childcare industry, types of childcare co-ops, and the ecosystem to support childcare co-ops. Examples are specific to California but applicable nationally.

### LinkDEI: "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Trends in the Cooperative Community" by Dr. Laura Hanson Schlachter

Results of 2021 survey of US cooperatives on their diversity, equity, and inclusion practices

### LinkDEI: "Latinx Cooperative Research" by Esther West of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and Dr. Jessica Gordon-Nembhard of the City ...

Research finds a wide array of Latinx co-ops in the US, with a cluster of co-op activity in New York City and within the worker co-op and credit union sectors.

### LinkMultistakeholder Cooperatives: "Solidarity As a Business Model:  A Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives Manual" by Margaret Lund and the Cooperative Develo...

Classic 2011 overview of cooperatives with two or more membership classes

### LinkNative American Cooperatives: "Beginning the Cooperative Journey Together: A Guide to Indigenous Community Cooperative Development" by the Minnesota ...

“Beginning the Cooperative Journey Together: A Guide to Indigenous Community Cooperative Development” by the Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance was written with the understanding that Native Americans engaged in cooperative practices and collective ownership throughout their history. Many Native Americans see their relationship with the world as an interdependent one. This worldview dovetails with the cooperative vision of working collaboratively toward self-sustainability and self-determination. While the publication provides information on western cooperative practices, it emphasizes that the creation of new Indigenous cooperatives likely requires an approach that comes from Native American history and mentors, may not involve formal business incorporations, and in fact may be a means of decolonization. 

### LinkWorker Cooperative: "Worker Cooperative Law Practice Guide" by the Sustainable Economies Law Center

The Sustainable Economies Law Center wrote this guide to provide step-by-step procedures for attorneys advising worker cooperatives organized under California law, but the guide has information that is useful in other states. SELC publishes legal guides addressing a number of types of cooperatives and cooperative issues on its website. Some guides are in Spanish. Contributing authors include Alex Glancy, Allison Curtis, Brett Heeger, Hasmik Geghamyan, Jennie Msall, Jonathan Ward, Kelsey Jae, Kim Arnone, Neil Aaron Helfman, Sam Gray, Sarah Kaplan, and Van Baldwin

### LinkWorker Cooperative: "An Illustrated Guide to the Internal Capital Account System for Worker Cooperatives" by The ICA Group

This publication by the ICA Group describes how worker cooperatives are financed including how internal capital accounts for workers are structured. Additionally the publication addresses worker cooperative losses, how to retire or terminate membership, dissolving the worker cooperative, and taxation of a worker cooperative.

### LinkWorker Cooperatives:  "Case Studies of Business Conversions to Worker Cooperatives" by Alison Lingane and Shannon Rieger

Insights and readiness factors for owners and employees

### LinkCooperative Conversions:  "Successful Cooperative Ownership Transitions" by Courtney Berner, Michaela Holmes, Anne Reynolds, Joe Rinehart

Comparison of long standing and more recent conversions

### LinkWorker Cooperatives:  "Union Toolkit for Cooperative Solutions" by Rebecca Lurie and Bernadette King Fitzsimons

Guide for interacting with labor unions when converting existing businesses to worker co-ops or organizing start-up co-ops; includes seven case studies

### LinkAffordable Housing:  "Manufactured Housing Resource Guide, First Steps Toward a Resident Purchase Opportunity" by the National Consumer Law Center

State and local policy recommendations to facilitate resident purchase of manufactured parks 

### LinkAffordable Housing:  "Manufactured Housing Resource Guide, Promoting Resident Ownership of Communities" by the National Consumer Law Center

Detailed analysis by the National Consumer Law Center on policies to facilitate resident ownership of manufactured housing parks

### LinkNative American Cooperatives: "Case Study:  Arctic Co-operatives Limited" by Margaret Lund

Case study about the shared services cooperative providing access to goods and services across remote First Nations villages in northern Canada

### LinkWorker Cooperative:  "Case Study:  Isthmus Engineering" by Margaret Lund

Case study about a 40+ year old worker cooperative in the engineering industry

### LinkEconomic Growth: "Stewards of Enterprise:  Lessons in Economic Democracy from Northern Italy" by Margaret Lund and Matt Hancock

Examination of cooperative ecosystems that promote widespread economic democracy in northern Italy