Programs – Cooperative Development Institute

New England Resident Owned Communities (NEROC)
NEROC provides technical assistance to help manufactured-home owners form a cooperative business and buy the land underneath their homes, preserving affordable housing and improving the value and infrastructures of these communities. When a park is up for sale we help residents use a nationally successful model to form a cooperative business, get financing to buy the park, and learn how to run it with democratic resident control.

Business Ownership Solutions (BOS)
BOS supports established businesses in employee ownership transitions. Many business owners with employees in the Northeast are planning to retire in the next few years, but they do not have an exit plan and no one to turn to for answers. Many of them end up liquidating their businesses, resulting in job losses and other harmful, financial impacts to our communities. Our BOS program works with business owners and their employees to think through whether conversion to employee ownership is feasible and could meet their needs.

Cooperative Business Services
CBS supports cooperative startups and established cooperatives meet their needs through technical assistance and training. Our experienced technical assistants guide startups through the process of inception, design, and launch. We are industry-agnostic with a focus on high impact areas such as agriculture, childcare and manufacturing as well as historically underserved rural communities. We also support existing co-ops to reach their growth and re-development goals.

Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP)
WISP provides free technical and managerial support to connect eligible manufactured home communities across New England with available funding sources. Manufactured-home communities are an essential source of affordable housing for New England, but their infrastructure is often at the end of its useful lifespan and major investment is needed to sustain these affordable communities for the long term.

Immigrant Services
Recognizing the growing demand for support of immigrants and asylum seekers in the Northeast, in May 2023, CDI launched its first program designed to service immigrant communities. CDI has unique experience in co-op development and the changing needs of immigrant communities. In its early stages, the CDI’s immigrant services aims to form an immigrant cooperative services business alliance; increase local ownership of business, housing, land and other assets; and fundraise and partner with financial institutions to invest more general resources into Immigrant Services and its beneficiaries.