Connect to Capital

CIE’s Matched Savings Program

CIE’s Matched Savings Program will help up to 50 low-income emerging entrepreneurs save money, complete business training, develop a business plan and receive a 9:1 match on the money they save to invest in their small business. The program is funded by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Program to offer innovative access to capital to support financial self-sufficiency in communities disproportionately directly or indirectly harmed by the war on drugs.

KIVA Loans

Kiva is a crowd-lending program that bridges the gap between historically marginalized entrepreneurs and business capital by facilitating no-fee, 0% interest business loans up to $15,000 to entrepreneurs through millions of lenders and strategic partnerships around the globe.

Kiva loans do not require a minimum credit score or collateral. Instead, Kiva lenders focus on your social collateral. Social collateral includes the support of a Kiva Trustee like CIE. Social collateral also includes the support of family, friends, and community, demonstrated by their willingness to lend you a small portion of the loan.

Because CIE is a Kiva Trustee, our clients are prequalified as eligible. Also, as a Kiva Trustee, we can endorse your application. Our endorsement will help you connect to our partners, can take the place of a business plan, can expedite review, and can increase the amount you can borrow. (CIE endorsement is generally reserved for graduates of our Start Simple Business Course who have completed the assignments and can demonstrate how the loan will help achieve a realistic and feasible business goal. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis).

Your CIE business advisor can support you each step of the way. 

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grants

REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) and REDA (Rural Development for America) help farmers and rural businesses make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments by offering grants to cover up to 50% of your projects and loans to cover an additional 25%.

Food Resiliency Loans

The NCCU Food Resiliency Loan provides access to flexible, low-interest loans and business support services for small businesses who run restaurants or are a food business. Skagit Valley’s local food system depends on hundreds of small businesses that produce, process, distribute, market, and sell local food. These businesses – many owned by immigrants and people of color - were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 shutdowns. Some communities still do not have access to healthy, culturally relevant foods.