CEI Development Services is an internal program which provides consulting and training to community economic development practitioners and policymakers in the US and abroad.

By drawing on CEI's extensive, multi-faceted experience gained since its founding in 1977, CDS offers practitioner-oriented services as part of its effort to build a stronger, more sustainable field.

CDS works with:

• Emerging and established community development corporations and CDFIs such as credit unions, microloan funds, and community development banks.
• Governmental agencies such as regional development authorities and municipalities.
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and foundations.
• Other organizations, public and private, which seek to alleviate the social and economic distress of diverse communities and populations.

Our Approach:
CDS has an extensive background in providing strategic advisory services and conducting peer learning exchanges with domestic and international economic development groups. Our unique approach to consulting and training features:

• Practitioner Orientation: As practitioners, CDS's staff have a commitment to economic and social change and hands-on experience with program development.
• Peer-to-Peer: As peers, we understand the roles and responsibilities of all participants in designing and implementing projects.
• Long-Term Partnerships: As partners, we seek to cultivate lasting relationships which result in the creation and development of joint ventures that contribute to our respective organizations, the communities we serve, and to the broader community economic development field.

For more information on consulting and training opportunities, please click here

International Experience:
CDS has served as a training and peer learning site for more than 200 economic development practitioners from 15 countries. We have conducted on-site training and feasibility analyses for CDCs in Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe. Practitioners from Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, France, Northern Ireland, Nova Scotia and South Africa have joined us for multi-day programs. CDS activities have been supported by the Ford Foundation, the World Bank, USAID, USIA, The Department of Commerce, German Marshall Fund, Rockefeller Foundation, and many others.

For more information on our international experience, please click here

For more information on CEI Development Services, please contact:

Ronald L. Phillips, President
36 Water Street, PO Box 268
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
207/882-7552; FAX: 207/882-7308
E-mail: rlp@ceimaine.org

or

Ellen F. Golden
Senior Vice President, Development
efg@ceimaine.org