Saint Paul, MN

FOOD CO-OP INITIATIVE

EIN 27-2252564

Community & Economic Development Small Business & Entrepreneurship

Mission

Food Co-op Initiative partners with communities to build a more just food system, providing critical support as they organize and open community-owned grocery stores.

IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity Contributions are tax-deductible

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About FOOD CO-OP INITIATIVE

Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides training, technical assistance, and resources to groups organizing new retail food cooperatives. The organization’s stated mission is to partner with communities to increase access to community-owned grocery stores and strengthen local food systems. FCI maintains a public resource library, runs training programs (including FCI Live! and the annual Up & Coming conference), offers phone and email consultations, and administers a Seed Grant program for early-stage co-op development. Public nonprofit records and the organization’s own website confirm the EIN 27-2252564 and show ongoing operations, published impact reports, and recent program activity through 2023–2024.

Notable achievements

New co-ops launched

FCI reports having supported the opening of approximately 181 new retail food co-ops and tracking nearly 100 additional startups in development, contributing to thousands of co-op jobs and significant local sales and ownership.

Seed Grant program

FCI has awarded over $640,000 in Seed Grants to early-stage co-op organizing groups to help with initial development, outreach, and feasibility efforts.

Updated Guide & training expansion

FCI published a fully revised Guide to Starting a Food Co-op and expanded its online training and conference programming (including multi-session FCI Live events) during the 2023–2024 period to increase technical assistance capacity.

At a glance

Total assets: $262K
Annual revenue: $497K
Tax status: 501(c)(3)Public charity
EIN: 27-2252564
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Website: fci.coop
On Mahalo since: May 2026

Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.

Recognition

FCI is listed in major nonprofit databases (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, CauseIQ, Charity Navigator listing) and files Form 990s, demonstrating public financial filings and nonprofit status.

The organization is recognized and supported within the cooperative sector (including partnerships and donor recognition from National Co+op Grocers and cooperative community programs).

FCI’s Guide to Starting a Food Co-op and its training materials are widely used by startup co-op organizers and cited by industry outlets and cooperative resource networks.

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