Content tagged with News and Announcements

One year ago, on Martin Luther King Day, I stepped in to lead the Minority Business Development Agency. Today, this same holiday will mark the end of my time at MBDA and a transition of administrations. I can think of no more appropriate day for this transition than Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King’s legacy reminds us of the promise of success inherent in a more just and equitable world. And...

"This past March, a federal court in Texas decided that even though minority business enterprises “have far less access to capital and credit…due to racial discrimination in lending markets,” Congress violated the Constitution by requiring MBDA to presume that members of specified minority groups experienced discrimination or had impaired ability to compete due to fewer capital and credit...

Puerto Rico Native Miguel Estién to Serve as Acting National Director and National Deputy Director, and will host this year’s National Minority Enterprise Development Week WASHINGTON (September 8, 2021) — The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced Miguel Estién to serve as MBDA’s Acting National Director and National Deputy Director. Estién is a Puerto Rico native with a 20-year career in...

WASHINGTON (May 5, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) made a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to fund an innovative project addressing historical barriers to access capital faced by minority business enterprises (MBEs). MBDA plans to award one grant totaling $884,559 under this BAA. “Here at the Department of Commerce, we have an obligation to...

Key findings reveal importance of digital infrastructure, access to markets and a skilled workforce, and the role of Tribal self-governance in business development [Washington, DC | November 23, 2021] - Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) released a report entitled, “Keys to Unlocking Business Development in Indian Country.” The report is the result...

State and local Tribal organizations to provide training programs, access to capital, and business development to Native entrepreneurs WASHINGTON (November 23, 2021) — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) awarded $3.9 million in federal funding to thirteen (13) grant recipients to establish MBDA American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AIANNH)...

Federal funding will expand MBDA Business Centers to new locations in Arkansas, Indiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin WASHINGTON (April 18, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is awarding $2.1 million in federal funding to six grant recipients as part of its MBDA Business Center Program. The program is designed to help minority-owned...

The $300 million includes a $100 million transfer to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency to provide technical assistance to underserved entrepreneurs seeking greater access to capital, including venture capital financing. WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) announced plans to deploy $300 million of State Small Business Credit Initiative...

MBDA accepting applications from qualified organizations to develop entrepreneurial programs for students and grow the number of MBEs WASHINGTON (April 28, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) made a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), totaling an estimated $1.8 million in federal grants, for qualified organizations to develop entrepreneurship programs...

Initiative generates awareness and economic support for nation’s minority-owned businesses [Washington, DC | September 15, 2021] – The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announces the 2021 return of “Buy MBE Day”—the Agency’s initiative to directly support minority business enterprises (MBEs)—on Saturday, September 25. Successfully launched in 2020, MBDA’s Buy...

WASHINGTON, June 8, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is seeking nominations for the 2022 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards. These prestigious honors will be presented during MBDA’s National Minority Enterprise Development Week and celebrate the outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs, as well as individuals and...

Each year, the U.S. Census Bureau brings together cross-sector collaborators during The Opportunity Project ’s (TOP) technology development sprints to come up with ways to use data and technology to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. TOP is led by the Census Bureau’s Census Open Innovation Labs . It engages government, technologists and communities to create digital products using...

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) awarded $5.1 million in grants to 11 organizations under three Agency initiatives—the Entrepreneurship Education for Formerly Incarcerated Persons, the MBDA Enterprising Women of Color Business Center, and the Inner-City Innovation Hub programs. “U.S. Department of Commerce is pleased to support these three important...

Dear Friends, As we embark upon our celebration of Asian Pacific & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Minority Business Development Agency will chronicle the contributions Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders have made to a very broad cross-section of businesses and industries and share the success stories of several remarkable individuals along the way. Unfortunately, I am...

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