Bill Gessner GM Coaching Award
Funding Amount
Not stated
Deadline
Deadline not published
Grant Type
Foundation
Deadline history & next window
- Cycle
- Annual
- Tracked since
- April 2026
Source: the cycle recorded on this listing. Confirm dates with the funder.
Can we apply?
Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.
Geography
- Awards are made by the CDF Board of Directors based on recommendations from the Bill Gessner Legacy Fund advisors.
Other requirements
- Food cooperative general managers
- Focus: Professional development and leadership coaching for co-op leaders
- Administration: Administered by National Co+op Grocers (NCG)
- Background: Established by friends and colleagues of Cooperative Hall of Fame member Bill Gessner (1941-2019).
Overview
Purpose: Celebrates the life and career of Bill Gessner, a renowned co-op consultant and mentor who worked with more than 300 cooperatives over 25 years. Provides funding for leadership coaching services for food cooperative general managers.
Eligible Applicants:
- Food cooperative general managers
Focus: Professional development and leadership coaching for co-op leaders
Administration: Administered by National Co+op Grocers (NCG)
Background: Established by friends and colleagues of Cooperative Hall of Fame member Bill Gessner (1941-2019). Awards are made by the CDF Board of Directors based on recommendations from the Bill Gessner Legacy Fund advisors.
Related Awards: The Bill Gessner Legacy Fund also supports:
- Annual scholarships to the CCMA Conference
- Annual award for start-up cooperatives
Contact Information:
- Email: info@cdf.coop
- Phone: 202-383-5440
How to Apply
Application Process
- Apply through National Co+op Grocers (NCG)
- Provide information about need for leadership coaching
- Describe professional development goals
Note: As of the latest information available (2021), the application deadline was March 31. Current deadline for 2026 should be verified with NCG or CDF.
What Cooperative Development Foundation actually gave
Source: IRS Form 990, 2025
- Grants in 2025
- 35
- Total given
- $3.34M
- Median grant
- $25K
- Range
- $6,368–$1.75M
- By dollars: District of Columbia 52%, Colorado 15%, Kansas 7%. Top recipient cities: Los Angeles, CA; Denver, CO; Madison, WI.
- 3% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
- 60% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.
Example grants
National Cooperative Business Association · Washington, DC
Multiple Fiscal Sponsorships; Nationwide Foundation Grant support
$1.75M
University of Colorado Foundation · Denver, CO
Cooperative Education Fund - Building the Field
$483K
Kansas State University Foundation · Manhattan, KS
Multi-year grant for general support
$249K
Cooperative Development Institute · Northamptom, MA
Education
$84K
Florida Electric Cooperatives Association Inc · Tallahassee, FL
Disaster Relief
$53K
Focus Areas & Funding Uses
Fields of Work
- Nonprofits
- Professional development
Categories
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