Business and Community Sustainability

Helping You Build a Resilient and Sustainable Business

Helping businesses and nonprofits become more economically sustainable by lowering operational expenses and reducing vulnerability to economic and environmental disruptions

Our one-on-one business advising and business sustainability workshops help small business owners and nonprofit leaders identify areas of waste, high costs and vulnerability. We can connect you with options to save money and reduce negative impacts on your business.

Through affordable financing for distributed and stored energy, as well as efficiency and resilience updates, we make upgrades more financially feasible.

Meanwhile, our training programs and funding for businesses that provide efficiency, weatherization and energy installation services create good jobs and increase access to those needed skills.

Interpretation services are available upon request.

A young white woman stands behind the counter at a solar-powered coffee roastery.

OUR PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Helping You Build a Sustainable Business

FINANCING

Loans

We offer a variety of loan products, at competitive rates, to help meet your business needs. Our lending team has extensive experience working with businesses of all types and can help match you with a loan product that will boost, not burden, your business.

Investments

For companies with high growth potential, a positive social and/or environmental impact on their local community and a commitment to creating Good Jobs, an equity investment from CEI can provide the capital, flexibility and support your business needs to flourish.

BUSINESS ADVISING & TRAINING

Business Advising

Meet with our business sustainability experts. We will pair you with a Business Advisor to help review and improve the sustainability and resilience of your Maine small business. If you need capital to achieve your goals, we can help you get “loan ready” whether you apply to CEI or other lenders.

Workshops

Join one of our workshops to learn steps to boost the sustainability of your business and connect with like-minded local businesses.

Weatherization Business Lab

The CEI Weatherization Business Lab is our seven-week free training program to help construction, installation or repair professionals start or expand your business in the weatherization field.

Support from experts that know business sustainability

POLICY ADVOCACY

We look at the business environment holistically, forging networks, embracing new technologies, advocating for better policies at the state and federal level that help Maine small businesses flourish and thrive in variable economic and environmental conditions.

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