Community Economic Defense Project

What Community Economic Defense Project does

Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Denver-headquartered 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2020 that delivers free, integrated housing-security services to low-income and working households across Colorado. Its core offerings span direct financial assistance for rent and mortgage (administering state pass-through programs including CERA, TRUA, EMAP, and Commerce City housing assistance), free legal representation in eviction and foreclosure proceedings (delivered through the in-house CED Law arm), bilingual resource navigation (English/Spanish via the HubSpot-hosted CARE Center knowledge base and integrated MyFriendBen benefits screening), disaster relief support (notably post-Marshall Fire), unjust towing recovery, and policy advocacy at the state capitol.

CEDP's technology footprint is deliberately lightweight and third-party-dependent rather than proprietary: a bilingual WordPress website at cedproject.org, a HubSpot-hosted knowledge base at kb.cedproject.org, Submittable-hosted property tax relief intake forms, an Eventbrite event registration channel, a Substack newsletter, and a Square checkout donation storefront. The organization operates physical offices in Denver (HQ at 1600 N. Downing St., Suite 600), Durango, and Colorado Springs, with resource coverage spanning 16+ Colorado counties and a cumulative reach of 50K+ clients served and 2,800 individuals served monthly. 74% of clients identify as BIPOC or Hispanic/Latino.

The business model is a nonprofit revenue stack rather than a commercial one: organizational income is drawn from individual donations (one-time and recurring via Square), institutional grants (including a $250K GitLab Foundation grant recorded for March 2026), and government/institutional grants that fund the pass-through of financial assistance to clients. Critically, the headline $200M cumulative financial assistance figure represents funds distributed to clients — not CEDP's own revenue — and serves as a proxy for program scale rather than income. All client-facing services (rental assistance administration, legal representation, resource navigation, foreclosure defense) are provided free of charge, and the organization actively warns the public about fraudulent schemes charging for these services. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via phone hotline, online intake, walk-in offices, and a dense referral network spanning Colorado courts, legal aid providers, shelters, county human services, and utility companies.

Name

Community Economic Defense Project

Legal name

Community Economic Defense Project

Website

https://cedproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) is a Denver-based 501c3 nonprofit that provides free legal representation, direct financial assistance, and bilingual resource navigation to prevent eviction and housing loss for low-income, BIPOC, and Hispanic/Latino households across Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Legal Aid and Assistance Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization Housing Programs (FSALAKAO)

Keywords

• Eviction prevention services
• Housing legal aid
• Rental assistance programs
• Foreclosure defense services
• Nonprofit legal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: 501c3 nonprofit soliciting one-time and ongoing donations from individuals via a Square checkout storefront (checkout.square.site). Funds support the mission of partnering with low-income and working people to build economic and racial equity through legal, economic, and advocacy tools.
2. Government and Institutional Grants (Financial Assistance Funding): Distributes external grant-funded financial assistance to clients at risk of eviction/foreclosure; over $200M in financial assistance funding distributed across programs (including $100M+ for rental assistance to 31K+ households), administered via partnerships with Colorado Department of Housing (CERA, TRUA, EMAP) and Commerce City.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Community Economic Defense Project is a Colorado-based 501c3 nonprofit that provides free legal representation, direct financial assistance for rent and mortgage, bilingual resource navigation, disaster relief, unjust towing recovery, and policy advocacy to prevent eviction and foreclosure for low-income and working households. Services are delivered at no charge to clients in English and Spanish through a coordinated one-stop-shop model spanning 16+ Colorado counties and partner agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CED Law: Free legal aid and representation arm providing services for tenants facing eviction, foreclosure, and housing insecurity. Operates with a dedicated intake at cedlaw.org.
• CARE Center

Products and services

• CED Law Free Legal Representation

Quantifiable outcome

• $200M in financial assistance funding distributed to clients
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Energy Outreach ColoradocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDP partners with Energy Outreach Colorado to help eligible households get financial assistance with utility payments (electricity, natural gas, propane, oil, kerosene, coal, firewood, and pellets). Currently processes applications for Xcel Energy, Atmos Energy, Colorado Natural Gas, and Black Hills Energy through the Energy Outreach Colorado sign-up portal.
• Denver City Council District 10 (Councilmember Chris Hinds) and local/national animal welfare organizationsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the Denver Pet Deposit Assistance Program — a pilot providing a one-time $300 pet deposit to help tenants in Denver City Council District 10 keep their pets and access safe, stable housing. Plans to expand city-wide.
• MyFriendBen (screener.myfriendben.org)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated public benefits screening tool embedded in CEDP's CARE Center knowledge base, allowing CEDP to refer clients to MyFriendBen's benefits screener with CEDP as the referrer for eligibility screening across TANF, SNAP, Medical Assistance, and CCCAP.
• Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDP links clients to MDHI Coordinated Entry information as part of housing navigation for individuals and families experiencing homelessness across the Metro Denver region.
• FindHelp.org (Find Help in Your Area)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCEDP's website links to FindHelp.org as a resource directory enabling clients to search for local services by ZIP code.
• CED Law (cedlaw.org)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCED Law is the legal services arm through which CEDP provides free legal aid and representation to tenants facing eviction, foreclosure, and housing insecurity. Online Legal Intake form routes to cedlaw.org domain.
• Justice Center Colorado Springs (Stronger Together Housing Legal Day)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-host of the Stronger Together Housing Legal Day event held August 29, 2025 at the Family Success Center, 1520 Verde Dr, Colorado Springs.
• Colorado Legal Services (and other Colorado Judicial District Ask-a-Lawyer programs)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCEDP lists Colorado Legal Services (303-837-1313), Poverty Law Project, Colorado Affordable Legal Services, and Colorado Courts Self-Help Resources as complementary free eviction legal resources for tenants. Also cross-promotes Judicial District Ask-An-Attorney/Meet-a-Lawyer events.
• Xcel Energy, Atmos Energy, Colorado Natural Gas, Black Hills EnergycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUtility provider partners through which CEDP processes utility assistance applications via its Energy Outreach Colorado partnership for eligible households needing help paying electric, gas, and heating bills.
• Colorado Department of Housing and CDOLA (Colorado Department of Local Affairs)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDP administers and links clients to state-administered housing assistance programs including Colorado Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA), Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (EMAP), and Commerce City housing assistance, acting as a key distribution channel for these public funds.
• City of Denver (Department of Housing Stability)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDP links clients to Denver's Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance (TRUA) program and supports the Denver Pet Deposit Assistance Program in partnership with City Council District 10.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Housing Law Project: National housing advocacy and legal support organization that works on federal housing policy and supports regional housing legal aid efforts. Overlaps with CEDP's policy advocacy and eviction defense mission at a national scale.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Major national affordable housing and community development nonprofit, with overlapping mission around preventing housing loss and advancing housing policy — though operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: National advocacy organization dedicated to ending the affordable housing crisis, with policy advocacy and research capabilities that overlap with CEDP's policy/advocacy function.

Others

• Energy Outreach Colorado: CEDP's utility assistance partner, processing applications for low-income utility bill payment assistance. Comparable as a Colorado-based nonprofit addressing economic hardship, but specialized in energy rather than housing.

Direct peers

• Colorado Legal Services: Colorado's primary legal aid provider for low-income residents, directly overlapping with CED Law's eviction and foreclosure defense services. CEDP explicitly refers clients to Colorado Legal Services as a complementary resource, confirming close substitutability.
• Legal Aid Society of New York: One of the largest and oldest civil legal aid organizations in the U.S., providing free housing, eviction defense, and benefits navigation. Represents the scaled version of what CEDP is building in Colorado.
• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: A regional legal aid nonprofit providing free civil legal services including housing/eviction defense to low-income clients, structurally and operationally comparable to CEDP's CED Law arm.

Regional players

• MDHI (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative): Metro Denver's coordinated entry system for individuals and families experiencing homelessness — CEDP actively refers clients to MDHI. Comparable in mission and geographic market, but focused on coordinated entry rather than direct legal/financial services.

Emerging players

• Just Shelter: National grassroots advocacy network focused on preventing homelessness and supporting people experiencing housing insecurity, addressing similar client populations to CEDP through advocacy rather than direct service.
• NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America): Nonprofit that provides homeownership counseling, mortgage assistance, and foreclosure prevention services to low- and moderate-income households — directly comparable to CEDP's foreclosure defense and homeowner assistance programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/coevictiondef
• Facebookfacebook.com/COEvictionDef
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-economic-defense-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/coevictiondef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Economic Defense Project