The Trustees of The John Merck Fund approved a $35,000 grant to enable the Cooperative Development Institute to help New American farmers and food leaders to acheive greater economic security and opportunity by increasing revenue from wholesale markets, securing funding and financing, and becoming more integrated and active in the local and regional food system.
This grant is essential for our Cooperative Food System (CFS) program to increase revenue and sustainability of farm businesses and access to further training in leadership and cooperative development skills.
Our goal is to help more people in the Northeast, including farmers, food producers, food systems planners and organizers, elected officials, and lenders, learn about cooperatives in the food system through communications campaigns that include short videos, social media, and targeted outreach.
Additionally, this funding allowed us to create a video series for our Cooperative Food Systems program.
If you haven’t seen it, check it out!