Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc.

What Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc. does

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc. (SEED$) is a Missouri-incorporated nonprofit economic development organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Park Hills, Missouri, operating as a subsidiary program of East Missouri Action Agency (EMAA). It serves small businesses and pre-bankable entrepreneurs across eight counties in Southeast Missouri, delivering two complementary lending products: traditional microloans ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, and $1,000 small-dollar "Community Loan Center" (CLC) loans introduced in 2020 to address credit-building demand below the microloan threshold. The organization reports cumulative impact of 500+ businesses supported, 64 jobs created, 20+ direct loans, and 200+ CLC loans, with approximately $600,000 deployed into local communities over its first decade.

Delivery is conducted by a three-person team — a Business Development Coach, a Business and Lending Specialist, and a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist — that combines direct lending with in-person technical assistance and business coaching. The CLC product is structured as a partnership- and employer-distributed channel, and 2024 collaboration with the Washington County Industrial Development Authority (WCIDA) on an Industry Enhancement Grant signals a move toward industry- and employer-targeted engagement. SEED$ is governed by a board chaired by Denis Moore and continues to operate as a community-anchored CDFI-aligned lender rather than a technology-driven fintech.

The business model is nonprofit and grant-and-interest funded rather than commercial: capital for lending comes from public sector grants (including a $250,000 ARPA Community Revitalization Grant in 2023), corporate and bank donations (e.g., $10,000 from First State Community Bank), and recycled loan repayments, while ongoing operations are supported by interest income from the loan portfolio and continued grant/fundraising activity. Customers are exclusively small businesses and entrepreneurs in rural Southeast Missouri, distributed across a long tail of micro-borrowers with no concentration in any single anchor account, and the pricing model is set by loan-product parameters rather than negotiated enterprise contracts.

Name

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc.

Legal name

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc.

Website

https://semodevelopment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc. (SEED$) is a Park Hills, Missouri nonprofit, founded in 2014 and operating under East Missouri Action Agency, that provides $1,000 CLC small-dollar loans and $5,000–$100,000 microloans plus business coaching to small businesses and entrepreneurs across eight Southeast Missouri counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Lending

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Microloans & Working Capital Loans (FSAKAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

SME Term Loans & Growth Capital (FSAKAGAB), SBA/Government-Backed & Development Finance Loans (FSAKAGAI)

Keywords

• Microloan financing
• Small business lending
• Business development services
• Entrepreneur coaching
• Community development finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Park Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Microloan Interest Income: SEED$ provides microloans with fixed interest rates and terms extending up to 60 months. Revenue is generated through interest on loans ranging from $5,000 to $100,000.
2. Grants and Donations: SEED$ receives grants from organizations such as the Missouri Department of Economic Development ($250,000 Community Revitalization Grant) and donations from financial partners like First State Community Bank ($10,000 donation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc. (SEED$) is a nonprofit community development lender that provides microloans ($5,000–$50,000) and small business loans ($50,001–$100,000) with fixed interest rates and terms up to 60 months to startups and existing small businesses in eight Southeast Missouri counties. It supplements its lending with free one-on-one business coaching, the Money Smart for Small Business training course, financial analysis, and post-loan technical assistance, and also administers the Community Loan Center of Southeast Missouri (CLC of SEMO), which offers $1,000 employment-based loans at 18% interest as an alternative to predatory payday lending.

Product overview

Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc. (SEED$) is a nonprofit small business development organization offering a unified portfolio of financing and support services. The core offerings include Micro Loans ($5,000-$50,000) and Small Business Loans ($50,001-$100,000) with fixed interest rates and terms up to 60 months, which distinguish SEED$ from conventional lenders. These are complemented by Business Coaching and the Money Smart for Small Business Training course covering business fundamentals. SEED$ also administers the Community Loan Center of Southeast Missouri (CLC), providing $1,000 employment-based loans as an alternative to predatory lending. Financial Analysis and Technical Assistance services round out the offering, with one-on-one coaching provided at no cost to clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Loan Center of Southeast Missouri (CLC of SEMO): A community-based alternative to payday loans that partners with local employers to offer qualifying employees affordable, low-interest employment-based loans of $1,000 with no credit checks or collateral.

Products and services

• Micro Loans Loans ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 for startups, existing, and growing small businesses in eight Southeast Missouri counties, with fixed interest rates and terms extending up to 60 months.
• Small Business Loans Loans ranging from $50,001 to $100,000 for startups, existing, and growing small businesses in the eight-county Southeast Missouri service area, with fixed interest rates and terms extending up to 60 months.
• Business Coaching One-on-one coaching tailored to meet the needs of business owners and entrepreneurs, available at the client's place of business at no cost to clients.
• Money Smart for Small Business Training Training course covering the essentials of creating and operating a venture, including organizational types, time management, financial management, banking services, record-keeping, credit reporting, risk management, insurance, tax planning, and succession planning.
• Community Loan Center of Southeast Missouri (CLC of SEMO) Employment-based microloan program offering $1,000 loans with no credit checks or collateral as an alternative to high-interest payday loans, repaid through payroll deduction at 18% interest with a $20 origination fee (21.8% APR on a 12-month term).
• Financial Analysis Services Access to industry data to compare business performance, financial analysis reports, working capital assessment, and risk management solutions for small business owners.
• Technical Assistance Post-loan technical assistance for businesses struggling to meet benchmarks and for those looking to expand, including loan packaging support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 64 new jobs created for families experiencing low income over 10 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 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 supporting.

• Washington County Industrial Development Authority (WCIDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2024Partnership with WCIDA to administer the Industry Enhancement Grant program, designed to foster innovation and economic growth in Washington County. WCIDA and SEED$ jointly award grants to support local industry leaders in expanding products and services and creating jobs.
• East Missouri Action Agency (EMAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMAA is the parent organization of SEED$, providing long-term advocacy for entrepreneurs through training programs like Bootstrap and Operation JumpStart. EMAA's work identified access to capital as a barrier for startups.
• Community Loan Center of Southeast Missouri (CLC of SEMO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEED$ hosts the CLC of SEMO, a community-based alternative to predatory payday loans. The program partners with local employers to offer employees affordable $1,000 loans with payroll deduction repayment. CLC is a national franchise coordinated by Texas Community Capital dba Community Loan Center of America.
• Local Chambers of CommercesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with multiple chambers of commerce in Southeast Missouri including Farmington Regional Chamber, Cape Girardeau Chamber, and others to identify businesses in need of help and connect entrepreneurs with resources.
• Vocational RehabilitationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Vocational Rehabilitation to identify businesses in need of assistance and provide resources for entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kiva: Kiva is a nonprofit crowdfunding microlending platform that funds 0%-interest loans (often $5K or less) for underserved small businesses globally — comparable in serving entrepreneurs who lack traditional credit access.
• Accion Opportunity Fund: Accion Opportunity Fund is a CDFI providing micro and small business loans (often $5K–$100K) plus bilingual coaching and training to underserved SMBs — a strong product and segment analog to SEED$.
• DreamSpring: DreamSpring is a CDFI delivering microloans ($5K–$50K range) and small business coaching to underserved founders nationwide — directly comparable in loan sizing and bundled coaching/training offering.
• Grameen America: Grameen America is a nonprofit microfinance organization offering small-dollar loans and peer-group support to low-income women entrepreneurs in the U.S. — analogous mission and microloan-first credit model.
• LiftFund: LiftFund is a nonprofit CDFI providing small business loans (often microloans), coaching, and training to underserved entrepreneurs across the U.S. South — highly comparable to SEED$'s combined microloan + coaching model.
• Justine PETERSEN: Justine PETERSEN is a Missouri-based CDFI (HQ in St. Louis) that provides microloans, small business lending, and one-on-one technical assistance to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs — a near-twin in mission and product mix to SEED$.
• TruFund Financial Services: TruFund is a CDFI providing small business loans, technical assistance, and capacity-building grants to underserved entrepreneurs in underserved U.S. communities — directly comparable to SEED$ in product and target market.
• Community Loan Center of America: Community Loan Center of America (Texas Community Capital) is the national franchisor of the CLC small-dollar employer-based loan model — SEED$ operates one of its affiliates (CLC of SEMO), making the parent a direct model peer.

Broad incumbents

• Self-Help Credit Union: Self-Help is a CDFI credit union providing small business loans, microloans, and financial coaching to underserved borrowers — a larger, established comparable in SEED$'s lending-plus-coaching space.
• FAHE (Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises): FAHE is a regional CDFI and community development intermediary serving Appalachia with lending, training, and capacity-building for member organizations — adjacent to SEED$ in mission and rural-community-development focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/SEED/116292474714547
• Instagraminstagram.com/seed_semo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southeast-economic-development-fund-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Southeast Economic Development Fund, Inc.