The Cooperative Foundation is a private foundation, started in St. Paul in 1945 by area cooperative leaders. It received much of its financial assets through the visionand generosity of St. Paul architect Thomas Ellerbe, Sr. and his family. Support for the Foundation comes from the endowment and from contributions from cooperative benefactors. For 60 years, The Cooperative Foundation has served as a common ground for all industries tied to cooperative business principles to support unique and innovative cooperative development and education projects.