Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North Country Cooperative Development Fund is a "cooperative's cooperative." NCDF is a financial intermediary that obtains deposits and investments from cooperative enterprises and their supporters and provides loans and other assistance to cooperative business. It has been making loans for more than 25 years and was started in the 1970s by food co-ops when they were having difficulty finding money in conventional markets.

NCDF is really three organizations:

Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund is unregulated but participates in a voluntary system of standards. Loans are made to cooperative businesses.
Northcountry Cooperative Foundation supports training and nonprofit housing development work.
Northcountry Cooperative Fund Federal Credit Union provides opportunities for individuals to invest in cooperation. Funds are made available for loan primarily to individuals seeking to purchase shares in cooperative housing projects.

The organization is based in Minneapolis. Its executive director is Margaret Lund.