CFDCs are:

• non-profit organizations guided by a volunteer board of directors and staffed with business professionals, who together are actively engaged in helping to develop and implement community-based economic development strategies;

• user-friendly business development centres that control and manage investment funds from which they make fully repayable loans (up to a maximum of $150,000) to community members who are interested in starting or expanding their own businesses;

• entrepreneurial development centres that provide one-on-one business training to assist individuals who are interested in self-employment or in expanding their business; and

• proactive, progressive thinking, community organizations dedicated to strengthening both their community's entrepreneurs and their community's economy as a whole.