Founded in Maine in 1977, CEI currently has $247 million in capital committed and under management.  It has expanded its services to incorporate a range of different programs and initiatives, and its geographic coverage to northern New England, upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, and other parts of the U.S., as well as providing assistance, through CEI Development Services, to similar entities domestically and overseas.  Many programs and initiatives are carried out through the CEI parent entity, others through wholly-owned, specifically targeted, subsidiaries.  Some of the major programs operated by the parent organization include workforce development, business counseling services and lending to small businesses and to minority- and women-owned businesses as well as to new immigrants and refugee communities, affordable housing, and policy research and development.  Key subsidiaries focus on venture capital initiatives, the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program, and the provision of job placement assistance to people with barriers to employment.

CEI's Board has typically included representation from the small business, banking, lower-income, academic and faith-based communities, as well as the public sector and specific industry sectors such as natural resources.  Subsidiary Boards include representation from CEI, as the sole member or shareholder, and from those with particular expertise in the relevant industry sector or in the communities served.  Several subsidiaries also have Advisory Boards, established to provide access to specialist skills or accountability to a particular geographic or market sectors.

Key subsidiaries include:

CEI Ventures, Inc. (CVI): formed in 1995 as a for profit entity to manage CEI's first venture capital fund.  CVI now manages two separate venture funds with a primary focus in Maine and investments further afield in New England, upstate New York and New York City.

CEI Community Ventures, Inc. (CCVI): formed in 2001 to manage an SBA-sponsored New Markets Venture Capital (NMVC) fund targeted to census tracts in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

CEI Capital Management, Inc. (CCML): established in 2002 to administer CEI's allocation of New Market Tax Credits targeted to eligible censes tracts in Maine and throughout the United States.

CEI Staffing Services, Inc. (CSSI): established in 2003 to place, and provide job support to, people with barriers to employment, people with disabilities, and other lower-income workers.  

CEI Housing, Inc. (CHI), Pond Circle, Inc., Coastal Community Housing, Inc., and BC Housing, Inc.: established to hold and manage CEI's portfolio of affordable housing, tax credit, and community facilities development, holding and management activities.