Our Story

NWCDC is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), organization devoted to assisting new and existing cooperative businesses in every sector with a special emphasis on Resident Owned Communities, home care agencies, and converting existing businesses into worker-owned or community-owned cooperatives. 

NWCDC’s physical location is in Olympia, WA part of the region covered by the Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 signed under duress. NWCDC acknowledges the Indigenous People of the Medicine Creek Treaty: Coast Salish People and Sahewamish Tribe who are the traditional custodians of this land. We also honor the Nisqually Tribe and Squaxin Island Tribe and pay respect to elders past and present and we extend that respect to other Native People with whom we engage throughout the Pacific Northwest region.

NWCDC primarily supports cooperatives in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho but has also supported projects as far away as Alaska and Hawai’i.  Founded by cooperatives in 1979, the Center has grown into the Northwest’s leading provider of services for co-op business development.  We have a long history of collaborating with communities, governments, economic development agencies, and other cooperatives, sharing expertise and building cross-sector support for new and existing cooperatives

We understand that when consumers, producers or workers become business owners of a cooperative, their individual and collective responsibilities greatly increase.  New owners face significant challenges to organize, get started and stay on track with a new cooperative business. 

To help with these challenges, NWCDC provides facilitation, advising, analysis, and access to information and tools for cooperatives.  Our pre-development work with startups helps to build business ownership, sound management practices, and economic health.

NWCDC is an active member of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), US Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC), and CooperationWorks!, the cooperative development network.

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