NCBA CLUSA’s mission is to develop, advance and protect cooperatives. In partnership with our members, we animate this mission by engaging in advocacy, public awareness, thought leadership and development. We have done this work in the U.S. going on 109 years.
Since 1953, we have worked in communities around the world helping small businesses, farmers and families use cooperatives to build prosperity and stability. And since 1962, the U.S. Government has provided resources to support NCBA CLUSA’s work, recognizing that these efforts advance national interests. Our development work helps put America at the forefront of building democratic institutions and economic stability around the world—particularly in regions in greatest need and that are at risk of anti-American or terrorist influence.
Our work has also created supply chains and markets that help U.S.-owned businesses and farmers. In Indonesia, for example, we have helped thousands of small farmers improve spice and coffee production, dramatically increasing their incomes. We connect these farmers and their cooperatives to American companies whose global market share grows, benefitting American employees and consumers.
NCBA CLUSA was on the ground floor of advocating for reform in the way that the U.S. Government delivered foreign assistance in 1961, ensuring that taxpayer dollars were used in the most effective way on behalf of U.S. citizens. The result was the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, legislation both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed by a margin of 2-to-1 in a bipartisan fashion. In fact, that margin was the same in both chambers for Republicans and Democrats.
In the last two weeks, the U.S. Government has suspended work for a vast swath of foreign assistance projects, including many implemented by NCBA CLUSA. Official guidance and public statements indicate that the new Administration intends to review these programs for potential modification over a period of up to 90 days. Adding to the uncertainty are several court cases impacting development projects generally—the timing and ultimate outcomes of which are unknowable.
To our members, I want to be very transparent on what this means for your cooperative apex association: In the short-term, this dynamic has caused significant uncertainty as development funding accounts for a critical percentage of our revenue. We are aggressively managing the situation to minimize negative impacts to the people we serve and to ensure that we remain an indispensable partner of U.S. foreign assistance. To secure our long-term viability, we are redoubling our efforts to grow the parts of our development portfolio funded by the private sector and international donors. There’s also reason to believe that some or all our projects currently under review could be continued via a different administrative mechanism.
Meanwhile, as we have for generations, NCBA CLUSA stands ready to support the reform of foreign assistance. We believe that when more people harness the power of cooperatives, America becomes safer and more prosperous. As with all programs, we think it makes sense for the Administration and Congress to look for ways to improve how taxpayer dollars are spent. And we support ensuring any changes are made in ways that minimize the negative impact on the people we serve and the people we employ. This means greater certainty and the resources to affect change.
Let me end where this column began: Our mission is to develop, advance and protect cooperatives, work we have led for more than five generations. Because this mission is so critical to the cooperative community, we will continue to advance our work in the generations to come. Our approaches to advocacy, public awareness and development will surely evolve—as it has continually over the last 100 years. But our focus on ensuring that more people can use the cooperative business model to build economic security, stronger communities and more prosperous futures will not waver.