CEED

What CEED does

CEED (Center for Economic Empowerment & Development), founded in May 1990 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers economic empowerment and small business development services across an 11-county region of southeast North Carolina known as the Sandhills. Its core programs include the CEED Capital Loan Program (microloans from $2,500 to $200,000 at 5%-18% interest, plus a sub-$2,500 CEED Builder Loan for credit-building), the Women's Business Center of Fayetteville (counseling, workshops, and one-on-one consulting for women entrepreneurs), the New Choices Program (career counseling, resume workshops, credit counseling, budgeting, and mortgage readiness for individuals and families), the Training Station (a shared commercial kitchen and food truck commissary), and the City of Fayetteville COVID-19 Bridge Loan Program administered on behalf of the municipality.

The organization operates from 230 Hay Street in Fayetteville with satellite services at Cumberland County Public Library centers and Fayetteville Technical Community College. CEED holds exclusive SBA designations, including the only Women's Business Center in the US awarded a $1M SBA contract and the only PRIME program provider in North Carolina. The stated economic impact is $10 million per year to the Sandhills Region, with over 75% of loans going to minority entrepreneurs and roughly half of clients being female. Funding comes from SBA contracts, foundation grants (Walmart Foundation, Cumberland Community Foundation, Florence Rogers Charitable Trust), local government partnerships, and interest/fees from the loan portfolio. Technology infrastructure is conventional nonprofit: a WordPress website, an on-demand training portal, ADP and credit card payment integrations, and no proprietary platform or AI capability.

Name

CEED

Legal name

CEED Center for Economic Empowerment & Development

Website

https://ncceed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CEED is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1990 in Fayetteville, NC that provides microloans ($2,500-$200,000), business counseling via the Women's Business Center, self-sufficiency programs, and shared commercial kitchen space to underserved entrepreneurs, women, and families across 11 counties in North Carolina's Sandhills Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayetteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Services and Grants: CEED operates as a nonprofit organization delivering approximately $10 million per year impact to the Sandhills Region through programs funded by grants, SBA contracts, and community partnerships. Revenue is generated through program services rather than direct sales.
2. CEED Capital Loan Program: Provides microloans from $2,500 to $200,000 for small businesses. Interest rates range from 5% to 18% depending on loan amount. Closing fees include $125 processing fee and $300 administration fee. The program helps inexperienced borrowers get access to capital not available through traditional banking.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CEED is a nonprofit economic empowerment organization that provides small business lending ($2,500–$200,000 microloans), business consulting and training through the Women's Business Center, self-sufficiency counseling through the New Choices Program, and shared commercial kitchen space via the Training Station. Its programs target underserved entrepreneurs, women, minorities, and families across the 11-county Sandhills Region of North Carolina.

Product overview

CEED (Center for Economic Empowerment and Development) is a non-profit organization offering a multi-program portfolio focused on economic empowerment and small business development. The core offerings include the CEED Capital Loans program (providing loans from $2,500 to $200,000 for startups and existing businesses), the Women's Business Center (offering counseling, workshops, and business development support), and the New Choices Program (providing career counseling and self-sufficiency services). Additional services include the Training Station (shared commercial kitchen and food truck commissary space), the Credit Builder Loan (for entrepreneurs with damaged credit), and the City of Fayetteville COVID-19 Bridge Loan Program. These programs work together to serve entrepreneurs from startup through growth stages, with focus on women, minorities, and underserved populations in the Sandhills Region of North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women's Business Center of Fayetteville: Program within CEED providing business consulting, training, and loan assistance specifically for women entrepreneurs.
• CEED Capital Loan Program
• New Choices Program
• Training Station

Products and services

• CEED Capital Loans (Microloans) Small business loan program providing access to capital for startup and existing small businesses that cannot obtain traditional bank financing. Offers loans from $2,500 to $200,000 with various term options and tiered interest rates.
• Women's Business Center of Fayetteville (WBCFay) Business support center providing counseling, business plans, expansion assistance, specialized workshops, credit and loan counseling, and referrals for women entrepreneurs and small business owners across the Sandhills Region.
• New Choices Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $10 million annual economic impact to the Sandhills Region of North Carolina
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBA awarded CEED a $1M contract, making it the only Women's Business Center in the US to receive such a contract. SBA also awarded CEED another contract to become the only PRIME program provider in North Carolina.
• City of FayettevillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Fayetteville Community Development, Community Investment, and Economic & Business Development departments partner with CEED. CEED administers the City of Fayetteville COVID-19 Bridge Loan Program and Relief loan program.
• County of CumberlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCumberland County Community Development partners with CEED to provide economic empowerment services to county residents.
• Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEED holds training classes at FTCC locations as part of its training programs.
• Cumberland County Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEED conducts training classes at Cumberland County Library centers as part of its community outreach.
• SBTDC (Small Business Technology Development Center)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSBTDC is an SBA partner that provides business development services alongside CEED.
• VBOC (Veterans Business Outreach Center)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVBOC is an SBA partner providing veteran business services that work with CEED.
• Cumberland County Social ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSocial services agency refers clients to CEED's New Choices Program for economic self-sufficiency support.
• State Farm InsuranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState Farm Insurance is a community partner supporting CEED's economic development mission.
• Women's Business Center (WBCFay)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's Business Center of Fayetteville at CEED is a core program of the organization, managed by Director Katlin Neese. WBCFay provides business consulting, workshops, and support specifically for women entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LiftFund: CDFI providing microloans and small business lending across the Southern US, with a nearly identical product mix to CEED Capital Loans. Both serve underserved borrowers unable to access traditional bank financing, often via SBA-supported programs.
• Grameen America: Nonprofit microfinance organization providing small-dollar loans and financial services to underserved entrepreneurs, predominantly women. Closely comparable to CEED's microloan and self-sufficiency program mission and borrower profile.
• Accion: National CDFI providing small business loans, mentorship, and training to underserved entrepreneurs. Directly comparable to CEED's integrated loan-plus-consulting model and SBA-funded program delivery.
• Women's Business Development Center (WBDC): SBA-affiliated Women's Business Center providing business consulting, training, and lending support for women entrepreneurs. Mirrors CEED's WBC program structure and core target demographic of women business owners.

Regional players

• Carolina Small Business Development Fund: North Carolina-based CDFI providing small business loans and advisory services across the state. Operates in overlapping geography with CEED's 11-county service area and offers directly comparable lending products.
• Self-Help: North Carolina-headquartered CDFI and credit union providing responsible financing to underserved borrowers statewide. Comparable as a regional community development lender operating in CEED's geographic footprint with similar mission focus.

Broad incumbents

• SCORE: National nonprofit providing free business mentoring, workshops, and educational resources to small business owners. Overlaps with CEED's counseling, training, and business planning service offerings at a much larger national scale.
• Ascentium Capital: Large commercial lender operating the former CDC Small Business Finance CDFI platform. Comparable as a CDFI-led small business lender, but with broader national scope, larger loan sizes, and for-profit capital structure unlike CEED.

Emerging players

• Kiva: Nonprofit crowdfunding platform providing 0% interest microloans to underserved entrepreneurs globally. Comparable mission and borrower profile to CEED Capital Loans, though uses a crowd-funded model rather than CEED's direct CDFI lending.

Others

• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): National membership organization advocating for women business owners and providing education, networking, and resources. Thematically aligned with CEED's mission but does not directly lend or compete for SBA WBC contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NCCEED

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CEED