Our Past Work
CEER’s work is grounded in direct involvement with projects where organizational structure, governance, and decision-making determined whether initiatives could move forward. Our experience spans tribal, community-based, nonprofit, and small-business contexts in both rural and urban settings, including early-stage formation, organizational recovery, planning, and grant-funded project development.
Tribal and Indigenous-Serving Institutions
CEER was engaged after a tribal nonprofit on Pine Ridge collapsed during COVID and could no longer function. CEER rebuilt administrative, financial, and compliance systems and restored the organizational structures required to manage funding responsibly. After this work, the organization regained standing and began securing grant funding again. CEER supported project development, funding applications, and early implementation, resulting in significant grant funding and donations being secured and multiple projects being built and operating.
Building on that experience, CEER later supported work at a Native-serving tribal college in Montana as part of a large federal environmental initiative. CEER supported an ongoing community needs assessment and took primary responsibility for turning that work into a viable project. This included program design, facility concept planning, site and infrastructure planning, and phased implementation planning. CEER also wrote the full federal EPA grant proposal, including project scope, budget structure, and compliance components.
Organizational Formation, Recovery, and Capacity Building
CEER has supported organizations at early, transitional, and crisis stages, including forming new nonprofit entities, restoring compliance, restructuring governance and operating models, and assessing organizational readiness for funding. This work has focused on helping organizations become functional, accountable, and fundable under real-world conditions.
Since 2023, CEER has provided more than $100,000 in pro bono technical assistance across organizational setup, administrative systems, program development, grant writing, reporting, and capacity-building support, reflecting sustained demand for this type of upstream recovery and formation work.
Small Business and Local Economic Development
CEER has provided assessment and planning support to small businesses in both rural and urban settings. This includes site assessments for new facilities, business structure and licensing, and development of basic operational and digital infrastructure.
While not a core focus, this work reflects CEER’s experience applying systems and planning approaches across different organizational scales and contexts.
Pro Bono and In-Kind Technical Assistance
CEER has provided sustained pro bono and in-kind technical assistance to community-based organizations, nonprofits, and small entities facing early-stage, transitional, or recovery challenges. This work has focused on organizational setup, compliance restoration, program structuring, grant preparation, reporting support, and systems clarification needed for funding readiness.
Since 2023, CEER has provided more than $100,000 in pro bono technical assistance, reflecting ongoing demand for upstream capacity-building and recovery support across diverse organizational contexts.
Food Systems, Agriculture, and Environmental Projects
CEER has worked on community-based food systems, agriculture, and environmental projects in both rural and urban contexts. This includes planning and development of greenhouse-based food security initiatives, food hubs, and agricultural infrastructure intended to support year-round production, education, and workforce development.
Related work has supported environmental restoration, renewable biomass and waste-wood utilization, and food access initiatives tied to regional and federal funding priorities. Several of these projects were supported through competitive grants and technical assistance programs.
Veteran & Community-Based Service Organizations
CEER has supported veteran-serving and community-based organizations by helping them establish organizational structures and develop programs ready for funding. This work has included advising organizations during early growth or restructuring and supporting grant identification and application, with attention to clear program scope and governance.
International and Cross-Cultural Projects
CEER has supported community-based projects outside the United States, particularly in Latin America. This work has included organizational development, community needs assessment, social action planning, fundraising support, and liaison work between local organizations and international partners.
These engagements required adapting planning, governance, and organizational approaches to different cultural, regulatory, and institutional contexts.
Automated and AI-Assisted Decision Systems
CEER has worked on the assessment and governance of automated and AI-assisted decision systems that affect access, accountability, or institutional decision-making. This work focuses on how decision logic operates in practice and where oversight, documentation, or accountability is insufficient.
Engagements have included identifying governance risks and failure modes, advising on safeguards and decision controls, and supporting applied research related to the responsible use of automation.
