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For Funders & Investors

Multiplying Our Impact

We partner with mission based funders and investors that are dedicated to supporting and growing small businesses across our region. We seek to…

  • Partner with small business owners to achieve their goals
  • Increase access and reducing barriers to entrepreneurship
  • Drive local prosperity
  • Bolster economic growth and diversity

Why The Entrepreneur Fund?

You invest in us. We invest in entrepreneurs.

  • We are a mission-based lender
  • We are a nonprofit
  • We are a CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution)

We leverage funds to have a multiplying effect on your donation.

Foundations & Governments

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the support of foundations and government funders. The philanthropic capital and grants our partners make allow us to build innovative solutions that create vibrant, prosperous communities for all. Entrepreneurs in every corner of our 17-county region benefit from our shared mission, strategic partnership and synergy around supporting and prioritizing small business.

Financial Institutions

We partner with financial institutions, including local, regional and national banks, to channel more capital into economically challenged communities, helping them achieve their community development goals and promote economic prosperity.

As a CDFI, we partner with financial institutions that are working hard to have a positive impact in their local communities. The two common ways we partner with banks are (1) referrals to and from and (2) funding to EFund to support our work in under-resourced communities such as business owners with low to moderate incomes, women, BIPOC owners, and others.

Donors By Funding

U.S. Small Business Administration

MN DEED

MN IRRR

WI DOA

Wells Fargo

Opportunity Finance Network

Dakota Resources

U.S. Department of Agriculture

CDFI Fund

Northern Trust

National Bank of Commerce

Midwest MN CDC

Bank of America

Otto Bremer Trust

Blandin Foundation

City of Duluth + DEDA

CNote

IEDC

Great River Energy

U.S. Bank

Bush Foundation

CommonSpirit Health

St. Louis County

BMO Harris Bank

Episcopal Church

WBD

North Shore Bank

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota

Members Cooperative Credit Union

Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation

City of Cloquet EDA

Shavlik Family Foundation

Huntington Bank

LISC Duluth

Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation

Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago

Initiative Foundation

Duluth Running Company

Associated Bank

Security State Bank of Hibbing

Timberlake Lodge

COGGS (Cyclists of the Gitchee Gumee Shores)

Nelson Wood Shims

Sascha Mansson

Brianna Manning

Stacy Johnston

Sara Smith

Tiersa Woodash

Barbara Bengston

Lisa Hyppa

Miranda Kishel

Molly Solberg

Katrina Lynn Consulting

JMR Financial Group

Rural Living Environments

be.Media House and The Lake and Company

Ann Possis

Chris Fulton

Chris Swanson

Diane Weber

Dawn Hagen

Jack Ryan

Janie Moore

Jim Boyd

John Acheson

Mary Mathews

July George

John & Julie Foucault

Maggie Becker

Mark Glasnapp

Michael Lattery

Mike Carlson

Mike Holden

Pascha & Abbot Apter

Nancy Dougherty

Sandi Larson

Sandy Voigt

Scott Bradt

Scott Harrison

Aaron Haugen

Stan Tull & Pat Campanaro

Shawn Wellnitz

Steve Surbaugh

Terry Lundberg

Sonia Wong

Stephen Peterson, Sr.

Andrew Finco

Anonymous (9)

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