Coastal enterprises INC (portland)

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) based in Portland, Maine, received a $150,000 Project Grant awarded on September 30, 2025, by the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development under the Women's Business Ownership Assistance program (CFDA 59.043). The award supports a one-year performance period through September 29, 2026, and funds CEI's operation as a Women's Business Center (WBC) to deliver entrepreneurship training and technical assistance services to women entrepreneurs in Maine.

Under this grant, CEI provides comprehensive business development services to women entrepreneurs, including training in finance, management, marketing, and procurement readiness, with particular emphasis on socially and economically disadvantaged women business owners. As part of the SBA's national network of WBCs, CEI delivers targeted technical assistance to support women in starting and expanding small businesses, while maintaining detailed client activity records and financial documentation as required by program guidelines. This award represents CEI's continued participation in the Women's Business Centers program, consistent with its mission of empowering women entrepreneurs and underserved communities across rural and low-income regions of Maine.