Colorado Enterprise Fund Wraps Fiscal Year, Distributes $18M to Small Businesses Across the State
Media Contact: Hallie Kim, Barefoot PR
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Colorado Enterprise Fund Wraps Fiscal Year, Distributes $18M to Small Businesses Across the State
DENVER (December 3, 2025) – Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) is proud to announce it deployed $18,085,922 through 185 loans during its most recent fiscal year (FY) that ended September 30, 2025. Of the $18M, 46 loans totaling $7,829,700 were SBA 7(a) guaranteed loans.
"It’s our mission to support small businesses, drive economic development and create jobs,” said Ceyl Prinster, CEF President and CEO. “This milestone represents the commitment we have to our Colorado communities and we are very thankful for the opportunity to create stability for small businesses and entrepreneurs."
The average loan amount in FY25 was $97,762, with the median at $51,580. This is a significant increase from FY24, showing that small businesses need larger loans for long-term, sustainable growth.
Some small businesses that CEF supported in FY25 were:
- Berthoud Pet Supply
- Bluebird Branding
- Booey’s Bakery
- Champagne Tiger
- Colorado Conservatory of Dance
- COR-Golf
- D Brooke Salon
- Dream Wolf Arts
- Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat
- Green Machine
- Grease Busters
- Happy Bean Coffee Company
- The Labs Climbing
- The Neighbor
- Tumbleseed
- Wild Water Plumbing
- Renaissance Preschool
- And more…
In FY25, CEF was honored as Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Colorado 7(a) Small Lender of the Year. This honor follows a year of strong performance in FY24, during which the organization significantly increased its SBA 7(a) lending. By advancing its strategic focus to provide larger 7(a) loans - up to $350,000 – and other financing options up to $1M, CEF expanded its ability to meet the needs of Colorado small businesses that face challenges accessing traditional financing.
CEF’s commitment to supporting small business and driving economic development goes beyond providing loans. CEF provides free business navigation services (coaching & education) to borrowers for the life of their loan. In FY25, CEF’s business navigation team delivered over 12,000 hours of specialized support spanning finance, marketing, human resources, management and other critical business functions.
Looking ahead in FY26, CEF is gearing up to celebrate a major milestone - 50 years of empowering small businesses and entrepreneurs across Colorado. It’s an exciting year to honor our legacy of impact while building momentum for the next fifty years of opportunity and growth.
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About Colorado Enterprise Fund
Founded in 1976, Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) provides free coaching services and loans up to $1M to finance small businesses and startups unable to obtain funding through traditional means. CEF has disbursed more than $442 million in capital to over 9,800 businesses. A nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), CEF is based in Denver with lending services available statewide. CEF makes a positive impact on Colorado’s economy by accelerating community prosperity through its financing and support of entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. For more information, visit: www.coloradoenterprisefund.org.
