We are excited to open our next round of, CoFUND, our regranting program, aimed to support and build the collective resilience of food and land-justice based cooperatives; led by Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color of all ages.
The following three sections outline the Grant Details (Section 1), the Eligibility Requirements (Section 2), and the Application Requirements (Section 3).
Through this fund, CoFED will re-grant funding to cooperative and farmer-based organizations that are building and working to transform the food system.
Section 1. The Grant Details
The purpose of this grant is to support co-ops and small farmers in the day-to-day operations to aid in the development of their organization. We encourage legally established cooperatives and other business entities at all stages (from start-up to scale-up) to apply! Please see our eligibility and Frequently Asked Questions for more information. If your questions are not answered there, reach out to grants@cofed.org and we will do our best to respond.
The grantee will receive up to $10,000.00. In addition to grant funding, grantees will also have access to 12 months of technical assistance in business management, financial and operational skills, and communications support.
CoFED’s, CoFUND Selection Committee, will select the grant recipients based on meeting the qualifications (as set out in Section 2) and on the ability of the applicant to communicate how the funds will be used. Selected applicants will sign a participation agreement that includes the grant agreement and reporting requirements, and commits the selected applicant to participate in and complete an educational webinar (or other format, to be confirmed) that offers education and insights to other co-ops.
Section 2. Eligibility:
To be eligible to apply for the grant, organizations must:
- Be a legal US based entity or fiscally sponsored by a legal US based entity.
- Submit the complete application (Section 3) by the deadline (April 7, 2023 by 11:59pm PST).
- Applicants must submit a W-9 with their application to be considered for funding. All grants distributed by CoFED will be reported to the Internal Revenue Services, per US reporting requirements.
Section 3. Application:
- Email Completed application and W9 to: grants@cofed.org
April 7, 2023
You can find a copy of the application on https://cofed.coop/tools/cofund/ in English and Spanish. You can email your completed application and W9 to: grants@cofed.org
As long as you are legally registered in your state, you are eligible to apply. We understand that all organizations cannot file as cooperatives. However, we ask that applicants have a cooperative approach or are working to assist cooperatives.
Yes. We see housing as deeply connected to land justice, and we welcome your application.
We encourage established organizations to apply for this grant, but we have other program offerings and technical assistance if you are interested in learning more about becoming a cooperative
We offer 12-months of technical support in a variety of areas: financial and business planning, fundraising, operational organizing, communications, conflict transformation, legal and bookkeeping resources, governance support, and more! You will also gain access to our network of QTBIPOC-led coops – MyceliYUM.
The grant period is 12-months.
We ask for a brief report (3 questions of reflection) that can be either submitted through completing a form or a phone call with one of our team representatives. Our reporting is meant to be rooted in reflection and learning.
You can connect with one of our team members to explore other options. Our goal is to make it as accessible as we can.
Here is a quick breakdown of our application review timeline:
- April 7: Applications are due
- April 10 – April 14: Applications are reviewed for qualification by CoFED
- April 17 – April 30: Applications are reviewed by selection committee
If you are among qualified candidates, you will receive an email from one of our team members no later than May 12. In any case, we will keep you posted on the status of your application.
We offer two other flagship cooperative education and leadership development programs: Build, Unlearn, Decolonize (BUD) and the Just Leader Fellowship. We are going to be launching applications for BUD 2023 in early summer 2023, and we are nearing the end of our JLF cycle for this year. We also provide technical assistance throughout the year on various topics rooted in the universe of food and land justice cooperatives. If you are interested in learning more, please connect with us by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media.
Yes! We welcome your reapplication.
