The federal government's Co-operative Development Initiative (CDI) was formally approved to start April 1, 2009. The program is $19.1 million investment over the next four years aimed at the creation of new co-operatives, support for existing co-operatives and the promotion of innovative ways to apply the co-operative model to meet social and economic challenges. The program provides important new support for co-operative development across Canada. Both start-ups and existing co-ops are eligible to apply for support.

The overall CDI has two main components: