Coastal enterprises INC.

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) received a $150,000 Project Grant award from the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development under the Women's Business Ownership Assistance program (CFDA 59.043), effective September 30, 2025, with completion scheduled for September 29, 2026. As a designated Women's Business Center (WBC), CEI will deliver comprehensive entrepreneurship training and technical assistance services to women entrepreneurs throughout Maine, with particular emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged women business owners.

The grant funding supports CEI's delivery of business development services including technical assistance in finance, management, marketing, and procurement readiness, as well as business training and mentoring for women entrepreneurs starting or expanding ventures. As a non-profit community development financial institution with established expertise in supporting underserved communities, CEI will integrate these grant-funded WBC services with its existing portfolio of microloans, business training, and sector-specific entrepreneurial development programs to strengthen economic opportunities for women business owners in rural and low-income regions of Maine.