The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development

What The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development does

The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development, operating through its CEED Lending initiative, is a nonprofit community development financial institution headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, and founded in 1984. Recognized as the first microlender in Michigan, CEED Lending holds both SBA Microlender designation (operating under the SBA Microloan Program per revised SOP 52 00 B) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certification from the CDFI Fund. The organization delivers Small Business Microloans and Small Business LIFT Loans paired with business assistance services to small business owners across nine southeast Michigan counties — Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Livingston, and Washtenaw. Cumulative loan volume exceeds $13 million, with 2,261+ jobs attributed to financed businesses.

CEED Lending operates as an initiative of the Great Lakes Women's Business Council, leveraging the council's certification programs (WBE, WOSB), membership infrastructure, and regional referral network. Its product surface extends beyond lending into Women's Business Center programs (Center of Excellence, execWE, Trusted Connector, LaunchU), the Business Growth Program, MentorWE mentorship, WE Succeed programming, WBE/WOSB certification services, and tiered corporate and small business memberships. Distribution is direct — prospective borrowers contact CEED Lending loan officers at 734-677-1400 or initiate via a "Get Started" online process — supplemented by organic social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter), the WEupdates newsletter, podcast appearances, and event participation including WBENC.

Revenue mechanics combine loan interest and fees, certification fees, membership dues, donations (a Donate function is prominently surfaced on the site), and likely federal grant funding tied to SBA and CDFI programs. Pricing and interest rates are not publicly disclosed; terms are set on a case-by-case basis through direct contact with lending staff. Customer concentration is distributed across many small borrowers in a defined regional footprint, and no technology platform, proprietary AI, or software product underpins the model — CEED Lending is fundamentally a relationship-driven, certification-and-capital nonprofit.

Name

The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development

Legal name

Great Lakes Women's Business Council

Website

https://miceed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development operates CEED Lending, a nonprofit SBA Microlender and CDFI that issues microloans and LIFT loans paired with business assistance, certification, and mentorship services to small businesses and women entrepreneurs across nine southeast Michigan counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Finance / Microfinance

NAICS

Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAKAGAI

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans

Financial & Insurance/Lending & Consumer Finance/Small Business & Microenterprise Lending

SECONDARYFSAEAEAI

SBA/USDA Government-Backed Loan Intermediation

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Mortgage Brokerage & Loan Intermediation

Keywords

• Small business lending
• SBA microloans
• Business development services
• Women-owned business certification
• Community development finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Livonia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Microloan Program: CEED Lending provides SBA Microloans for small business expansion and start-up financing. As the first microlenders in Michigan, they offer loans partnered with business assistance services. Revenue is generated through loan interest and fees associated with microloans and LIFT loans to qualifying small businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CEED Lending is a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and SBA Microlender that originates SBA Microloans and LIFT Loans to small businesses across nine southeast Michigan counties. Loan products are bundled with Business Assistance Services, Women's Business Center (WBC) programming, WBE/WOSB certification assistance, mentoring, and corporate and small business memberships, integrating access-to-capital with operational and growth support for borrowers.

Product overview

CEED Lending is a lending initiative of the Great Lakes Women's Business Council that provides business expansion and start-up financing to small businesses across nine southeast Michigan counties. As the first microlenders in Michigan, CEED Lending offers the Small Business LIFT Loan and Small Business Microloan programs, which are partnered with business assistance services. The organization also operates a Women's Business Center (WBC) offering programs like Center of Excellence, execWE, Trusted Connector, and LaunchU, along with the Business Growth Program (BGP) and MentorWE mentorship services. CEED Lending holds SBA Microlender and CDFI designations, and has made more than $13 million in loans creating over 2,261 jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SBA Microloans Small-dollar SBA Microloans originated under the organization's SBA Microlender designation for small businesses in the nine-county southeast Michigan service area, typically used for working capital, equipment, inventory, supplies, and business expansion.
• LIFT Loan LIFT Loans are CEED's proprietary loan product offering additional financing capacity to eligible small businesses in southeast Michigan alongside SBA Microloans.
• Business Assistance Services One-on-one and group business advising covering business plan development, financial literacy, marketing, capital access, and operational support for small business owners in southeast Michigan.
• Women's Business Center (WBC) Programs Programming including Center of Excellence and Targeted Procurement Advisory Service, the executive development program execWE, the procurement matchmaking program Trusted Connector, and the LaunchU business fundamentals program, delivered to women entrepreneurs in partnership with the SBA's Women's Business Center network.
• Business Growth Program (BGP) Targeted program for established small businesses focused on accelerating revenue growth, operational scaling, and access to new markets, delivered alongside CEED's lending and advisory services.
• MentorWE Mentorship program pairing women entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors for ongoing guidance on starting and growing a business.
• WE Succeed Support program for established women business owners focused on scaling beyond startup and accessing growth capital and procurement opportunities.
• WBE / WOSB Certification Services Certification services helping women business owners obtain Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certifications to access corporate and government contracting opportunities.
• Corporate Membership Paid corporate membership that gives corporations access to WBE-certified supplier networks, supplier diversity programming, and events.
• Small Business Membership Paid small business membership providing entrepreneurs with access to programming, events, and CEED's network in southeast Michigan.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $13 Million in loans made to small businesses
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Great Lakes Women's Business CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEED Lending is an initiative of the Great Lakes Women's Business Council (WBC), leveraging the council's network, certification programs (WBE, WOSB), and business development services to serve women-owned and small businesses across southeast Michigan.
• Oakland County, MichiganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOakland County is featured in CEED Lending's partner section, indicating collaboration to serve small businesses in Oakland County.
• CBS DetroitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCBS Detroit interviewed Great Lakes WBC/CEED Lending about funding options for small businesses, providing media exposure and credibility.
• Civic Center TVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivic Center TV featured CEED Lending in an interview about championing small business in Michigan, providing marketing visibility.
• Royal Oak Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCEED Lending appeared on the Royal Oak Chamber Podcast discussing funding options for small businesses.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kiva: Kiva is a large, well-known microlending platform providing crowdfunded 0% loans to small businesses globally — broader in scale but overlapping mission and borrower profile with CEED's microlending focus.
• Capital Impact Partners: Capital Impact Partners is a national CDFI providing capital and capacity-building to underserved communities — a broader, larger CDFI peer offering comparable mission-driven small business lending.
• CDC Small Business Finance: CDC Small Business Finance is a CDFI providing SBA 504 loans and small business financing — broader in scale and product set, but operating within the same CDFI/SBA-backed lending space as CEED.

Direct peers

• DreamSpring: DreamSpring is a nonprofit CDFI providing microloans and small business financing to underserved entrepreneurs, with bundled business coaching — closely aligned with CEED's microloan-plus-advisory offering.
• Accion: Accion is a global nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and advisory services to underserved entrepreneurs — directly comparable to CEED's mission, product set, and target borrower profile.
• LiftFund: LiftFund is a nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and advisory services to minority and women entrepreneurs across multiple states — a comparable micro/small business lender with similar mission focus.
• Grameen America: Grameen America is a nonprofit microlender providing small-dollar loans to entrepreneurs, primarily women, in underserved U.S. communities — a directly comparable microloan + advisory model to CEED Lending.
• TruFund Financial Services: TruFund is a nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans and capacity-building services to underserved borrowers in underserved communities — directly comparable to CEED's CDFI microlending model.
• Justine PETERSEN: Justine PETERSEN is a St. Louis-based CDFI providing microloans, small business lending, and housing counseling — directly comparable as a regionally focused CDFI microlender with bundled services.

Regional players

• Michigan Women's Foundation: Michigan Women's Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit supporting women and girls through economic empowerment initiatives — a regional, mission-aligned peer operating in the same geography and demographic as CEED.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/miceed
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=sWVsqcQA-rs
• Facebookfacebook.com/CEEDORG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/CEED-Center-Empowerment-Economic-Development-4794581
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakeswbc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Center for Empowerment and Economic Development