ICDC

What ICDC does

ICDC (Indiana Cooperative Development Center) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides advisory services, educational resources, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations exploring, launching, growing, or converting businesses into cooperatives. The organization is structured around a small core team (1-10 employees) led by Executive Director Debbie Trocha, and serves a diverse set of cooperative sectors including worker, purchasing, housing, childcare, food, agriculture, healthcare, financial services, artisan, insurance, and utilities cooperatives.

The organization's core offering is a hybrid of direct consulting and a content-led educational platform. Its product portfolio includes a Cooperative Development Advisory Service, an extensive resource library organized by topic (Governance, Finance, Legal/Taxation, Community & Economic Development, Co-op Conversion, Multi-Stakeholder, Purchasing, Worker) and by sector (agriculture through utilities), plus a multimedia content suite comprising explainer videos, podcasts, and webinars. The technology layer is essentially a content publishing and CRM-light platform on WordPress, with no API, no mobile app, and no proprietary software product.

ICDC's business model is donation- and grant-driven, with no publicly disclosed pricing or consulting fees. Revenue is solicited through PayPal donations on its website, and the organization leverages and promotes federal grant programs such as USDA's Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). Its go-to-market is event-driven and content-led, relying on industry events (NCBA CLUSA Cooperative Impact Conference, Employee Ownership Summit), partnerships with national cooperative organizations (NCBA CLUSA, Democracy at Work Institute, Project Equity, Cooperation Works, Ohio Employee Ownership Center, USDA Rural Development), and an educational content funnel to reach entrepreneurs, business owners considering conversion, and sector-specific cooperative developers primarily in Indiana.

Name

ICDC

Legal name

Indiana Cooperative Development Center

Website

https://icdc.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ICDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Indianapolis that provides advisory services, educational content, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations exploring, starting, growing, or converting businesses into cooperatives across multiple sectors in Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ICDC relies on donations and likely grant funding to support its cooperative development mission

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ICDC provides advisory services and educational resources supporting cooperative formation, growth, and conversion across multiple sectors including worker, purchasing, housing, childcare, food, agriculture, and healthcare cooperatives. The organization offers consulting, sector-specific resource libraries, podcasts, webinars, and explainer videos to individuals, entrepreneurs, and existing business owners exploring or transitioning to cooperative models.

Product overview

ICDC (Indiana Cooperative Development Center) is a nonprofit organization that provides advisory services, educational resources, and technical assistance for cooperative development. Rather than a unified software product, ICDC offers a portfolio of services including cooperative development advisory, sector-specific resource libraries, and educational content. The core offering consists of advisory services supporting cooperative formation, growth, and conversion, supplemented by a resource library organized by topic (Governance, Finance, Legal/Taxation, Community & Economic Development, Co-op Conversion, Multi-Stakeholder, Purchasing, Worker) and by sector (Agriculture, Artisan, Childcare, Financial Services, Food, Healthcare, Housing, Insurance, Utilities). ICDC also provides educational content through explainer videos, podcasts, and webinars covering various cooperative models and best practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Development Advisory Services Advisory services supporting cooperative formation, growth, conversion, and development across all stages from initial exploration to business succession planning. Aimed at individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations across Indiana.
• Explainer Video Series Video series explaining cooperative concepts including what a co-op is, how to start a co-op, worker cooperatives, childcare cooperatives, and housing cooperatives. Aimed at individuals new to the cooperative model.
• Podcast Series Audio podcasts featuring case studies and discussions on Black-Led Farmer Co-ops, Childcare Co-ops, Farm Stop Co-op, Food Co-op, Housing, Purchasing Co-ops, Real Estate Investment Co-ops, and Worker Co-ops. Aimed at cooperative developers and community organizers.
• Webinar Content Webinars covering topics such as Solving the Childcare Crisis with Cooperatives, with accompanying slide decks and handouts. Aimed at cooperative developers and community stakeholders.
• Sector-Specific Resource Library Resources organized by industry sector including Agriculture, Artisan, Childcare, Financial Services, Food, Healthcare, Housing, Insurance, and Utilities. Aimed at cooperative developers across all sectors.
• General Co-op Resource Library Comprehensive resource library covering Governance, Finance, Legal/Taxation, Community & Economic Development, Co-op Conversion, Multi-Stakeholder, Purchasing, and Worker topics. Aimed at cooperative developers and entrepreneurs at all stages.

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NCBA CLUSAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCBA CLUSA (National Cooperative Business Association) is a key national partner. ICDC promotes NCBA CLUSA events including the annual Cooperative Impact Conference, which serves as a premier national event for the cooperative movement.
• USDA Agricultural Marketing ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA's Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) provides grant opportunities that ICDC promotes to its network, including Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), and Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP).
• Democracy at Work InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICDC references extensive resources from the Democracy at Work Institute on worker cooperatives, employee ownership, and business succession planning.
• Project EquitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICDC references Project Equity resources on business conversions to worker cooperatives and succession planning for purchasing co-ops.
• Cooperation WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation Works is a national cooperative development organization whose logo appears on ICDC's website, indicating affiliation.
• The Ohio Employee Ownership CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerICDC references resources from the Ohio Employee Ownership Center on business succession planning and employee ownership.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA Rural Development resources on purchasing cooperatives and shared services cooperatives are referenced and distributed by ICDC.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• USDA Rural Development: Federal agency delivering cooperative development programming across all US states. ICDC explicitly curates and redistributes USDA Rural Development purchasing/shared services co-op resources, making USDA a federal-scale incumbent operating in the same domain.
• NCBA CLUSA (National Cooperative Business Association): Largest national US cooperative trade association. ICDC promotes NCBA CLUSA's annual Cooperative Impact Conference and uses it as the premier convening platform, making NCBA CLUSA a national umbrella whose scope dwarfs ICDC's Indiana focus.

Direct peers

• Democracy at Work Institute: National nonprofit focused on worker cooperative development and employee ownership. ICDC explicitly curates and redistributes its resources, and both organizations serve overlapping audiences exploring worker-owned business models.
• Project Equity: Nonprofit that supports business conversions to employee ownership and worker cooperatives. ICDC references Project Equity resources directly, and both target business owners pursuing succession through cooperative conversion.
• Ohio Employee Ownership Center: Kent State University-based center providing employee ownership and business succession support in Ohio. ICDC explicitly redistributes OEOC resources, and the two organizations serve neighboring states with substantially the same mission.
• Northwest Cooperative Development Center: Regionally-focused cooperative development center serving Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and beyond. Provides nearly identical services to ICDC, including formation assistance, education, and sector-specific resources, in a different geographic territory.
• Cooperative Development Institute: Regional cooperative development center serving the Northeast US with a comparable portfolio of co-op formation, conversion, and education services. Operates the same community-of-practice model ICDC uses in Indiana.
• Cooperation Works: National network of cooperative development centers; ICDC's logo appears alongside Cooperation Works on its own website, indicating direct affiliation. Both organizations provide technical assistance, training, and resources for forming and growing cooperatives.

Emerging players

• Seed Commons: National network providing cooperative financing and technical assistance for worker-owned and community-owned businesses. Overlaps with ICDC on worker cooperative formation and conversion advisory, though Seed Commons adds a capital-raise capability ICDC lacks.
• Center for Economic Democracy: Nonprofit supporting cooperative development, with emphasis on worker co-ops and community-owned enterprises. Operates a similar grassroots education and consulting model and competes for some of the same cooperative developer audience as ICDC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 ICDC