What Colorado Enterprise Fund does

Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) founded in 1976 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with a satellite office in Colorado Springs. The organization provides small business loans ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000—including SBA 7(a) guaranteed loans up to $350,000, microloans from $10,000, and community revolving loan funds—to Colorado-based small businesses that cannot meet traditional bank financing guidelines due to lower credit scores, tight cash flow, startup status, or limited collateral. As of FY25 (year ending September 30, 2025), CEF had cumulatively deployed $442M+ across 9,800+ businesses, creating or retaining 36,000+ jobs. CEF also publishes an Aeris CDFI financial rating for transparency to funders and operates a New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation program that has supported community development projects such as the Hotel St. Cloud in Canon City and the Clifton Community Resource Campus in Mesa County.

CEF's core product surface is built on a low-tech, web-based stack: a bilingual (English/Spanish) Zoho Forms 5-step loan application with save-and-resume, Stripe payment processing for the $25 non-refundable application fee, a WordPress marketing site, and a third-party customer loan portal (cef.myloanpanel.com). Underwriting is performed by named human loan officers—including bilingual Spanish-speaking staff—and layered with a free Business Navigation coaching service that delivered 75,000+ hours cumulatively (12,000+ in FY25). Distribution runs through multiple channels: a direct-to-consumer online application, in-person and remote field sales by named loan officers, a formal Banker & Partner Referral program, and 12+ city/county Community Loan Fund partnerships (Boulder, Loveland, Littleton, Denver BUILD, Adams County, etc.) operating as revolving loan pools.

CEF's revenue is generated primarily through net interest income on its loan portfolio, plus ancillary streams including the $25 application fee, NMTC allocation-related fees, grant administration and fiscal agent fees (e.g., disaster relief distributions), and unrestricted/restricted philanthropic grants and donations such as the $7M MacKenzie Scott gift (September 2024) and the $3.7M CDFI Fund Equitable Recovery Program award (April 2023). The customer base spans primary segments of undercapitalized Colorado small businesses, growth-stage SBA 7(a) borrowers, child care providers, veteran-owned businesses (via the VALOR Loan Program), and minority/woman/immigrant-owned businesses. CEF targets its 50th anniversary in 2026 and continues to expand through specialty programs such as the April 2026 Child Care Loan Fund, launched in partnership with Gary Community Ventures and EPIC.

Name

Colorado Enterprise Fund

Legal name

Colorado Enterprise Fund, Inc.

Website

https://coloradoenterprisefund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colorado Enterprise Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) providing small business loans from $10K to $1M—including SBA 7(a) and community revolving loan funds—to Colorado businesses that cannot qualify for traditional bank financing, paired with free business coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Lending (Community Development Finance)

NAICS

Sales Financing (52222)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) & Revenue-Based Financing (FSAKAGAD)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• SBA 7(a) loans
• Microloans
• Community development finance
• Business coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SBA 7(a) Loan Interest & Fees: Interest and fees earned on SBA 7(a) guaranteed small business loans up to $350,000 (with other products up to $1M). 46 SBA 7(a) loans totaling $7,829,700 were deployed in FY25 alone.
2. Microloan & Community Loan Fund Interest: Interest income from microloans ($10K+) and community revolving loan funds in partnership with 12+ Colorado cities/counties. Since 2009, CEF has distributed more than $48M through Community Loan Funds. Terms up to 60 months on Littleton microloans up to $50K.
3. New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Allocation: CEF acts as a Community Development Entity allocating New Markets Tax Credits (e.g., $63.25M NMTC allocation with Vail Health; Canon City downtown revitalization; Clifton Community Resource Campus childcare project).
4. Philanthropic Grants & Donations: Unrestricted and restricted grants from foundations, CDFI Fund (e.g., $3.7M CDFI Equitable Recovery Program award), corporate donors, and individual donors including a $7M unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott in 2024.
5. Loan Application Fees: Non-refundable $25 loan application fee paid via Stripe at the start of each loan application.
6. Grant Administration / Fiscal Agent Fees: CEF provides grant administration and fiscal agent services to municipalities, community organizations, and disaster relief efforts (e.g., Caribou Village/Nederland fire GoFundMe $291,245 distribution). Typically fee-based, though sometimes provided pro bono in disaster recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Colorado Enterprise Fund is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides small business loans ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000—including SBA 7(a) loans up to $350,000, microloans, child care loans, and community revolving loan funds—to Colorado small businesses that do not qualify for traditional bank financing. Loans are paired with free Business Navigation coaching (coaching and education) for the life of the loan. CEF also administers specialty programs (Childcare Loan Fund, VALOR Veteran Loan Program, BUILD Denver, CO Startup Loan Fund) and allocates New Markets Tax Credits to community development projects.

Product overview

Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) offering a single, integrated lending and support platform for small businesses in Colorado — not a multi-product SaaS suite. Its core product is CEF Loans, providing up to $1M in small business financing (including SBA 7(a) loans up to $350K and microloans) to borrowers who don't meet traditional financing guidelines. Around this core, CEF layers specialty programs — the Childcare Loan Program (with the dedicated Child Care Loan Fund), Community Loan Funds (municipal revolving partnerships with 12+ Colorado cities/counties such as Boulder, Loveland, Centennial, Commerce City, Parker, Brighton, Arvada, Lakewood, Adams County, Littleton, and the BUILD Denver Loan Program), the CO Startup Loan Fund, the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, and the VALOR Loan Program (veteran-focused). Adjacent services include Business Navigation (free coaching/education for the life of the loan), the Online Customer Portal (cef.myloanpanel.com), the Small Business Directory, the Quality Jobs Program, and a Referral Partners Program for bankers and community organizations. The whole portfolio is accessed via the website and a Zoho-based Online Loan Application.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEF Small Business Loans
• Childcare Loan Program (Child Care Loan Fund)
• Community Loan Funds (Municipal Partnership Program)
• CO Startup Loan Fund
• BUILD Denver Loan Program
• New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program
• VALOR Loan Program (Veteran Loan Fund)
• SBA 7(a) Loans
• Business Navigation (Coaching & Education)
• Online Customer Portal (Loan Servicing)

Quantifiable outcome

• FY25 deployed $18,085,922 through 185 loans (avg $97,762, median $51,580)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers42 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2026EPIC joined CEF and Gary Community Ventures in launching the Child Care Loan Fund. EPIC contributes policy advocacy, technical assistance, and actionable strategies to strengthen Colorado's child care infrastructure and sustainability growth across the sector.
• City of Littleton / Littleton Economic DevelopmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 March 2026The City of Littleton is the latest municipality to join CEF's Community Loan Fund partnership — an innovative revolving loan program. CEF disburses loans to small businesses in Littleton; as loans are repaid, funds are reinvested into new Littleton small business loans. Microloans up to $50K at fixed rate, terms up to 60 months.
• Vail HealthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2023Vail Health partnered with Community Development Entities (including CEF) to access $63.25M in New Markets Tax Credits for community development in Colorado.
• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBA lender-partnership enabling CEF to originate SBA 7(a) guaranteed loans up to $350,000 (with related CEF products up to $1M). CEF was recognized as SBA Colorado 2025 7(a) Small Lender of the Year and 2024 Community Lender of the Year.
• Aspen InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCEF collaborated with the Aspen Institute on blog/podcast content focused on quality jobs and how investing in employees helps small businesses (July 2025).
• City of Boulder Community Loan FundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund in partnership with the City of Boulder; CEF acts as the lending partner distributing microloans to Boulder small businesses. CEF helped Boulder County with grant administration during COVID.
• City of Loveland Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with City of Loveland; CEF disburses microloans to Loveland small businesses that don't qualify for traditional financing.
• Centennial Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with City of Centennial; CEF disburses microloans to Centennial small businesses.
• Commerce City Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with Commerce City; CEF disburses microloans to Commerce City small businesses.
• Town of Parker Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with Town of Parker; CEF disburses microloans to Parker small businesses.
• Brighton Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with the City of Brighton; CEF disburses microloans to Brighton small businesses.
• City and Community of Arvada Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with City of Arvada; CEF disburses microloans to Arvada small businesses.
• Lakewood Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with City of Lakewood; CEF disburses microloans to Lakewood small businesses.
• Adams County Community Loan FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRevolving community loan fund with Adams County; CEF disburses microloans to Adams County small businesses.
• BUILD Denver Loan ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBUILD Denver Loan Program is administered by CEF to provide financing to Denver small businesses that cannot access traditional capital.
• Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) — Colorado NetworkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSBDCs throughout Colorado (Aurora-South Metro, Boulder County, East Colorado, and others) refer borrowers to CEF and provide complementary business advising. Boulder SBDC Director Sarah Wood worked with CEF on Caribou Village fire grant administration.
• Barefoot PRminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic relations firm of record handling media contacts for CEF press releases (Hallie Kim, Maria Miller, Gail Bransteitter).
• Aeris (CDFI Rating Agency)minorOthersCEF publishes an Aeris Rating on its website to provide transparency to investors and funders on its financial performance.
• OneMain FinancialminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOneMain Financial referred Cold Noze Creameri (Jerry Marano) to CEF for startup financing.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LiftFund: San Antonio-headquartered nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans, SBA 7(a) loans, and business advisory services to underserved entrepreneurs, with bilingual capacity. Operates in a similar mission-driven, multi-state manner as CEF.
• DreamSpring: Albuquerque-based nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans, SBA 7(a) loans, and business coaching to underserved entrepreneurs across the Southwest. Directly comparable to CEF in product mix (SBA 7(a), microloans) and mission-driven borrower focus.
• Justine PETERSEN: St. Louis-based nonprofit CDFI delivering SBA 7(a), microloans, and business coaching to underserved small businesses — same lending + coaching model as CEF, with comparable focus on borrowers that don't qualify for traditional bank financing.
• CDC Small Business Finance: California-based nonprofit CDFI specializing in SBA 504 and 7(a) loans for underserved small businesses. Closely comparable to CEF's SBA 7(a) lending focus and CDFI mission.
• Accion Opportunity Fund: National nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans (often SBA 7(a) and microloans) and advisory services to underserved entrepreneurs. Most directly comparable peer to CEF given shared mission, SBA lending activity, free coaching, and bilingual support.
• Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC): Los Angeles-based nonprofit CDFI offering SBA 7(a), microloans, and business advisory to underserved entrepreneurs. Directly comparable to CEF in product suite and small-business focus.
• Pacific Community Ventures: Bay Area nonprofit CDFI providing loans and advisory services to small businesses that cannot access traditional capital. Comparable to CEF in combining lending with free business coaching/advising.

Broad incumbents

• Lendio: Largest SMB loan marketplace in the U.S., connecting small businesses to SBA and non-SBA lenders including CDFIs. Comparable channel and product overlap with CEF's SBA 7(a) lending, but operates as a tech-enabled marketplace rather than direct balance-sheet lender.

Emerging players

• Grameen America: Nonprofit microlender providing small business microloans to low-income women entrepreneurs across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable to CEF's microloan product and bilingual borrower support, though focuses on personal guarantees and group lending rather than SBA 7(a).

Others

• Aspen Institute (Microenterprise & CDFI Programs): National policy/research body that convenes CDFIs and produces industry research; CEF has co-produced content with Aspen Institute. Included as a thematically related ecosystem participant, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/COEnterpriseFnd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNybdBMcw0AmzIx4DKu5eaA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Colorado-Enterprise-Fund/93940584913
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colorado-enterprise-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/coenterprisefund

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colorado Enterprise Fund