About
Celebrated by cooperatives nationwide during the month of October, National Co-op Month is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of a trusted, proven way to do business and build resilient, inclusive communities.
Under the theme “Built for This Moment,” this year’s Co-op Month is a reminder that cooperatives were created to address market failures and respond to structural crises. From electric cooperatives powering rural America when it wasn’t profitable to worker co-ops tackling a broken care economy, co-ops thrive in the face of uncertainty and challenge.
This year's Co-op Month is an opportunity to amplify the cooperatives in your community that were built for this moment—the electric co-ops delivering essential broadband infrastructure to rural America, the food co-ops helping Americans navigate inflation, the housing co-ops creating lasting affordability and the worker co-ops preserving local businesses.
How was your co-op built for this moment?
Cooperatives nationwide are encouraged to use this year’s theme and logo in their communication and outreach activities this October. 2026 Co-op Month logos and other resources are hosted by NCBA CLUSA at coopmonth.coop.
CO-OP MONTH FUN FACTS
Minnesota was the first state to declare an official Co-op Month proclamation in 1948.
Co-op Month has been a nationally recognized celebration since 1964, when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, a former Minnesota governor, proclaimed October Co-op Month.
The first National Co-op Month theme in 1964, was “Cooperatives: USDA Helps Build a Better America.”
The U.S. Government sponsored Co-op Month from 1964-1970.
Every October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture releases its annual Co-op Month proclamation.