Montana Cooperative Center Wins $1 Million in Grants

Great Falls-based Montana Cooperative Development Center will use two federal grants totaling $1,024,993 to support cooperative business development statewide.

Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Organic Food

Montana Cooperative Center Wins $1 Million in Grants

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Would you support your community starting a locally owned business instead of waiting for chains?

The Montana Cooperative Development Center secured two grants totaling $1,024,993, including a $524,993 USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant and a $500,000 award from the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. The center was one of five recipients selected from 76 proposals.

Why it matters

The funding expands technical help for cooperative ventures across Montana, including those in food and forest products. Residents exploring locally owned businesses in rural areas gain added support for planning and launching them.

The funding combines a $524,993 USDA award supporting two years of business assistance and leadership training with a $500,000 award for new wood fiber markets. Details on how many cooperatives will be formed remain unspecified.

The players

Montana Cooperative Development Center

A Great Falls-based organization that helps communities across Montana form and grow cooperative businesses.

The Grange

A Big Timber food enterprise planning meat processing, cold storage and distribution services under a producer- and employee-owned structure that is not formally a cooperative.

The details

Under the USDA-funded portion, the center will provide step-by-step guidance from initial community meetings through incorporation. The forestry award will support new markets and uses for wood fiber, including material with limited commercial outlets.

Early 2027: Grant-funded work begins.

Market Landscape

The USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program has long funded technical help for rural cooperatives, and this award extends that support into Montana's food supply. The Grange's non-cooperative structure reflects a choice for flexibility that competes with the traditional cooperative model.

Montana residents interested in starting a cooperative can seek step-by-step help from the center beginning with early community meetings. Shoppers may eventually see locally processed meat and food distribution if planned Grange services open.

The takeaway

Cooperative and locally owned models offer a flexible path for rural communities to build food and forest businesses. Those considering such ventures can start with early planning meetings and available technical assistance.