"As a financial institution and as individuals, we share the belief that we can make
a positive difference and enrich our communities and our lives."

- Robert B. Engel, President and Chief Executive Officer

CoBank believes strongly in being a responsible corporate citizen and giving back to the communities where our customers, directors and associates live and work. Our cooperative heritage teaches us that, working together, we can accomplish great things for our neighbors, our communities and our country.

We encourage all of our people to support charitable and civic organizations that make our communities better places to live. Our directors, management team and associates are involved in hundreds of community service and volunteer programs, serving in leadership roles, volunteering their time, sharing their expertise, helping those less fortunate, and enhancing the quality of life in their local communities.

Through our corporate giving program, CoBank, its directors and its associates donated more than $1,000,000 last year to nonprofit entities through sponsorships and directed donations. We also encourage associates to take part as vital members of their communities, and we focus our support where they volunteer their time and dollars.

CoBank associates and senior leaders are active in many local, regional and national charitable organizations. We are also strong supporters of INROADS, a non-profit organization offering career development and leadership training for minority youth. CoBank hires interns from INROADS and furnishes the organization with rent-free office space. In addition to CoBank's corporate giving program, the bank has also provided funding for the Douglas D. Sims Fund for Rural Leadership, which is administered through the Farm Credit System Foundation.

CoBank's corporate citizenship encompasses educational and industry-wide initiatives as well.  We support higher education through scholarships, internships and endowments. We are committed to helping cooperatives grow and prosper, through direct support and through memberships in key domestic and international organizations.  We support agriculture by partnering with a number of organizations that are dedicated to building a foundation for the future of America's agricultural and  businesses.  And we support rural energy and communications through organizations and programs that work to ensure that these vital services reach our rural communities. 

By supporting rural America's future leaders and by partnering with civic and charitable organizations in towns and cities across the country, CoBank, its directors and its associates visibly demonstrate that they care – about each other and the places we call home.