Brunswick, Maine – January 13, 2026 – Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is proud to share its 2025 fiscal year achievements in building a more just, vibrant and climate-resilient future for people and communities in Maine and beyond.

CEI helps people build wealth and financial stability through good jobs, entrepreneurship and/or home ownership. We do this by combining finance, education, and policy solutions that promote a more prosperous and equitable economy.

Increasing Access to Capital & Opportunity

CEI finances projects and businesses that benefit people and communities with low incomes who don’t have other options. By focusing on building relationships with entrepreneurs and rethinking “risk” beyond standard measurements, CEI broadens access to capital.

CEI’s FY25 financing impact includes:

• Financing 115 unique businesses, 98% of them in Maine, providing over $17.7 million in capital. These loans included 47 “Wicked Fast” microloans totaling $1 million that help borrowers avoid credit card debt and high-interest predatory loans.
  • 75% of loans went to businesses owned by people underserved by the traditional financial system, including 60% to rural businesses, 54% to female entrepreneurs, 38% to owners who have low incomes, 12% to entrepreneurs of color and 8% to immigrants or refugees.
  • 58% of loans went to sectors vital to Maine’s economy, including $4.6 million to child care businesses and $5.7 million to food harvesters, farmers and producers on both sea and land.
  • 10%, or $1.8 million, in loans went to support energy independence and environmental resiliency for small businesses in Maine.

Connecting their off-grid dairy farm and cheese processing facility in Pittsfield, Maine to the closest electrical grid would have cost Balfour Farm’s owners Doug and Heather Donahue nearly six figures. So instead, they ran on a small solar array and a diesel generator that cost over $700 a month to run.

“We had originally talked to the power company about bringing power out to the barn, and it was going to cost us about $100,000 to run the lines out here,” said Doug Donahue. “We decided that if we’re going to spend that amount of money, we would be better off investing it in our own power system.”

Through CEI’s low-cost solar loan program, the Donahues were able to expand the solar array on their buildings and add battery backup. Solar now provides 90% of the farm’s electricity needs, with minimal support from the generator. A fixed loan payment, instead of variable electric rates or diesel prices, help the Donahues manage and plan their expenses and saves them approximately $170 a month.

Half of CEI’s low-cost solar borrowers have been farms, which makes sense because of their typically small profit margins and need to plan. “This loan product has really spoken to the needs of farmers,” said Emily Wood, CEI’s Program Director, Business Sustainability & Resilience. “Locking in an energy price for a small business trying to plan ahead is huge.”

Supporting Success with Business Advice and Financial Education

CEI’s approach centers on offering personalized advising, along with workshops and training sessions that enhance entrepreneurs’ knowledge and enables them to make smart business decisions. Additionally, CEI gives guidance on personal finance matters, including credit counseling and buying a home, which can strengthen a small business owner’s financial stability and help them grow their assets and wealth. CEI’s FY25 educational impact includes:

• Providing business-focused educational and advising services to 1,745 entrepreneurs at every stage of business.
  • 52 clients started new businesses in FY 2025.
  • 107 businesses received coaching on Good Jobs strategies that improve job quality for their employees and boost retention, including ways small businesses can provide health care and wealth building/retirement benefits.
  • 82 business owners received advice on how to boost the sustainability and resilience of their business in the face of rising electricity costs and extreme weather.
• Providing personal financial training and counseling to 879 people that helped them make informed decisions.
  • 703 people participated in homeownership classes, including first-time home buyers and owning/managing rental properties. 149 new homes were purchased, totaling over $48 million in new mortgages.
  • 40 households were able to remain in their homes either through a prevented foreclosure or via a Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (“Reverse Mortgages”) that supported them aging in place.
  • 5 borrowers received $155,000 in business loans after working with CEI credit counselors.

One of the new business starts was Cobra Queen Printing, located in the former Fort Andross in Brunswick. Founder Nicole Testa worked with CEI business advisors to launch her commercial screen-printing company on a strong start.

“Working with CEI has made me more mindful as a business owner and more aware of all the intricacies that are involved,” said Nicole. “There is no packet of information when you start a small business that says, ‘here’s all the stuff you need to do.’ I was in the planning phases of purchasing this business when I contacted CEI, before I even had physical space. I didn’t have a lease until October, and I didn’t move into this space until November of last year [2024]. My advisor was with me through all of those times.”

“What makes Nicole a fun success story is the diversity of topics she’s taken on and learned about in her journey,” said Raynor Large, Nicole’s CEI Business Advisor. “Pricing, value proposition, marketing, financials, and legal/accounting basics are all topics she’s invested time and energy learning more about. She’s a true student of entrepreneurship, learning as she goes and building the foundation one piece at a time.”

Advocating for Changes that Build Resilient and Vibrant Local Economies   

Beyond working with individual people and businesses, CEI works toward broader changes that improve access to resources that expand economic opportunities for all. In FY 2025, this included:

• Advocating for policies and resources at the state and federal levels that support small businesses in Maine and the health of vital economic sectors, such as child care, farms and fisheries, leading on 5 bills and testifying on a total of 13 bills during the First Regular and First Special Sessions of the 132^nd Maine Legislature.
• Launched a state CDFI coalition with Maine CDFI partners to amplify our collective impact through joint advocacy, peer-to-peer education, and increased lending participation, which helped establish channels for state investment in CDFIs.

 Maine Roots, National Impact

CEI’s subsidiaries also made impactful investments in Maine and communities with low incomes across the country, channeling capital and leveraging private sector investment to communities primarily but not exclusively in rural regions and smaller cities.

• 30 Federal Street Investments leveraged $16.5 million in Maine Historic Tax Credit financing to support the rehabilitation of five new and nine ongoing historic redevelopments in Maine, creating 75 affordable housing units as well as spaces for commercial tenants.
• CEI Ventures, Inc. made $3.2 million in equity investments into 6 growth-oriented businesses in Maine and New England, supporting an estimated 153 jobs. 42% of companies in CVI’s recent fund, Coastal Ventures Limited Partnership V, are founded or cofounded by female entrepreneurs, far outpacing the national average where only 2-3% of venture capital dollars go to woman-led businesses.
• CEI-Boulos Capital Management invested $5.3 million in two high-impact real estate developments that will create an estimated 365 jobs and 215 units of affordable housing.
• CEI Capital Management placed $22.6 million of New Markets Tax Credit financing in six rural manufacturing enterprises nationwide that supports an estimated 356 jobs.

One of CEI Ventures’ investments was in Langdon, New Hampshire-based Mother of Fact. Mother of Fact is a digital health company reimagining how nutrition care is delivered in maternal health. Founded by registered dietitian and former Roux Institute Founder in Residence, Emily Sylvester, Mother of Fact makes life-saving nutrition care a standard part of women’s healthcare by seamlessly embedding registered dietitians into OB and women’s health workflows. By connecting moms and babies to accessible, reimbursable nutrition care before, during, and after pregnancy, Mother of Fact helps healthcare teams reduce preventable complications—such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia—while supporting postpartum recovery and breastfeeding, all without adding staff, workload, or cost. The company exists to close the nutrition gap in women’s health so every mother and child can thrive, regardless of income, location, or circumstance. The company’s telehealth model helps ensure access for rural patients.

CEI’s multifaceted approach—spanning policy advocacy, financing and programmatic activity—has delivered tangible benefits for Maine and underserved communities nationwide in FY 2025. By fostering economic growth, supporting small businesses, and expanding access to affordable housing and quality jobs, CEI continues to be a driving force for inclusive and sustainable prosperity. The organization’s ongoing efforts underscore its dedication to empowering individuals and transforming communities for a brighter future.

To learn more about CEI’s impact and how you can get involved, visit www.ceimaine.org.

About CEI

Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) is a Community Development Financial Institution and 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to build a more equitable economy by growing good jobs, livelihoods and small business ownership, while advancing a just transition to a climate-resilient future. CEI integrates finance, business expertise, and policy solutions in ways that make the economy work more equitably.