3CORE
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersChico, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
3CORE firmographics
Firmographics- 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
3CORE industry classification
Industry- 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
Where 3CORE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chico
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
3CORE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- 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.
- Loan Processing and Closing Fees: Loan processing fee of 2-3 percent of total loan amount plus direct closing costs charged upon loan approval.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Standard Business Loans: $25,000 - $250,000 |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Monthly | Small Business Disaster Interruption Loans: $10,000 - $100,000 |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Technical Assistance Program |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
3CORE product offering
Product offeringCore 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.
Companies that use 3CORE
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
3CORE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
3CORE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Team ChicocoreCollaborative 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 FoundationmajorPartner 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 partner supporting 3CORE initiatives.
- City of ChicocoreEconomic Development District member city partnering with 3CORE for regional economic development initiatives.
- Butte CountycoreEconomic Development District member county collaborating on regional economic development.
- Glenn CountycoreEconomic Development District member county partnering with 3CORE for regional economic development.
- Tehama CountycoreEconomic Development District member county collaborating on regional economic development.
- Kristina Moreno (Digital Wolf)coreTechnical 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)coreTechnical 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)coreProgram 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
3CORE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
3CORE social profiles
Digital presence3CORE compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
3CORE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
3CORE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
3CORE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
3CORE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 3CORE
What does 3CORE do?
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.
Is 3CORE a public or private company?
3CORE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was 3CORE founded?
3CORE was founded in 1985. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 3CORE based?
3CORE is headquartered in Chico, United States, in the North America region.
How does 3CORE make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Loan Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are loan Processing and Closing Fees and technical Assistance Services.
Who are 3CORE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pacific Community Ventures, CDC Small Business Finance, Northern California Community Loan Fund, LiftFund, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., DreamSpring (formerly Opportunity Fund), Rural Community Assistance Corporation and Grameen America. Broad incumbents are Kiva and Accion Opportunity Fund.
Does 3CORE have an API?
No public API is recorded for 3CORE.
What industry is 3CORE in?
3CORE's product category is Community Development Financial Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAGAH, Microenterprise Group Lending (Joint Liability), with a secondary code of BPADACAC, National Development Banks & State Development Finance Institutions (DFIs). Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 6159.