AgChoice Farm Credit is an Agricultural Credit Association with over $898 million dollars in assets.  Through 10 branch offices, they provide financial services to a chartered territoy consisting of fifty-two counties in central, western, and northern Pennsylvania, as well as four coutnies in West Virginia.  Headquarters Address:  900 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6922. call 1-800-349-3568 or 717-796-9372 for the office nearest you.

Cornell University Cooperative Enterprise Program seeks to enhance the performance of existing cooperative businesses and facilitate the development of emerging cooperative enterprise through teaching, research, and outreach. Program initiatives are aimed primarily at senior management and boards of directors of cooperatives with an emphasis on finance, management, strategic planning, and marketing.  Contact Brian Henehan, 203 Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7801 Telephone: 607-255-8800 Fax: 607-255-9984

FCCAA offers a variety of educational and training programs.  Food service rentals offers a fully licensed commercial kitchen for rent to the community, producers and processors for value added food production.  Address:   FCCAA, 108 North Beeson Ave., Uniontown, PA 15401.  Telephone:  724-437-6050 or 1-800-427-4636.  Fax:  724-437-4418.  For Food Service Rentals Contact Richard Stull at 724-344-6587. 

MAAC is formed of 14 cooperatives based in Pennsylvania and Maryland in recognition that cooperative businesses are unique, and that they would individually gain strength by combining efforts to meet their specialized needs and interests.  Mailing Address:  PO Box 552, Shippensburg, PA 17257.  Telephone:  717-530-1209.  Fax:  717-532-9997.  Email information:  info (at) maacooperatives (dot) org.  

A nationwide association of cooperative businesses owned and controlled by farmers.  NCFC’s mission is to protect the public policy environment in which farmer-owned cooperative businesses operate, promote their economic well-being, and provide leadership in cooperative education.  Address: 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001.  Telephone: 202-626-8700.  Fax: 202-626-8722. 

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives studies and promotes cooperative action as a means of meeting people’s economic and social needs.  It develops, promotes, and coordinates educational programs, technical assistance and research on the cooperative form of business.  Their superb website has an entire section of links to agricultural cooperatives.  Address: UWCC, 230 Taylor Hall, 427 Lorch Street, Madison, WI 53706.  Telephone: 608-262-3981. 

USDA--Rural Development conducts a cooperative development programs designed to provide technical assistance to rural residents interested in organizing cooperatives or to existing cooperatives seeking to improve operations.  This technical assistance includes needs assessments, strategic planning, business planning, feasibility analysis, board training, along with distributing education materials. Address:  National Office/USDA Rural Development//Business & Cooperative Programs, Room 5045-S.  Mail Stop 3201.  1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3201.  Telephone:  202-690-4730.  Fax:  202-690-4737. 

By E. Kim Coontz, Center for Cooperatives, University of California.  2003.  Center for Cooperatives, U of CA, One Shields Ave., Davis California 95616.  Telephone:  530-752-2408. 

Credit Union National Association is the national trade association serving America’s credit unions.  Their website allows you to access current publications relating to credit unions.  Address: CUNA, 5710 Mineral Point Rd., Madison, WI 53705-4454. Telephone 800-356-9655.

National Credit Union Administration/NCUA is an independent federal agency that supervises and insures federal and state-chartered credit unions.  Address: 1775 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA  22314-3428.  Telephone: 703-518-6300. 

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national umbrella organization representing co-operatives and credit unions.  Address: Co-operative House, 400 - 275 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2L6, CANADA. Telephone: 613-238-6711. Website: http://www.coopscanada.coop/.   Check on-line publications.

The ILO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It promotes the development of independent employers' and workers' organizations and provides training and advisory services to those organizations.  Their extensive on-line website has cooperative resources, publications, and links to other sites.  On website follow links to the cooperative resources.

A private, nonprofit membership and research organization that serves as a source for accurate, unbiased information on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPS) and others.  Address: NCEO, 1736 Franklin St., 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Telephone: 510-208-1300. Their extensive website contains on-line publications and references to other resources. 

The OEOC at Kent State University offers assistance with a succession planning program for business owners of small, closely-held and/or family owned businesses looking to transition out of their businesses.  Address:  OEOC 113 McGilvrey Hall, Kent State University, Kent OH 44242.  Contact: Chris Cooper at 330-672-0338 or ccooper1 (at) kent (dot) edu or Jim Simecek at 330-672-0998 or jsimecek (at) kent (dot) edu.

On-line resource provided by The ICA Group, a national not-for-profit organization which seeks to create and save jobs through the development and strengthening of employee-owned cooperatives and community-based projects. 

Electric Net is an on-line link directory, buyer guide, and resource locator for the electrical power industry.

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is one of America’s oldest and largest research consortia.  Linked to a global network of technical specialists, innovative solutions to the world’s toughest energy problems are addressed.  EPRI offers the premier Internet search engine for the global energy industry.  Address: 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA  94304-1395.  Telephone: 650-855-2000.

A website with extensive information on the utility sector and links to numerous other information sites. Address:  1101 Vermont, N.W. Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: 202-898-2200.    

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is a national service organization that represents the interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve.  Address: 4301 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA  22203-1860.  Telephone: 703-907-5500.

This cooperative association serves as the unified voice for electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  They provide an excellent on-line and dial-up resource and link for information on electric issues and cooperatives in Pennsylvania.  Address: P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108.  Telephone: 717-233-5704.  Fax:  717-234-1309.  Email:  info (at) prea (dot) com.

Touchstone energy is a national alliance of local, cooperatively owned utilities.  Their web site is produced by the National Rural Electric Association. 

This is an on-line source of information about natural food co-ops.  They also answer letters and phone requests for food co-op information. Address: 1254 Etna Street, St. Paul, MN 55106. Telephone: 651-774-9189. 

Cooperative Grocers’ Information Network (CGIN) is membership organization dedicated to  helping food  co-ops in all stages of development. 

Katie Lima.  The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO).  The program guide highlights current activities and trends among entrepreneur projects including but not limited to; farmers' markets, shared use commercial kitchens, kitchen incubators and other food related micro-enterprises.  The guide can be downloaded at www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=93 or contact AEO.  Address:  1601 North Kent St., Suite 1101, Arlington, VA 22209.  Telephone:  703-841-7760. 

The Food Co-Op 500 program is a cooperative effort by National Cooperative Bank, Cooperative Development Services and National Cooperative Grocers Association.  It is an industry wide effort to efficiently and effectively grow the food co-op sector within the U.S.  Contact Stuart Reid 507-664-2034.  

An online cooperative resource and natural food directory service.  This on-line site provides good access to food cooperative resources and links to other sites of interest.  For Maryland listings check:  http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm#maryland

A health food cooperative directory. 

A California based organization that provides a National database of farmers markets, farmers, CSA’s, and food co-ops to promote buying locally.  Address 220 21^st. Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.  Telephone: 831-475-8150.  Website: 

Cooperative Development Services, University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, Community Forestry Resource Center, Cooperative Development Institute.  Revised, Second Edition.  October 2002.  For copies, contact Cooperative Development Services, 131 West Wilson Street.  Suite 400, Madison, Wisconsin 53703.  Telephone:  608-258-4396. 

Opportunities for Co-operatives in Health Care.  Co-operative Federation of Victoria Ltd., Melbourne, Australia, Discussion Paper No. 3, April 1997.  Check the website for various articles about cooperatives and helath care cooperatives.

A how to manual from the Cooperative Development Foundation (2001).  Cooperative Development Foundation 2011 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.    A research report with the same name is also available from the same source.

Frequently Asked Questions comparing co-op ownership to single family homes, rentals condos.  A six-page brochure is available online.

Cooperative Housing Corporation is a not for profit organization whose mission is to provide older adults and some special needs populations with housing facilities and services especially designed to meet their physical, social and psychological needs on a cooperative family basis and, through the "caring" second family environment, to promote their health, security, happiness and usefulness in longer living.  Address: 62 East High Street, Somerville, NJ 08876.  Telephone: 908-526-8130

Key operating practices and philosophies of successful housing cooperatives. United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 53, 1995.  Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381. 

Cooperative Housing Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization helping families throughout the world build better housing and communities.  Credit programs for low-income families are a core feature of most CHF programs.  Address:  8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 800, Silver Spring, MD 20910.  Telephone: 301-587-4700

The guide provides consumers, tenant groups and nonprofit developers a clear step-by-step process for conversion to,  or construction of, cooperative housing.  Jim Gray, Jon Kelly, Terry Lewis, Jay Marcus & Betsy Newcomer; NCB Development Corporation affiliates.  NCB  Capital Impact.  Address:  1333 Broadway, Suite 602, Oakland, CA 94612.  Telephone:  510-496-2227.  Fax:  510-496-0404.  Email:  Elizabeth Day at eday (at) ncbcapitalimpact (dot) org.

National Association of Housing Cooperatives is a nonprofit federation of housing cooperatives, regional cooperative housing associations, and others. Address:  1444 I Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005.  Telephone: 202-737-0797 Fax 202-783-7869.

National Cooperative Business Development Corporation is a national organization that focuses on housing, healthcare and childcare.  Address:  1725 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington DC. Telephone:  202-521-2930.

Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund offers a variety of cooperative development tool box kits and a 121 page guide book about housing cooperatives that can be ordered or downloaded online at http://www.ncdf.coop/Toolboxes.html.

The US Department of Rural Housing and Economic Development Gateway is an information clearinghouse providing technical assistance, training and information resources to support rural housing and economci development.  Address:  451 7th St., SW, Room 7137, Washington, DC 20410.  Telephone:  1-877-787-2526.  Fax:  202-401-0050.  Email:  rhed (at) hud (dot) gov.