Our History

International Leadership-A Founder of CARE

The National Cooperative Business Association was originally established in 1916 as the Cooperative League of the United States of America (CLUSA). Back then and today, NCBA is a trade association serving the needs and interests of agricultural, consumer, credit, and other types of cooperatives in the U.S. In many parts of the world, the CLUSA name is still well known although the organization formally changed its name to NCBA in 1985.

In early 1945, with the goal of helping European cooperatives recover from the devastation of WWII, NCBA raised $100,000 for a Freedom Fund. Part of the Fund was designated for a new cooperative comprised of private voluntary organizations which shared the common goal of organizing a non-profit food package service to fight famine in the wake of war. Under the leadership of NCBA President, Murray Lincoln, the new cooperative became known as CARE - the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe. Few people are familiar with CARE's cooperative roots; the organization broadened its focus after 1947 beyond food assistance to include other activities. CARE today is one of the largest humanitarian assistance agencies in the world.

Beyond the establishment of CARE, NCBA has played a prominent role in making cooperatives a key component of U.S. international development policy.

In 1953, NCBA embarked on its own international relief work. Working with farmers in India, we helped to build the infrastructure for agricultural cooperatives that laid the foundation for India to become one of the world's largest producers of milk and dairy products. NCBA also provided technical assistance to the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative, now the largest fertilizer business in Asia. The organization's international development expertise, originally focused on the cooperative development within the agricultural sector, has since expanded to include natural resource management (beginning in 1989 in Niger), democracy and governance (beginning in 1995 in Guinea) and community health (beginning in 1993 in Burkina Faso). For more information on NCBA's milestones as an international development organization, click here.

NCBA's CLUSA International Program has managed over 200 long-term projects in 53 countries in East Asia, Africa and Central America with support from international development agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the International Foundation for Agricultural Development. The organization's annual international development budget averages $16 million.

Because it was originally known as CLUSA when it began its international development work, NCBA continues to operate under the CLUSA name in many developing countries.