Cooperatives in the Brazilian Northeast’s semiarid region have historically faced management challenges and a reliance on public policies. Recently, the region has received significant funding from international bodies, such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), aimed at strengthening family farming. This study aimed to analyze and characterize agricultural cooperatives in the Northeastern semiarid region that benefited from IFAD-funded projects. To this end, a case study involving 26 cooperatives was conducted using multivariate statistical techniques, including Spearman correlation, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. The results identified five distinct classes of cooperatives (three main clusters and two outliers), revealing significant disparities regarding operational history, share capital, total assets, volume of funds raised, and engagement in civic spaces. While some organizations demonstrate resilience and operational stability, others exhibit structural weaknesses and a severe dependence on external resources. The study concludes that a generalized view of cooperatives in the region fails to capture the complexity of these organizations. The findings offer guidelines for governments and funding agencies to develop intervention strategies that are more precise and aligned with the specific profiles of each group, thereby promoting the sustainability and efficiency of cooperatives in the fight against rural poverty.