Cooperative Development Institute

Business ownership solutions (bos):since bos was founded in 2013, we have led 33 businesses through transitions to employee-owned cooperatives, creating ownership opportunities for more than 570 workers and helping them secure more than $34 million in capital to buy those businesses.beginning in 2024, bos was awarded $1.25 million by wells fargo to develop the northeast transition initiative (neti), a partnership of organizations and lenders with comprehensive experience in exit-planning and ownership transitions. The goal of the partnership is to raise public awareness of the employee ownership option, activate a small business ecosystem across the northeast, develop a robust training program, and document best practices and outcomes.across the u.s., a wave of aging baby boomer business owners is planning to retire in the next few years, but they don't have a plan, posing a great threat to business, job preservation, and growth in our communities. In new england and ny alone, an estimated 200,000+ small businesses have owners who are looking to retire or transition within the next few years, but only about 17% of them have a succession plan. Employee ownership is a proven strategy to preserve critical businesses and jobs and provide wealth building opportunities for workers. Bos helps business owners, and their employees execute conversions to employee ownership and provides public education to help businesses understand their options to avoid the loss of businesses and jobs.

Cooperative business services (cbs):cbs has helped to form 185 co-ops, representing more than 900 jobs, and has assisted more than 220 existing co-ops with growth and transformation planning.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. Cbs is 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 has helped 52 manufactured home communities submit grant applications totaling $30.7 million in funding awarded for their infrastructure projects.in december 2024, cdi was awarded a six-year, $17.9 million price grant for the benefit of infrastructure projects throughout the service area.wisp provides free technical and managerial support to connect eligible manufactured home communities across new england with available funding sources for infrastructure projects including drinking water, septic, and electrical systems improvements. Manufactured-home communities are an essential source of affordable housing for new england. However, 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.