The Disaster Recovery Fund helps cooperatives and cooperators get back on their feet after disasters or other emergency hardship situations. Cooperatives and cooperative support organizations can apply for funding that provides:

• aid to cooperatives by covering uninsured expenses needed to return the business to viability;
• aid to employees and others associated with the cooperatives by covering uninsured expenses and uninsured medical assistance needed to support recovery.

Who may apply: Cooperatives and cooperative support organizations. 

Review process: CDF will review applications and notify applicants about the status of their application within 1 - 2 weeks of submission, depending on number of requests and available funding. Requests for up to $2,500 will be expedited. 

Recipient obligation: Disaster Recovery Fund recipients are required to report on the use of their grant(s) within a year of receipt. 

For technical difficulties, please contact support@submittable.com. 

CDF’s Cooperative Education Fund will offer small grants to individuals interested in conducting research to identify and provide documentation for nominations of individuals from groups of people whose work and achievements in advancing cooperatives have gone unrecognized.

Research will be used to nominate and advocate for the next Unsung Cooperative Hero. Researchers will be required to advocate for their nominee to the year’s Hall of Fame selection committee comprised of cooperative leaders from all sectors. If the nominee is chosen for induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame, the researcher will receive a ticket to attend the ceremony. There will also be up to two tickets available for family members of the inductee.

Who may apply: Preference will be given to students associated with or supported by cooperatives or cooperative organizations. Grants are only available for organizations in the United States.

Review process: Applications will be reviewed by a committee and approved by the CDF Board of Directors. Applications should have some information to indicate how and why the research will help inform the Unsung Hero nomination process.

Recipient obligation: The recipient must complete the research and present research materials and nomination packets in support of their nominee by September 2. The recipient will also advocate for their nominee before the Hall of Fame selection committee later in the year.

Applications due on February 2. Applicants will be notified of their status by February 16. If awarded, research and nomination packets are due on September 2.

About the Cooperative Hall of Fame and Unsung Heroes

Established in 1974 by the National Cooperative Business Association, the Cooperative Hall of Fame is administered by the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and serves to honor those distinguished individuals whose contributions to cooperative business have been genuinely heroic. Inductees are limited to a prestigious group carefully selected to preserve the nature of this distinction. Nominations are received annually by a selection committee (appointed by the chair of the CDF Board of Directors). The nominees selected are presented to the Board of Directors of the National Cooperative Business Association for approval and induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. For more information, see heroes.coop.

In 2021, the CDF Board approved the addition of a process to honor as inductees into the Hall of Fame individuals who were members of groups that have been historically overlooked. Referred to as Unsung Heroes, the nominees selected through this process, no more than one per year, will be inducted alongside and with the same level of recognition as those selected through the traditional Hall of Fame process. To be eligible for consideration as an Unsung Hero:

• The individual’s contributions to cooperative practice, for the most part, were made before the Hall of Fame began in 1974, and
• The individual comes from a group of people whose work and achievements have historically been unrecognized and even suppressed.

For technical difficulties, please contact support@submittable.com.

Do you know an outstanding food cooperator who deserves to be  recognized?  Or have you been admiring the progress, growth, innovation,  or resilience of a particular co-op.

Here is your opportunity to recognize them!

The CCMA Awards are the food co-op sector’s opportunity to recognize  colleagues and cooperatives for their contributions, leadership, and  commitment to cooperative values. Nominations are made by the food co-op  community and reviewed by a panel of peers selected by CCMA steward, UW  Center for Cooperatives.

If you know of a food co-op or someone in the food co-op community who deserves commendation, please nominate them!

Create a Submittable account and complete the online application.  

AWARD CATEGORIES

Cooperative Excellence (Retailer of the Year)

Eligible nominees: Retail grocery cooperatives
Description: This award recognizes overall  excellence in cooperative retail operations, grounded in cooperative  principles and designed to serve both members and the broader community.
Evaluation Criteria

•  Organizational Effectiveness: Achieves excellence in design,  management, and/or key operational processes and cultivates a culture of  continuous learning and improvement.
• Business Results: Demonstrates consistent success in financial  performance and meeting members needs while staying true to cooperative  principles and values.
• Leadership and Governance: Board and management work together to set clear, realistic priorities and follow through effectively.
• Strategic Planning: Establishes strategic goals that support market  leadership and position the co-op to respond to challenges and  opportunities in a rapidly changing retail and food system environment.
• Member Experience: Prioritizes member and customer satisfaction through service excellence and cooperative education.

Cooperative Service Award

Eligible nominees: Individual working at a retail food cooperative
Description: The Cooperative Service Award honors an  individual whose above-and-beyond contributions, leadership, and  commitment to cooperative principles have made a lasting, positive  impact on their co-op’s operations, culture, and mission. 

Evaluation Criteria:

• Exceptional Performance & Dedication: Consistently exceeds  expectations, delivering results that enhance the cooperative’s  operations, member experience, or workplace culture.
• Innovation & Initiative: Takes risks and introduces creative  solutions that lead to positive, lasting change within the co-op.
• Champion of Cooperative Principles: Embodies the cooperative principles in everyday work.
• Impact & Influence: Demonstrates accomplishments that have  improved the co-op’s effectiveness, reputation, and long-term success.
• Commitment to Community: Advances the cooperative’s mission to serve  and uplift its members, employees, and the surrounding community.

Cooperative Board Service

Eligible nominees: Individuals serving on a cooperative board of directors
Description: The Cooperative Board Service Award  honors a food co-op board member whose exceptional dedication,  leadership, and commitment to cooperative principles have strengthened  democratic governance and advanced the co-op’s goals through  extraordinary contributions of time, talent, and service to both the  co-op and its community.
Evaluation Criteria:  

• Exemplary Leadership: Demonstrates integrity, accountability, and a  deep commitment to the cooperative’s mission, values, and democratic  governance.
• Strategic Impact: Plays a key role in guiding the co-op toward  meaningful progress in areas such as financial health, community  engagement, equity, or sustainability.
• Exceptional Commitment: Contributes significant time, energy, or  expertise beyond the expectations of board service to advance the  cooperative’s goals.
• Mentorship & Collaboration: Encourages effective teamwork within  the board and nurtures leadership among fellow directors, staff, and  members.
• Community Stewardship: Demonstrates a strong connection between the  co-op and its community, fostering collaboration and mutual benefit.

Cooperative Impact Award

Eligible nominees: Individual staff, board members, or cooperative champions who are working within or in service to cooperative enterprises.
Description: This award celebrates individuals who  are helping redefine what’s possible in our sector—whose efforts have  created meaningful change, inspired others, and contributed to a more  just and thriving cooperative ecosystem.
Evaluation Criteria:  

• Transformative Impact: Has led or contributed to initiatives that  resulted in significant, positive change for a cooperative, its members,  or the broader cooperative movement.
• Innovation & Vision: Demonstrates creativity, forward-thinking  approaches, or new models that strengthen cooperative operations,  engagement, or visibility.
• Equity & Inclusion: Advances inclusion, justice, and community well-being through cooperative principles and practices.
• Inspiration & Leadership: Serves as a role model, mentor, or  motivator who empowers others to lead and participate in the cooperative  movement.
• Sustained Impact: Makes contributions that will have a lasting influence on the sector.

Cooperative Innovation Award

Eligible nominees: Retail grocery cooperatives and individual staff, board member, or cooperative champion.
Description: The Cooperative Innovation Award honors  individuals, groups, or co-ops whose creative, forward-thinking  solutions have transformed how cooperatives address challenges,  delivering measurable, mission-aligned improvements grounded in  cooperative principles.
Evaluation Criteria:  

• Relevance & Responsiveness: Addressed a pressing or emerging  issue in a way that reflects the urgency, relevance, and complexity of  the challenge or opportunity.
• Innovative Approach: Introduced new ideas, systems, or strategies  that significantly improve how cooperatives operate, engage members, or  serve their communities.
• Impact & Measurable Results: Achieved tangible, positive  outcomes such as increased member engagement, operational efficiency,  community benefit, or financial stability.
• Scalability & Replicability: Demonstrated potential for broader application or inspiration across the cooperative sector.
• Alignment with Cooperative Principles: Ensured that the innovation  reinforces cooperative identity, democratic participation, and/or shared member benefit.
   

For technical difficulties, please contact support@submittable.com.

The Cooperative Development Foundation's Education Fund is offering scholarships to cover the cost of registration to attend CCMA 2026, which will take place in Tacoma, Washington, from May 28-30, 2026.

The Cooperative Education Fund supports cooperative research, sponsors cooperative education events and scholarships and develops cooperative education materials and programs.

Who may apply: Staff, managers, and board members of food cooperatives. Cooperators who are experiencing financial hardship.

Review process: Applications will be reviewed by a scholarship committee. All applicants will be notified as to the status of their applications.

Other Information:

• Applications are due March 13, 2026.
•  Applicants will be notified of their application status by March 20, 2026.
• If you apply for a CCMA scholarship, please do not register for the conference until after the March 20, 2026 notification date. If you pre-register and are awarded a scholarship, registration fees will be refunded less a 25% administration fee to cover credit card and transaction fees. 

For technical difficulties, please contact support@submittable.com.