3CORE

What 3CORE does

3CORE is a private nonprofit organization that operates as both a federally recognized Economic Development District and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), headquartered in Chico, California. Founded in 1985, the organization serves small businesses across three rural Northern California counties — Butte, Glenn, and Tehama — through a coordinated suite of revolving loan funds, no-cost technical assistance, cohort-based training, and regional economic development planning. 3CORE's mission is to fill financing gaps left by commercial banks by providing 'patient capital surrounded with mentoring and perspective' to borrowers who do not qualify for traditional bank financing.

Name

3CORE

Legal name

3CORE

Website

https://3coreedc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Financial Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Microenterprise Group Lending (Joint Liability) (FSAKAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (BPADACAC)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Community development financing
• Economic development services
• Disaster relief loans
• Business technical assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Chico

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Interest income from business loans ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 with interest rates generally 1-3 points above prime. Includes commercial real estate, working capital, equipment, and inventory financing.
2. Loan Processing and Closing Fees: Loan processing fee of 2-3 percent of total loan amount plus direct closing costs charged upon loan approval.
3. Technical Assistance Services: No-cost technical assistance programs for eligible small businesses including marketing assistance, website development, social media consulting, and business development services. Funded through grants and partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

3CORE is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and federally designated Economic Development District that provides small business loans ranging from $25,000 to $250,000 (plus a Small Business Disaster Interruption Loan Program of $10,000–$100,000) to small businesses in California's Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties. The financing is paired with no-cost technical assistance, cohort-based training programs, a Young Entrepreneur Initiative for high school students, and a regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) plan. Lending, mentoring, and economic development planning are bundled so that borrowers receive patient capital and business support that traditional banks do not provide.

Product overview

3CORE is a private nonprofit Economic Development District and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties in California. The organization offers a coordinated suite of financing products—primarily revolving small business loans ($25,000-$250,000) and disaster interruption loans ($10,000-$100,000)—augmented by business support services including a no-cost Technical Assistance Program, cohort-based training programs (LaunchPad to Success for website building, Social Media Bootcamp for digital marketing), and a youth entrepreneurship initiative. The company also develops the region's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) every five years. 3CORE surrounds its financing with mentoring and perspective to help businesses succeed, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional lending institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Business Loans
• Small Business Disaster Interruption Loan Program Emergency working capital loans of $10,000–$100,000 for small businesses in federally declared disaster-affected counties; 36-month terms with 6 months interest-only followed by 30 months principal and interest, at Prime plus 1% fixed rate, with 1.15x repayment ability required and a $50 application fee.
• Technical Assistance Program No- or low-cost technical assistance program for small businesses in Butte, Tehama, and Glenn Counties, providing referrals to vetted partners, marketing assistance, website development, social media consulting, and business development services, funded through grants and partnerships.
• Cohort Training Programs (LaunchPad to Success and Social Media Bootcamp) Cohort-based training programs including LaunchPad to Success (Squarespace website building workshop) and Social Media Bootcamp (branding, content planning, and Meta Ads), with expert facilitators and peer-to-peer networking for small businesses.
• Young Entrepreneur Initiative Youth entrepreneurship program supporting teen founders with mentoring, business development training, and market opportunities at the Chico Thursday Night Market in partnership with Tri Counties Bank and the Downtown Chico Business Association.
• Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Five-year regional economic development planning framework for Butte, Glenn, and Tehama counties, addressing economic recovery, workforce strategies, and community resilience, with associated research products such as the I-5 Corridor Feasibility Study completed in 2023 in partnership with Corning, Orland, and Willows and funded by USDA.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Team ChicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative including Chico Chamber of Commerce, 3CORE, Alliance for Workforce Development, Butte-Glenn Community College, CSU Chico, City of Chico, and Downtown Chico Business Association. First year results: 500+ businesses reached, $31.3M economic impact.
• North Valley Community FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in managing the Butte Strong Fund (totaling ~$40 million) for Camp Fire relief and recovery, working with 3CORE to distribute funds for small business recovery.
• MorrisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner supporting 3CORE initiatives.
• City of ChicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Development District member city partnering with 3CORE for regional economic development initiatives.
• Butte CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Development District member county collaborating on regional economic development.
• Glenn CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Development District member county partnering with 3CORE for regional economic development.
• Tehama CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic Development District member county collaborating on regional economic development.
• Kristina Moreno (Digital Wolf)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical assistance provider for cohort training programs. Leads website building workshops (LaunchPad to Success) helping businesses establish professional online presence using Squarespace.
• Danie Schwartz (Danie Schwartz Consulting)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical assistance provider for Social Media Bootcamp cohort training. Expert in marketing strategy, social media, SEO, and branding for small businesses.
• Downtown Chico Business Association (DCBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner for Young Entrepreneur Initiative, providing Thursday Night Market venue for youth entrepreneurs to sell products.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Community Ventures: California-based CDFI providing small business loans combined with advisory services to underserved entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a West Coast CDFI with an integrated capital-plus-coaching model targeting small businesses that traditional banks decline.
• CDC Small Business Finance: California-headquartered CDFI originating SBA and conventional small business loans. Comparable as a regional CDFI lender focused on small business credit access in California, though operating at larger scale than 3CORE.
• Northern California Community Loan Fund: Regional Northern California CDFI providing financing to small businesses, nonprofits, and affordable housing developers. Most direct geographic peer to 3CORE within California with similar small-business lending focus.
• LiftFund: Texas-based CDFI providing small business loans and coaching to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable as a community-focused CDFI combining capital with technical assistance for small businesses that lack traditional bank access.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. Maine-based CDFI providing financing and business support to small enterprises in rural communities. Comparable as a rural-focused CDFI with integrated lending and economic development services, though operating in the Northeast.
• DreamSpring (formerly Opportunity Fund): National CDFI providing small business loans and coaching to underserved entrepreneurs. Comparable as a CDFI serving capital-constrained small businesses with a mentoring-and-capital model similar to 3CORE's positioning.
• Rural Community Assistance Corporation: Rural-focused CDFI serving rural communities across the Western United States with lending and capacity-building services. Comparable mission and target market to 3CORE's rural tri-county service area.
• Grameen America: National microfinance organization providing small business loans to women entrepreneurs in underserved U.S. communities. Comparable in serving capital-constrained micro-entrepreneurs, though uses a group-lending model different from 3CORE's direct approach.

Broad incumbents

• Kiva: Global microlending platform enabling crowdfunded loans to small entrepreneurs. Comparable in microenterprise lending focus, but operates at vastly larger scale through digital crowdfunding rather than direct institutional lending.
• Accion Opportunity Fund: National CDFI providing small business loans and advisory to underrepresented entrepreneurs. Comparable small-business-lending mission, though larger geographic footprint and broader product suite than 3CORE.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/3COREedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3core

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 3CORE