The Cooperative Internship Network has just gotten off the ground for 2012!
Are you a cooperator interested in growing your skills? Or do you know budding cooperative leaders who might benefit from an internship? Read more and apply to be an intern.
Do you work at a cooperative business or organization that always has more projects than staff capacity? Or do you know of cooperative businesses or organizations that could benefit from the energy, enthusiasm, and labor of an intern? Read more and apply to host an intern.
Hosting Organizations:
Past organizations have included community development groups, food cooperatives, co-op education centers, credit unions, housing co-ops, and community advocacy groups in the U.S. and Canada.
Deadline for host applications is February 24. Deadline for intern applications is March 8.
Visit our internships page for more information and don’t hesitate to get in touch with questions!
A broad range of contacts will be essential for passing this bill. Even if your cooperative is not in the districts with House Financial Services Committee members, your members may be registered to vote in these areas.
If you're interested in volunteering: HR3677@nasco.coop
The following is just out from U.S. House Representative Chaka Fattah's office. Congressman Fattah (D-PA) introduced bill HR 3677 with co-sponsors including Robert Brady (D-PA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and John Tierney (D-MA).
If passed, this bill could provide assistance for cooperative enterprises across the United States. Technical assistance grants paired with low cost financing allow for projects to reach sufficient scale before external funding is removed. The successful enterprises ultimately renew the tax base and pay for themselves. Matching funding, as a built-in requirement for the grants, ensures this program is not an extension of government, but instead a partnership between Federal and Cooperative enterprises seeking to achieve common goals.
This bill has been crafted in consultation with members of NASCO, and could provide significant assistance to improve and expand capacity for existing cooperatives. Critically, this legislation targets aid in specific ways to address poverty at the root.