CoNorth Blog
Meet the Newest Members of the CoNorth Team
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First-ever MN Co-op Summit Builds Community
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Hillcrest Cooperative Welcomes First CoNorth Home
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2025 Common Ground Conference – Find Your Superpower!
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From Northcountry Cooperative Foundation to CoNorth
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Addressing the stigma of manufactured housing
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NCF Receives $212,500 Member Impact Fund Grants to Strengthen Cooperative Housing
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CoMinnesota hosts first-ever statewide event – July 29–30 in Morris, MN
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Meet the Newest Members of the NCF Team – Part I
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New national tracking tool reveals private equity’s growing grip on manufactured home communities
Manufactured housing communities (MHCs) have long been a crucial source of affordable housing for over 21 million largely low-income Americans. However, in recent years, private equity and hedge funds have increasingly targeted this market.
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Twin Cities Film Fest screening “A Decent Home” on 10/24
Northcountry Cooperative Foundation will be joining the Twin Cities Film Fest at their screening of the award-winning documentary “A Decent Home” on October 24th.
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NCF welcomes newest Housing Program Associate, Ellery
The staff at Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) continues to expand! We are happy to welcome Ellery Wealot to the team.
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NCF expands with our new controller, Julie
Julie Fliflet joined NCF in mid-April as our Controller, a newly created role designed to strengthen NCF’s internal financial management. Julie will lead all financial operations, including reporting, record-keeping, analysis, budgeting, and the development of fiscal policies. Her expertise will be instrumental as we bring these critical functions in-house for the first time.
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NCF grows team with new office coordinator, Alexa
Alexa Hancock joins NCF as a full-time Office Coordinator.
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Sweet 16 – Bois de Sioux becomes newest manufactured housing cooperative in Upper Midwest
The homeowners of Bois de Sioux Mobile Estates, the only manufactured home park in Breckenridge, MN, recently purchased their 75-site manufactured home community and formed Bois de Sioux Cooperative, Minnesota’s thirteenth resident-owned manufactured housing cooperative and the 16th within Northcountry Cooperative Foundation’s service area.
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Introducing the Tom Guettler Cooperative Leaders Fund – scholarship program created in honor of long-time employee
NCF is excited to launch the Tom Guettler Cooperative Leaders Fund to honor the legacy of a long-time employee and to support cooperative leaders in their continuing education pursuits.
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NCF welcomes new Real Estate Development Director – Dave Berglund
NCF is excited to welcome its newest team member, Dave Berglund. Dave joins the ever-expanding NCF team as its new Real Estate Development Director.
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NCF welcomes Emerald Pines – MN’s 12th resident-owned manufactured housing co-op
The homeowners of Viking City Mobile Home Park recently purchased their 42-site manufactured home community in Alexandria, MN, renaming their community Emerald Pines and becoming Minnesota’s twelfth resident-owned manufactured housing cooperative.
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NCF partners with UHAB to build capacity for multifamily cooperative housing in Minnesota
In an exciting development for affordable homeownership in the Upper Midwest, NCF has formed a partnership with New York-based Urban Homesteading Assistance Board (UHAB). This collaboration is poised to launch NCF into the limited-equity cooperative multifamily housing space, in turn empowering historically underserved communities through cooperative homeownership.
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NCF welcomes newest technical assistance provider
NCF is pleased to announce its newest addition to the team, Ed Hilbrich, as Housing Program Associate. Ed’s hiring brings NCF’s staff to 10, a doubling of the organization’s personnel in a year. The added capacity will allow NCF to further its work in providing technical assistance to resident-owned manufactured housing cooperatives and expanding their presence across the Upper Midwest.
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NCF selected for USDA panel discussion
Last week, Northcountry Cooperative Foundation’s (NCF) Associate Director, Emily Stewart, participated as a panelist in the first of a series of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development hosted meetings that focus on connecting a diverse array of private sector cooperatives with government partners to increase collaboration and effectiveness. Focusing on housing cooperatives, the event was a part of the Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development’s efforts, established by US Congress, to “foster cooperative development and ensure coordination with federal agencies and cooperative organizations.”
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MN manufactured home owners big winners in historic 2023 legislative session
As the 2023 Minnesota legislative session wrapped up this week, many are calling it one for the history books. From universal free school lunch and breakfast to legalizing recreational marijuana, legislators moved at breakneck speed to pass a comprehensive budget and several major policy changes.
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NCF named semi-finalist in $20M national grant competition
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NCF welcomes Minnesota’s newest resident-owned community in Gaylord
Last month, the homeowners of Gaylord Mobile Home Park purchased their 31-site manufactured (“mobile”) home community to become Minnesota’s eleventh resident-owned manufactured-home cooperative. The residents, almost entirely Spanish speaking, named their new cooperative community El Nuevo Amanecer (The New Dawn).
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The Best PRICE: Pres. Biden signs first-time federal funding for manufactured housing preservation
One of the most difficult obstacles facing manufactured home communities is the continued cost of maintaining and preserving their privately owned infrastructure, such as roads, sewer, and water systems. While individual states such as Minnesota have created infrastructure grant programs specifically to help communities improve their aging infrastructure, the federal government had no such funding available.
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NCF continues legislative push in St. Paul during 2023 session
NCF has a foundational mission of “transforming lives and communities through cooperative enterprise.” That mission is often carried out through educating and providing technical assistance to those living in manufactured housing communities as they organize and run their own resident-owned cooperatives. However, NCF has consistently seen an additional need to be an advocate for those in manufactured housing cooperatives through involvement in public policy.
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MN House hears bill for $65M to preserve & expand manufactured housing
While cooperative board members are naturally leaders in their own communities, often their roles expand into advocating for all manufactured housing residents. Such is the case with Woodlawn Terrace Cooperative Board President Bev Adrian. With a storied history of manufactured housing advocacy work, Bev joined NCF Executive Director Victoria Clark-West to testify in support of Minnesota HF 814, a bill that provides $65 million in state funding for preserving and expanding manufactured housing. Bev and Victoria explained to the members of the Minnesota House Housing Committee that the legislation is not only necessary to help preserve the most affordable form of homeownership, but also expand cooperative ownership across the state.
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NCF earns Charities Review Council Meets Standards Seal
NCF recently received Charities Review Council’s Meets Standards® seal, a visual marker on nonprofit strength. Nonprofit organizations such as NCF earn the Meets Standards® seal by voluntarily participating in Charities Review Council’s Accountability Wizard® review process.
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Resident-owned communities secure $6 million for infrastructure from State of MN
Minnesota Housing and the Minnesota legislature invested over $9.5 million in the MHCR program in 2022, the single largest funding cycle in the program’s history. The 14 projects that received grants will improve 742 home lots in manufactured home communities located in six different regions of the state. NCF-supported resident-owned communities received the vast majority of the funding in 2022, totaling nearly $6 million in infrastructure and acquisition projects. The two largest grants were given to resident-owned cooperatives.
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5 Myths of Manufactured Homes
There are a lot of myths out there about manufactured homes, and we’re doing our part to bust them. Here are five of the most common myths we hear about manufactured homes.
Myth #1– Manufactured homes are “mobile”
There’s a reason you’re reading the phrase “manufactured homes” and not “mobile homes.” First, “mobile homes” *technically* refers to homes built before Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code was established in 1976. More to the point, only 1% of manufactured homes move once they are placed. Sure, they get put on a truck to go to their forever home, but once they are put there they are pretty much stuck. It takes lots of money (like, tens of thousands of dollars) to move a manufactured home. And you risk really serious damage. Some older homes can’t be moved at all without being completely destroyed.
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Everybody’s sunshine: Natividad Seefeld of Park Plaza Cooperative
Natividad Seefeld is the President of Park Plaza Cooperative in Fridley, Minnesota. But she’s so much more than that. She’s a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, a former business owner, a problem solver, a cancer surviver, a mover, a shaker, and part of the glue that holds together a vibrant, thriving, diverse, urban community.
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5 myths of cooperatives
We hear lots of myths about cooperatives, and thought it was time to set the record straight. This post is part of our annual campaign — the theme this year is “myths and legends.”
Myth #1 – Cooperatives are nonprofits
Co-ops are businesses, plain and simple. They have to make money to function and are not eligible for most grants. Co-ops face the same challenges as other businesses!
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A Decent Home released on Apple TV: documentary features vulnerability of manufactured homeowners amid investor speculation
A Decent Home, the feature length documentary about the vulnerability of manufactured homeowners amid rampant speculation by investor groups, is released today and is available on Amazon.
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7 Ways to Celebrate Co-op Month
Every year in October, cooperators everywhere celebrate National Co-op Month. I love Co-op Month because it reminds me to stop and reflect on all the ways that cooperation nourishes our spirits and strengthens our communities. I had fun putting together this list of ways to celebrate Co-op Month and hope you have fun getting out there and cooperating!
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Madelia Mobile Village finishes construction, invests over $1M in their infrastructure
On December 28th, 2020 the residents of Madelia Mobile Village in Madelia, Minnesota were notified that they were the recipients of a $700,000 grant from Minnesota Housing’s Manufactured Housing Community Redevelopment Program to complete the much needed renovation of two water and sewer lines within their community.
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Residents reunite at Common Ground Conference / Tierra Compartida Conferencia 2022
Each year Northcountry Cooperative Foundation brings together leaders from resident owned manufactured home communities across Minnesota and Wisconsin for an exciting educational event called Common Ground. It is an essential opportunity for residents to connect, network, and learn together in a shared community.
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NCF receives Technical Assistance Award from CDFI Fund
We are pleased to announce that Northcountry Cooperative Foundation has been awarded the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund Technical Assistance (TA) Grant.
The TA Grant will allow NCF to make important investments in its burgeoning lending program.
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Vote for NCF, 2022 Nonprofit Mission Award Finalist
NCF has been nominated for a 2022 Nonprofit Mission Award from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN). The organization is now one of three finalists in the Innovation category, along with Springboard for the Arts and Just the Pill.
NCF is honored to be considered for a 2022 Nonprofit Mission Award, which includes a professional video highlighting each recipient’s work, a cash award, and other recognition raising awareness of our mission among Minnesota’s community of nonprofit professionals.
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NCF welcomes two new hires for Outreach & Education and Technical Assistance
NCF is excited to announce two new additions to the team: Kathleen Richert as the Education and Outreach Coordinator and Dan Gordon as Housing Program Associate.
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New NCF board members reflect organization’s commitment to future loan program
NCF is excited to announce the addition of three new directors to the NCF board, bringing the board roster to 10 members. The new directors all come from nonprofit lending and finance backgrounds, proficiencies that will guide NCF’s strategic direction as we work to develop a loan program designed to meet the unique capital needs of housing cooperatives.
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NCF partners with TSP Architects, develops storm shelter designs for manufactured home cooperatives
Residents of manufactured home cooperatives that are fortunate enough to have a storm shelter understand how essential these structures are, both for ensuring community safety in the event of severe weather but also as an important community gathering space.
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Improving energy efficiency of manufactured homes with support from CERTs Seed Grant
NCF is pleased to announce that we are the recipients of the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Seed grants for the Metro, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest regions of Minnesota.
NCF will use the grant to improve the energy efficiency of manufactured homes within the resident owned communities we support and develop a tailored rehab loan product that homeowners can use to complete home rehab projects.
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Morning Bell Coffee Roasters becomes Iowa’s first worker cooperative
In October 2020, NCF received an email from Morning Bell Coffee Roasters inquiring about using an NCF-authored brochure called “Small Business Ownership Succession; The Cooperative Solution.” The brochure was created by NCF a number of years ago and intended as an overview on the tax benefits of becoming a worker cooperative. The owner of Morning Bell, Nadav Mer, reached out because he was in the process of developing a feasibility assessment on whether his company could convert to being worker owned and he came across our work. As a cooperative development organization, we jumped at the chance to assist – about taxes and beyond!
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NCF welcomes new real estate development and co-op technical assistance staff
Soren Stevenson joined NCF in May as the organization’s Real Estate Development Officer. Samuel Estes joined the organization in October as a Housing Program Associate. Soren and Samuel are both graduates of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and were drawn to NCF’s mission of empowering underserved communities through the cooperative ownership model.
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NCF hosts legislator tour at Park Plaza Cooperative
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Minnesota Legislature passes housing bill, includes big wins for manufactured homeowners
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Sungold Heights nears completion of $2.6 million infrastructure improvement project
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Another “Virtual” Success for NCF’s 2021 Common Ground Conference
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NCF welcomes new directors to the board
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Common Ground conference remains virtual this year, scheduled for Aug. 4th – 13th
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NCF Awarded $90,000 USDA grant to fund infrastructure solutions in client co-ops
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Co-op Spotlight: It’s ‘time to play’ at Zumbro Ridge Estates
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2020 Common Ground Conference proves a “virtual” success
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Tsunami Prevention: a response to media coverage of Lowry Grove Mobile Home Park closure
Too often, however, the costs of replacing failing infrastructure systems can preclude resident purchase / park preservation—as it did at Lowry Grove, Antonia’s community. An NCF bill now before the Minnesota Legislature (HF876 / SF1215) would help resident organizations, local governments, and nonprofits replace failing infrastructure in Minnesota parks. Please help us spread the word that passage of this bill would help reduce tragedies like the one faced by Antonia and her neighbors.
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Collecting Ourselves – Creating a Cooperative Entrepreneurship Curriculum for Everyone
…I envisioned a resource that would be both accessible and practical for those interested in the cooperative model, a resource that would provide a holistic picture of entrepreneurship and insight into both the “hard” skills of starting cooperatives (e.g. how to make a budget) but also the more nuanced work of keeping a group together and functional during the ups and downs of starting an organization. And so, “Collecting Ourselves” was born.
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Common Ground: A response to Daniel Zwerdling’s NPR Story
Some read NPR reporter Daniel Zwerdling’s recent investigative story as an indictment of investor-ownership. We do not. Mr. Zwerdling’s story importantly highlighted an extreme situation in Idaho. In our experience, the majority of community owners provide good and critically needed workforce housing opportunities in their land-lease communities.
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NCF partners with Minneapolis energy cooperative to deliver solar to resident-owned Hillcrest Community Cooperative
Like most consumers, residents of manufactured housing communities tend to have little control over their energy, with the high cost of energy bills being a major cost burden. That’s why NCF has partnered with Cooperative Energy Futures (CEF), an energy cooperative based in South Minneapolis, to bring cooperatively-owned community solar to Hillcrest Community Cooperative in Clarks Grove, MN. The 1 Megawatt community solar garden will be located 2 miles northwest of the Hillcrest community.
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Heartbreak for Eagle’s View Residents
On November 22, 2016, the purchase agreement expired that would have allowed members of Eagle’s View, Inc. to purchase the Sartell MHP (163 lots) in Sartell, Minnesota. The deal was scuttled because NCF was unable to arrange financing for $1.5 million in water and sewer system improvements needed in the park.
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A Message from our Executive Director
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A New Day in Clarks Grove: Hillcrest Community Cooperative is now Minnesota’s Eighth Manufactured Housing Cooperative
Clarks Grove, MN (November 18, 2015) – Members of Hillcrest Community Cooperative in Clarks Grove, Minnesota are celebrating a new milestone in affordable homeownership and community empowerment in Minnesota – the state’s eighth manufactured home park cooperative. Staff members from Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF), a nonprofit organization supported the residents’ efforts to buy their community. NCF is part of a national network of cooperative development organizations called ROC USA Network. NCF has worked closely with residents since May 2015 to help them organize the cooperative, negotiate for, evaluate, and finance the purchase of the commercial property. As of yesterday, Hillcrest Community Cooperative now owns and will operate the 97-unit manufactured housing community. The Cooperative’s property includes a storage shed, office, four apartment units and an underground storm shelter. With this purchase, there are now close to 600 home sites in resident-owned manufactured housing communities between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
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A Brighter Future in Fridley: Park Plaza Cooperative Completes $1 million in Infrastructure Improvements
Fridley, MN (November 13, 2015) – Members of Park Plaza Cooperative in Fridley, Minnesota had something extra to smile about at this year’s Annual Meeting held in the Fridley branch of the Anoka County Library on Saturday, November 14. After close to five years of resident ownership, Park Plaza Cooperative, an 88-unit manufactured housing community in the heart of Fridley, Minnesota, celebrated the completion of a major infrastructure project reflecting nearly $1 million in capital improvements to its community.
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USDA RCDG Grant Awarded!
We’re excited to share that we recently received awards in response to both our USDA RCDG grant ($200,000) and our Socially Disadvantaged Grant (SDG – $175,000) applications. Thank you to Naomi Lenz for making us aware of the Socially Disadvantaged Grant program, which appears to be a good fit for a number of our rural co-op clients
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Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MN, Public News Service and NCF
This past week we had the pleasure of working with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MN and the Public News Service on a media opportunity to educate the public on the economic advantages and social benefits for manufactured home residents who own their park.
You can read (and listen) to the article here – http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2015-10-26/health-issues/taking-control-mn-mobile-home-residents-seek-park-ownership/a48495-1
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Bennett Park Reconstruction Project
Bennett Park Cooperative, a 57-site resident-owned manufactured home park in Moorhead, Minn., recently secured a $293,500 construction loan from ROC USA Capital.
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Upcoming Conference—Small and Strong: Securing Your Food Co-Op’s Future
Please join us on Saturday, November 7, 2015 for Small and Strong: Securing Your Food Co-op’s Future, a one-day networking and training event for staff and board members of small and startup food co-ops (<$3M in annual sales) in the Upper Midwest
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New Signs for Five Lakes Coop in Fairmont, MN
Five Lakes Cooperative recently installed new signs for their entrance and office. The Cooperative held a contest and asked any interested residents in submitting a design. There were two designs chosen and the final product was a combination of the two.
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The 2015 I’M HOME Conference: Why Attend?
On October 26-28, CFED will host its 11th annual I’M HOME Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
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Northcountry Cooperative Foundation awarded grant through the Blue Cross Foundation
GRANT HELPS CREATE GREATER HEALTH EQUITY IN THE COMMUNITY
Minneapolis Minn. (June 29 2015) — The Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) received a $40,000 grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation to help more community members reach their full health potential. The funds will be used support NCF’s transformative work of converting MN manufactured home communities to resident (cooperative) ownership.
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NCF WINS $25,000 GRANT TO PURSUE COMMUNITY SOLAR INITIATIVES DESIGNED TO SUPPORT MANUFACTURED HOUSING COOPERATIVES
The Minneapolis-based Carolyn Foundation recently announced the award of $25,000 in grant resources to support new initiatives by Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) to pursue community solar projects in partnership with interested manufactured housing cooperative clients.
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An Update on the MHPP program from Yvonne Cherne
When I first arrived at NCF in the midst of the MHPP program running full-swing, there was one home left that had not yet started its 18-month occupancy requirement: C6 in Madelia Mobile Village.
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From ROC USA: 10,000th home made secure and affordable through resident ownership movement
CONCORD, N.H. — In less than seven years, ROC USA® has built on a proven strategy of resident ownership in New Hampshire manufactured home communities and scaled it across the country, transforming communities and building a network of 10,000 secure and affordable homes with partners in 14 states.
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NCF convenes with its peer ROC USA Network members in Delaware
Over several chilly days in late March, NCF staff joined staff from seven other ROC USA Network Certified Technical Assistance Providers (CTAP)s—nonprofit organizations from around the country supporting resident ownership of manufactured housing communities nationwide—in Wilmington, Delaware to celebrate the closeout of a year-long market development initiative designed to widen the scale of resident ownership of manufactured housing nationwide.
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NCF WINS CRP POLICY VICTORY; LOOKS FORWARD TO FURTHER ADVANCES ON ISSUE
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Five Lakes Cooperative Celebrates becoming Minnesota’s Newest and Largest Resident-Owned Community!
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CONTRACT FOR TITLE HOME LOAN PROGRAM
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Federal Home Loan Bank Award: Down Payment Assistance
During the end of 2014, NCF received a $75,000 down payment assistance award from the Federal Home Loan Bank.
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Kevin Walker, Title Change to Director of Business Development
With seven manufactured housing cooperatives (and more on the way), consistent with our strategic plan, NCF is moving to explore initiatives that will further build on the asset-building potential of its client cooperatives.
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Housing Action Plan to Understand Housing Needs for the Rochester Area
The Rochester Area Foundation and Olmsted County have been collaborating with Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, (GMHF) one of NCF’s funding partners, on a Housing Action Plan to understand housing needs for the Rochester area.
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Youth TCI 2014 Year End Summary
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Refinanced: Bennett Park Cooperative
Bennett Park Cooperative, a 75-site resident-owned community in Moorhead, refinanced with ROC USA Capital in Fall 2014. In so doing, the Cooperative now has access to about $280,000 for capital improvements.
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SAVE THE DATE: 2015 Trainings in WI, MN, & the UP!
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Minnesota’s Seventh Manufactured Housing Cooperative!
On December 30, 2014, Five Lakes Cooperative, of Fairmont, Minnesota, became Minnesota’s seventh manufactured housing cooperative! With its 94 occupied home sites
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Circuit Spotlight: Northfield, MN
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State Reportback: North Dakota (Boom & Bust)
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Circuit Spotlight: Stevens Point, WI
Time and work in Stevens Point was very illuminating and included a visit to an artists’ cooperative, the largest rural Polish diaspora, a not-so-cooperative youth-run lemonade stands, & more. Hanging out in north-central Wisconsin also provided me the opportunity to spend time and talk with Margaret Bau, a seasoned and insightful cooperative developer of many years.
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Partner: Save the Wild UP
Read about our partnership with the UP regional organization, Save the Wild UP!
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Take Care & Get to Know: Partners
To ensure the success for a regional program like this, it is imperative that the Youth TCI works closely with local and state Partners who work daily in the communities where the trainings are taking place. While the Youth TCI is run through an organization based out of the Midwest, the program and its organizer will still be unknown in many of the communities it visits. Knowing this, it is important that we have local stewards of the program who can help with community introductions and education about the area’s history, industry, and culture.
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“Take Care & Get to Know”
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A Note from the Organizer: Emily M Lippold Cheney
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Youth Traveling Cooperative Institute on Facebook
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