Rural Cooperative Development Grant

The goal of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation's Rural Cooperative Grant application is to reduce risks to the regional economy associated with business closures, ownership transitions, and job losses resulting from an aging entrepreneurial base, while expanding specialized technical assistance for agricultural and food-based businesses exploring cooperative, employee-owned, and shared-service business models. Through the Southern Vermont Cooperative Business Center, we will continue transforming these challenges into opportunities by enabling more individuals to participate in business ownership, empowering workers as active contributors to the regional economy, and retaining wealth locally through community-based ownership and control. USDA funding will allow BDCC and the Vermont Employee Ownership Center to expand the Center's capacity during its second year of funding (third year of operation) by investing in four interconnected areas of work and broadening our regional footprint through strategic partnerships that complement existing initiatives. These initiatives address emerging opportunities and expand the impact of cooperative development services across Southern Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and Southern New Hampshire.