Community Futures Sunshine Coast

Name

Community Futures Sunshine Coast

Legal name

Community Futures Development Corporation of the Sunshine Coast

Website

https://communityfutures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Lending and Advisory

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI), Development Finance & Blended Finance Facilities (BPADAOAD), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Microfinance services
• Business advisory services
• Community economic development
• Entrepreneur support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Sechelt

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: Variable interest loans structured with pricing based on Bank of Canada prime rate plus 2-5 percentage points. Loans range from $5,000 to $150,000 for businesses operating on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Term loans are typically designed for repayment over three to five years.
2. Loan Service Fees: A nominal 2% service fee applied to each loan transaction, contributing to essential operational capital. Additional fees include credit check fees, security registration fees, and other administration fees when required.
3. Bursary/Grant Fund Management: The Barrie Wilbee Endowment with the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation provides financial backing for educational and learning endeavors for local entrepreneurs. This represents the organization's singular non-lending financial assistance initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Community Futures Sunshine Coast provides character-based business loans ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 for small business start-up, acquisition, or expansion on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Loans are evaluated using the 5Cs of Credit and are paired with one-on-one business advisory services, training, workshops, and community development programs targeting underserved entrepreneurs including women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ founders.

Product overview

Community Futures Sunshine Coast (CFDC-SC) is a community lending and business advisory organization, not a unified software product. Its core offerings consist of character-based business loans ($5,000-$150,000), Business Advisory Services, and Community Development initiatives. These are supported by a portfolio of specialized programs including the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program, PRIDE in Entrepreneurship Program, Coast Catalyst Business Accelerator, Venture Connect (business transition marketplace), Export Navigator, and the Sunshine Coast Mobile Entrepreneur Association. The MyCF platform provides free online learning resources. The organization also offers resource templates and hosts community events like Celebrating Women in Business and Raise the Bar pitch nights. Together, these services form an integrated ecosystem supporting small business growth across the Sunshine Coast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyCF: A free online platform for Sunshine Coast entrepreneurs offering live and recorded learning sessions on topics like marketing, planning, and financing.
• Coast Catalyst Business Accelerator Program

Products and services

• Business Loans Character-based term loans ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 for business start-up, acquisition, or expansion on the Sunshine Coast. Loans are evaluated using the 5Cs of Credit (Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, Conditions), with consideration for social and environmental impact, and are typically designed for repayment over three to five years. Interest is variable at Bank of Canada prime rate plus 2-5 percentage points with a 2% loan service fee.
• Business Advisory Services One-on-one business advisory and counseling services where advisors connect entrepreneurs with resources, assist with loan applications, support business plan development, financial projections, and growth strategies. Available to small business owners on the Sunshine Coast.
• Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP) Program providing access to business professionals, resources, business plan development assistance, training, coaching, and loans specifically designed for entrepreneurs with disabilities or ongoing health conditions in British Columbia.
• PRIDE in Entrepreneurship Program Comprehensive training, resources, and support dedicated to 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in British Columbia, offering business plan development, training, coaching, and loans regardless of location.
• Coast Catalyst Business Accelerator Program Empowers Sunshine Coast entrepreneurs through webinars, in-person workshops, mentorship, and hands-on activities to develop, refine, and scale their businesses.
• Venture Connect Helps BC business owners sell, transition, or restructure their businesses through valuation services, succession planning, and an online marketplace connecting sellers and buyers.
• Export Navigator Free one-on-one support from expert advisors helping BC businesses with export planning, market research, and trade regulations for national and international expansion.
• Sunshine Coast Mobile Entrepreneur Association (SCMEA) Supports local mobile entrepreneurs by offering resources, connections, and guidance, fostering collaboration and linking mobile entrepreneurs with opportunities and customers.
• Barrie Wilbee Bursary Annual bursary awarded to Sunshine Coast residents pursuing education or training in business, entrepreneurship, or community economic development, established in collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Foundation.
• MyCF Online Learning Platform Free online platform for Sunshine Coast entrepreneurs offering live and recorded learning sessions on topics like marketing, planning, and financing, with scheduled webinars, 30-day recording access, and personalized advisor support.
• Community Events Program Community events including Celebrating Women in Business (CWIB) and Raise the Bar pitch events that bring together entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members for learning, connection, and growth.

Named customers4 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Sunshine Coast FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Facilitates philanthropic giving by connecting donors to community projects. Jointly created the Barrie Wilbee endowment in 2016 with Community Futures to financially support learning and educational opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Matched founding contribution from CFSC for the bursary endowment.
• Sunshine Coast Credit Union (SCCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA key partner and ally to launch new initiatives, expand business opportunities, and promote local investing. Partnered in the creation of Rhiza Capital INC., the Gibsons Public Market, and LEAP!. Provides financial participation in events held on the Coast.
• Gibsons Public MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sunshine Coast's gathering place featuring local merchants, an award-winning bistro, community aquarium, and rental facilities. Community Futures Sunshine Coast is a founding investment partner of the market.
• Innovation IslandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional voice for technology entrepreneurship, supporting entrepreneurs to start and grow technology companies by providing programs and resources. Community Futures is a member organization working alongside Innovation Island.
• Sunshine Coast Chamber of CommercesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization collaborating to support local businesses in achieving success on the Sunshine Coast.
• Rhiza Capital INC.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal investment cooperative created in partnership with SCCU. Morgan Beall, Executive Director, serves as a Director on the Rhiza Investment Coop board to help build and grow local investments.
• Venture ConnectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner helping business owners sell, transition, or restructure their businesses. Provides valuation services, succession planning, and an online marketplace to connect sellers and buyers.
• Export NavigatorsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner helping BC businesses expand into new markets with free one-on-one support from expert advisors. Guides businesses through export planning, market research, and trade regulations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Vancity Community Foundation: British Columbia-based credit union foundation providing community lending, grants, and impact investing across BC. Operates with a similar mission of using finance for community economic development, but at a larger BC-wide scale rather than a single regional district.
• Export Navigator (Province of BC): BC government-funded program providing one-on-one export advisory to small businesses across British Columbia. CFSC is a delivery partner; the program is directly comparable in its blend of free advisory, government funding, and SMB-focused economic development.

Direct peers

• Futurpreneur Canada: National non-profit providing financing, mentorship and resources to young entrepreneurs (ages 18-39) across Canada. Directly comparable to CFSC in its blend of character-based lending, advisory support, and federal economic-development mandate, with a national rather than regional footprint.
• Community Futures British Columbia (CFBC): Provincial umbrella organization coordinating all 34 Community Futures Development Corporations across British Columbia, including CFSC. CFBC delivers and supports the same loan and advisory programs (EDP, PRIDE in Entrepreneurship, MyCF platform) that CFSC operates, making it the closest institutional peer and program-design counterpart.
• Community Foundations of Canada: National network of 191 community foundations (including the Sunshine Coast Foundation that co-manages CFSC's Barrie Wilbee Endowment). They share the community-development financing mandate and deploy grants and impact capital locally, paralleling CFSC's endowment and bursary management functions.
• Sunshine Coast Credit Union: Local full-service credit union serving the same Sunshine Coast geography and small-business segment. Co-partner and competitor in some respects — SCCU offers larger conventional loans while CFSC fills the character-based micro-loan niche; they jointly created Rhiza Capital INC.

Broad incumbents

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): Crown corporation providing financing, advisory and capital to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. Overlaps with CFSC in the SME lending space but at much larger ticket sizes and broader scale, serving as the natural referral destination for CFSC borrowers who outgrow the $150K cap.
• Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union: Large BC credit union offering business banking, lending, and advisory services to SMEs. A broader incumbent in the regional SME finance space whose loan products overlap with CFSC's higher end ($150K range) but without the character-based or community-development mandate.

Emerging players

• Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC): National network supporting women entrepreneurs through lending, advisory, and training across Canada. Shares CFSC's mission of serving underrepresented entrepreneurs (women) and offers comparable character-based financing and business support, though at a national rather than regional scale.
• Innovation Island Technology Association: Regional technology entrepreneur support organization on Vancouver Island serving adjacent geography. Comparable to CFSC in providing training, mentorship, and ecosystem support to entrepreneurs, though focused on tech rather than general SMB lending.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CommunityFutures.SunshineCoast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-futures-sunshine-coast
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityfutures.sunshinecoast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Community Futures Sunshine Coast