The Cooperative Foundation Helps Strengthen Cooperative Education

The Cooperative Foundation in St. Paul has helped strengthen and expand education efforts for local cooperative members through two recent grants.

The Midwest Shippers' Association (MSA) will be able to strengthen its Midwest Specialty Grain Industry and Education Network through a grant from the foundation. MSA is a nonprofit agricultural cooperative that helps producers, producer groups and small agribusinesses in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin efficiently produce and export specialty grains.

"The Network provides valuable education to producers on existing and emerging opportunities in the identity-preserved specialty grains industry," said William J. Nelson, The Cooperative Foundation president. "It also provides producers with a network of processors, traders, as well as domestic and international buyers and end users in the specialty grains industry."

The foundation's grant will help support a promotional DVD for the 2005 Midwest Specialty Grains Conference and Trade Show, an identity preserved grain and food safety forum for producers. The Network also includes weekly news and information releases relating to foreign trade leads and market intelligence.

The Cooperative Foundation has also funded educational programs for the Federation of Workplace Democracies in Minnesota, based in Minneapolis. The federation was founded in July 2004 by 12 worker cooperatives in the Twin Cities area. This worker co-op network is the second of its kind in Minnesota in the last four years, and one of four in the United States.

The foundation's recent grant will help fund staff hours for the federation, and develop education materials and programs, which include one-on-one training as well as print and online materials.

"Organizations like the Federation of Workplace Democracies in Minnesota serve as a backbone for community economic development," said Nelson. "It provides valuable education for worker cooperative members and prospective start-up ventures."

As a private foundation, The Cooperative Foundation has supported cooperative business development, education and research projects in the Upper Midwest for more than 50 years. Projects include all co-op business sectors, such as grocery, housing, agriculture, electric and credit. The foundation was started by area cooperative leaders in 1945. Most of the foundation's financial assets are from an endowment created by St. Paul architect Thomas Ellerbe, Sr., and his family, as well as contributions from cooperative benefactors.

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