Belknap Edc

What Belknap Edc does

Belknap Economic Development Council (Belknap EDC) is a non-profit economic development organization headquartered in Laconia, New Hampshire, serving small businesses, microenterprises, and underserved entrepreneurs throughout Belknap County and the broader Lakes Region. Its core offerings include one-on-one business advising (delivered through embedded SBDC Business Advisors), access-to-capital facilitation via a dedicated Loan Officer, micro-enterprise grant administration, and the SBA-funded Community Navigator Program that specifically targets women-, veteran-, and disadvantaged-owned businesses. The organization does not operate a technology product platform; its value is delivered through human advisory relationships, workshops, and direct financing connections rather than software.

Belknap EDC's revenue model rests on government grants and pass-through program administration. The primary funder is the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA), which has allocated $100K-$250K annually through the Community Development Block Grant Micro-Enterprise Program in recent years (2023, 2024, and 2025). A $2.5 million SBA grant awarded to CDFA in 2022 also flows through Belknap EDC via the Community Navigator Program in partnership with WEDCO. Services are provided at no charge or reduced cost to qualifying low-to-moderate-income microenterprises. Ancillary revenue comes from bank sponsorships (Bank of New Hampshire, Meredith Village Savings Bank, Franklin Savings Bank, Northway Bank, Cross Insurance) and micro-fundraising such as the Hannaford Community Bag Program.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Justin Slattery, with Allison Ambrose (Wescott Law) serving as Board Chair as of the 2024 Annual Meeting, succeeding Andrew Pike (Opechee Construction) who assumed the role in 2022. Strategic priorities articulated publicly include leveraging capital resources, building partnerships, fostering a business-friendly culture, and increasing the number and diversity of businesses in the region. Notable programmatic milestones include support for the Colonial Theatre redevelopment (grand opening 2021), multiple business openings and expansions documented as success stories across retail, food and beverage, manufacturing, and hospitality verticals, and ongoing collaboration with the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs on tariff and trade policy adaptation resources.

Name

Belknap Edc

Legal name

Belknap Economic Development Council

Website

https://belknapedc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Belknap Economic Development Council (Belknap EDC) is a non-profit organization based in Laconia, New Hampshire that provides financing access, business advising, grant administration, and trade resources to small businesses, microenterprises, and underserved entrepreneurs across Belknap County and the Lakes Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Small business financing
• Microenterprise grants
• Business advisory services
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Laconia

HQ country

United States

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. Government Grants & Program Administration: Belknap EDC receives Community Development Block Grant Micro-Enterprise Program funding administered through CDFA to provide entrepreneurial training and technical assistance services to qualifying microenterprises in Belknap County.
2. Financing Programs: The organization helps small businesses access capital through loans and financing programs, working with local banks and financial institutions to leverage additional resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Belknap EDC is a non-profit economic development organization that provides financing assistance, technical assistance, business advising, and grant programs to small businesses and microenterprises in Belknap County, New Hampshire. A dedicated Loan Officer helps businesses access capital, while local SBDC Business Advisors deliver one-on-one counseling, workshops, and training. The organization also administers grant-funded programs including the Community Development Block Grant Micro-Enterprise Program and the SBA-funded Community Navigator Program for underserved entrepreneurs.

Product overview

Belknap EDC operates as a non-profit economic development organization offering a suite of business development services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings include business financing and loan programs, the Community Development Block Grant Micro-Enterprise Program, and the SBA-funded Community Navigator Program. These services are delivered through partnerships with the New Hampshire SBDC, CDFA, and WEDCO, supplemented by workshops, training sessions, business counseling, and market data resources. The organization focuses on supporting small businesses, microenterprises, and underserved entrepreneurs in Belknap County through direct financing assistance, technical support, and networking opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 small businesses served in 2021 through financial and business counseling
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025CDFA administers the Community Development Block Grant Microenterprise Program that Belknap EDC participates in, providing funding for entrepreneurial training and technical assistance services to low-to-moderate income microenterprises in Belknap County.
• New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (SBDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Belknap EDC works with NH SBDC to provide one-on-one confidential business advising, training programs, and workshops. SBDC Business Advisors work locally with small businesses in the Lakes Region.
• Wentworth Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Belknap EDC and WEDCO partnered together with CDFA on the SBA Community Navigator Program, providing small business support across Belknap, Strafford, and Carroll Counties. Combined resources of over $200,000 allocated in 2022.
• Enterprise Center at PlymouthminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2019Sponsored small business seminars on topics like tax law for small businesses in partnership with Grafton Regional Development Corporation.
• NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBEA provides tariff resources and trade policy information that Belknap EDC shares with local businesses to help them navigate policy changes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vermont Community Loan Fund: VCLF is a Vermont CDFI providing microloans, business advising, and grants to small businesses and nonprofits. Highly comparable to Belknap EDC's blended financing-plus-advising model for rural microenterprises, just at greater scale and in an adjacent state.
• Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI): CEI is a Maine-based CDFI and small business development organization providing financing, advising, and TA to rural microenterprises - a scaled-up analog of Belknap EDC's model. Comparable in targeting underserved entrepreneurs and offering blended capital plus technical assistance.
• Wentworth Economic Development Corporation (WEDCO): WEDCO is a NH-based nonprofit EDC serving Strafford and Carroll Counties. It is a direct partner of Belknap EDC on the SBA Community Navigator Program and jointly administers microenterprise grants - essentially the same model in adjacent counties.
• Grafton Regional Development Corporation: GRDC is a NH nonprofit EDC that supports small businesses in Grafton County with financing, TA, and workforce programs. Comparable in mission, services (business advising, lending partnerships), and rural county-level scope to Belknap EDC.
• Enterprise Center at Plymouth: A NH small business resource organization that has co-hosted seminars with Belknap EDC and Grafton RDC. Provides very similar business advising, training, and microenterprise support to small businesses in central NH.

Broad incumbents

• New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC): NH SBDC is a statewide SBDC partner organization that delivers one-on-one advising, training, and workshops - the exact services Belknap EDC embeds locally. Functions as both partner and broader incumbent serving the same clients across all NH counties.
• New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA): NH CDFA is the state authority that administers the CDBG Microenterprise Program funding Belknap EDC channels to small businesses. Functions as upstream funder and statewide resource, while also offering overlapping programs that compete for the same small business clients.

Regional players

• Monadnock Economic Development Corporation: A NH-based nonprofit EDC serving southwestern NH with business development and financing support. Operates in an adjacent region with comparable offerings (small business advising, lending partnerships) but does not overlap Belknap County directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/belknapedc
• Facebookfacebook.com/BelknapEDC
• Instagraminstagram.com/belknapedc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/belknap-edc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Belknap Edc