What NRECA does

NRECA (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association) is a private, not-for-profit national trade association headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives — including 830 distribution cooperatives and 64 generation & transmission (G&T) cooperatives — across 48 U.S. states. Its member cooperatives serve 42 million people, power more than 22 million businesses, homes, schools, and farms, cover 56% of the nation's landmass, and reach 92% of persistent-poverty counties. NRECA's revenue model is subscription/recurring: membership dues from co-ops, supplemented by program services, research publications, training, and grants. The organization delivers its value through three core functions: (1) federal advocacy before USDA, DOE, FEMA, EPA, BLM, and the FCC, where it has secured landmark wins including $7.3B in New ERA funding and the repeal of the 2024 EPA mercury rule; (2) technical research and program deployment spanning ICS cybersecurity (a $15M DOE-funded program), rural battery storage (with Pacific Northwest and Sandia National Labs), microgrids, and broadband (via its NRECA Broadband subsidiary and the Alabama Fiber Network joint venture); and (3) international electrification through NRECA International, which has reached 220 million people since 1962.

NRECA does not sell discrete commercial software products; its portfolio consists of member services, advocacy, research, training, the "Along Those Lines" podcast, and program initiatives like NRECA International and NRECA Broadband. Member co-ops collectively invest $15 billion annually in their communities and return more than $1 billion to consumer-members as not-for-profit entities; NRECA secured top-10 placements in the 2024 J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study across the cooperative segment. Operating subsidiaries include NRECA International (wholly owned), NRECA Broadband (wholly owned), and Alabama Fiber Network (jointly controlled).

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors drawn from member cooperatives and led by CEO Jim Matheson, with a named executive team including CFO Digna Louis, CIO/SVP IT Wayne F. McGurk, COO Jeffrey Connor, SVP Government Relations Louis Finkel, SVP NRECA International Kate Steel, VP Advocacy Communications Amber Allman, VP/Chief Risk & Compliance Officer Danielle Sieverling, and Regulatory Affairs Director Megan Olmstead. Membership directory, board roster, and annual report are accessible via the corporate website, electric.coop.

Name

NRECA

Legal name

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Website

https://electric.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

NRECA is a not-for-profit trade association representing nearly 900 U.S. electric cooperatives (830 distribution, 64 G&T) serving 42 million people across 48 states. It provides federal advocacy, research, training, cybersecurity, broadband, and international electrification services funded by membership dues and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Cooperative Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB), United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Electric cooperative advocacy
• Rural electrification services
• Energy trade association
• Cooperative member services
• Rural broadband infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Services: NRECA operates as a national trade association representing electric cooperatives. Revenue is generated through membership dues from nearly 900 member cooperatives, along with services including research, training, advocacy, and consulting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NRECA is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives serving 42 million people across 48 states. It provides member services including federal advocacy, policy representation, research, training, professional development, disaster response coordination, cybersecurity capability-building, broadband deployment support, and international electrification programs.

Product overview

NRECA (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association) is a national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives serving 42 million people across 48 states. Rather than offering commercial products, NRECA provides advocacy services, research, education, youth programs, international electrification assistance, and policy support to its member cooperatives. The association's website (electric.coop) serves as a news and information portal for America's electric cooperatives, covering topics including technology, energy supply, renewable energy, community development, and policy issues such as reliability, cybersecurity, broadband, FEMA recovery, and permitting reform. NRECA does not offer discrete commercial product offerings in the traditional SaaS sense; its portfolio consists of member services, advocacy, research publications, the 'Along Those Lines' podcast, and program initiatives like NRECA International (international electrification efforts since 1962) and NRECA Broadband (broadband advocacy for cooperatives).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Along Those Lines: NRECA's monthly podcast on important stories across co-op country
• NRECA International
• NRECA Broadband

Products and services

• NRECA International
• NRECA Broadband
• Along Those Lines Podcast
• Weekly Newsletter
• Annual Legislative Conference
• ICS Cybersecurity Program
• Rural Battery Storage Research Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-ops reduced sulphur dioxide emissions 86% from 2005 to 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Department of EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2022DOE awarded $15 million to NRECA to expand cybersecurity capabilities for industrial control systems (ICS) in electric cooperatives. The funding aims to help electric co-ops enhance their cyber monitoring technologies over three years, with a focus on protecting energy infrastructure.
• U.S. Department of Energy Office of ElectricitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2020NRECA launched four rural battery storage projects in partnership with DOE Office of Electricity and five electric cooperatives. DOE provided approximately $1.3 million in cost share funding for design, purchase, installation and commissioning of batteries. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories provided technical assistance.
• Rural Utilities Service (RUS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRUS reported a record year in 2025 with over $24 billion in grants and loans. RUS obligated New ERA funding to help cover power purchase agreements for restarting the Palisades nuclear plant, with Hoosier Energy and Wolverine Power Cooperative receiving the money.
• Bonneville Power AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe four Lower Snake River dams supply reliable, affordable and carbon-free hydropower to 52 co-ops in eight Western states served by BPA. Hydropower comprises 80% of BPA's electric generation capacity.
• U.S. Environmental Protection AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRECA works with EPA on regulatory priorities including rolling back Biden-era power plant rules, working with the agency to repeal greenhouse gas emissions and mercury regulations that threatened electric co-op generation resources.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRECA advocates for FEMA reform to improve disaster recovery for electric co-ops. The association supports the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act which would require FEMA to reimburse co-ops within 120 days for emergency work.
• U.S. Agency for International DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRECA International has partnered with USAID and other international development organizations to bring electricity to over 220 million people worldwide since 1962, working in countries including Haiti, Guatemala, the Philippines, South Sudan, and Uganda.
• North Carolina's Electric CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Carolina's Electric Cooperatives partnered with Tideland EMC and NRECA to develop a microgrid for Rose Acre Farms, the nation's second-largest egg producer, featuring a 2-MW solar array and 2.5-MW battery storage.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Public Power Association (APPA): National trade association representing not-for-profit, community-owned public power utilities (municipal utilities) in the U.S. APPA is the most direct functional peer to NRECA — both are member-funded electric utility trade associations providing advocacy, training, research, and federal funding access, but APPA serves municipally-owned utilities rather than cooperatively-owned ones.
• Edison Electric Institute (EEI): National trade association representing U.S. investor-owned electric utility companies. EEI is the IOU analog to NRECA and APPA, providing federal advocacy, policy research, and member services for a distinct ownership structure. Comparable mission (industry advocacy) with different member economics and political alignment.

Emerging players

• National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC / NRUCFC): Cooperative finance corporation serving NRECA's own member cooperatives with lending, capital markets access, and financial services. A deeply embedded counterpart within the rural electric cooperative ecosystem, complementing NRECA's advocacy role with member capital provision.
• National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC): Cooperative providing broadband, technology, and energy solutions to rural utilities and affiliates. Closely mirrors NRECA's broadband-deployment expansion and competes for member co-op broadband mindshare and federal funding influence.

Broad incumbents

• CoBank: Farm Credit System bank providing wholesale lending and financial services to rural electric cooperatives, agricultural cooperatives, and other rural infrastructure entities. Operates alongside NRECA in the rural cooperative ecosystem as a critical capital provider.

Others

• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): Association representing state public utility commissions that regulate electric, gas, water, and telecom utilities. NARUC sits on the regulatory side of the same industry NRECA advocates into — making it a frequent policy interlocutor and an adjacent peer in the utility policy ecosystem.
• World Energy Council: Global energy leadership organization convening energy stakeholders across more than 90 countries. Relevant as the international umbrella counterpart to NRECA's domestic advocacy work and a natural partner/peer for NRECA International's global electrification mandate.
• International Cooperative Alliance (ICA):

Regional players

• Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA): National trade association representing competitive power suppliers and independent power producers. Operates in the same U.S. electric sector with overlapping federal policy interests (EPA rules, capacity markets, grid reliability) but represents supply-side rather than cooperative distribution-side interests.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-rural-electric-cooperative-association
• Xx.com/nrecanews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NRECA