Mission Statement

The Community Empowerment Fund (CEF) is a student-run non-profit organization
based at the UNC Campus Y in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. CEF cultivates opportunities,
assets, and communities that support the alleviation of homelessness and poverty.

We are a student-run microfinance initiative at the Campus Y, center for social justice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CEF is a volunteer-based organization, composed primarily of undergraduate and graduate university students, as well as members of the community. Our savings, business and loan officers and other team members receive training in basic accounting, social work, case management, local resources, and microfinance.

Join the CEF Team! Learn how you can volunteer.

Our pilot launch:

CEF launched in the summer of 2009 with two pilot groups of borrowers and funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research, Carolina Center for Public Service, and APPLES.  The results of this pilot will have been published and are available for public learning here ( CEF Pilot Report June 2010).

Our partners:

CEF is the result of a partnership between the UNC Campus Y committees HOPE (Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication) and CMI (Carolina Microfinance Initiative), and the UNC Law School Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity.

Our community partners include:

Self-Help Credit Union
Intersect Fund
RBC Centura
OC PEH
JobLink Skills Development Center
NC Assets Alliance
Durham DSS
Housing for New Hope
Criminal Justice Resource Center
Durham Technical Community College
The Benefit Bank

Join the CEF Team! Check the volunteer page for more information on how to get involved, or email us at thecef@gmail.com.