The Lending Partnership is part of the Community Capital portion of Our Work.

Lending Partnership with Center for Economic Opportunity

In partnership with the Center for Economic Opportunity, the Local Food Economy Lab is offering small loans tailored to meet the needs of local farmers, fishermen, and food business owners in our region.

Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) is a values-aligned lender that works to make flexible and affordable microenterprise loans available to people who have historically been denied access to traditional financing.

Through our partnership, we offer:

Technical assistance to support the loan selection and application process.
Business (microenterprise) loans of up to $50,000 to help farmers, fishermen, and food business owners sustain and grow their enterprises.
Credit Building ladder loans for the community to establish or strengthen credit history and provide a pathway to long-term financial stability.
Credit Building Education through a free self-paced online course available in English and Spanish. The course is open to anyone, and covers how the U.S. credit system works, what shapes a credit score, and practical strategies to build and manage credit effectively.