NEI GRANTS
Grants Overview
Since 2009, the New Economy Initiative (NEI) has awarded 766 grants to business support organizations, totaling $148.1 million in funding. These grants have impacted 37,977 companies, according to data from March 2025.
How Our Grantmaking Works
NEI accepts grant proposals from organizations on an invitation-only basis. In 2025, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan transitioned its grantmaking application portal from Fluxx to MyCF. If invited, you will receive access to MyCF and will receive additional guidance from our team.
The full application includes:
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A detailed description of the request
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Organization and grant budget
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Organizational documents (financial audit or review, board list, etc.)
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Information on expected outcomes and how you plan to measure impact.
We will request conversations with your team to learn more before making final decisions.
Learn More About MyCf
NEI Grantees
NEI’s grantmaking supports three types of organizations: technical assistance providers, mission lenders and trusted connectors.
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Technical assistance providers are specialists in their field. These organizations design and implement assistance programs that help entrepreneurs with specialized activities essential to growing and expanding a business. Trusted connectors and mission-based lenders often refer their small business clients to technical assistance providers for support in marketing or accounting services or business plan or product development.
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Mission lenders are organizations that provide flexible capital to small business owners that do not qualify for loans from traditional lenders, often operating as community development financial institutions. Some mission lenders provide technical assistance to their existing and potential borrowers, while others primarily rely on technical assistance providers.
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Trusted connectors are organizations that maintain trusted relationships with small businesses through community-based engagement while focusing on specific geographies, population segments, and/or industry sectors. Trusted connectors typically refer small business owners to other resources in the ecosystem but sometimes provide their own technical and practical assistance services.