Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced the deployment of $10 million in CARES Act funding to the network of MBDA Business Centers and national minority chambers of commerce. The grants will be used for education, training, and advising small and minority business enterprises in their recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. “The Trump...

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2020 – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that David J. Byrd will be the new National Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Mr. Byrd will be the 18th National Director of the agency. Established by an Executive Order in 1969, MBDA is the only Federal agency solely dedicated to the growth and global...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 11 th , the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hosted their second virtual AAPI Business Town Hall. Chair of the Commission, Dr. Paul Hsu of Florida, provided opening remarks, in which he highlighted the many accomplishments of Asian American and Pacific Islanders. He also emphasized the five areas that both the Commission and the...

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is seeking nominations for the 2020 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards. These annual awards are designed to honor businesses, organizations, and individuals that have demonstrated leadership and commitment in advancing the minority business community and our Nation’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 20 th , the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders convened its Inaugural Open Meeting with all fourteen (14) Commissioners in attendance. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, Co-Chairs of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, provided welcoming remarks...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, Co-Chairs of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, were the keynote speakers at virtual events to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month 2020 hosted by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders...

WASHINGTON, APRIL 20, 2020 – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced the award of two competitive grants for the launch and operation of the Minority Business Enterprise Inner City Innovation HUBs . MBDA intends to award $2.8M over two years to support and fuel economic innovation of minority-owned start-up businesses and entrepreneurs in...

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao speaking to Houston-area Asian American leaders at an event hosted by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. HOUSTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, met with local Asian American leaders at an event hosted by the White...

At a historic Lunar New Year event at the White House, Vice President Mike Pence administers the oath of office to the commissioners of President Donald J. Trump’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with Cabinet Members Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia serving as official witnesses...

This initiative is a nationwide training and development series for minority business owners, entrepreneurs, and startups to grow their business with e-commerce. WASHINGTON, MARCH 17, 2020 – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced an exciting new collaboration with Amazon Business , The Minority Business and Technology Initiative . The...

NASA is excited about the role 3D printing will have in its mission work. For years, NASA researchers have been developing additive manufacturing technologies that can help astronauts quickly build custom parts and tools in space. It is also believed that 3D printing could one day be utilized to build habitats on other planets. Many of the 3D printing technologies NASA has developed are available...

WASHINGTON, October 4, 2019 – The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), the largest network of diverse-owned private equity firms and hedge funds, announced today that MBDA has awarded NAIC a $1.4 million grant to support a project that will facilitate the aggregation and deployment of...

Washington, D.C. (September 26, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) announced grant awards totaling $3.6 million to support business development in Indian Country. The investment represents an historic level of 17% of all the MBDA grants awarded this year. “Under the guidance of President Donald J. Trump, economies are booming across the...

Washington, D.C. (September 12, 2019) – The U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), in collaboration with the Milken Institute, convened prominent scholars, economists and business leaders to combine research efforts in support of the growth and expansion of minority business enterprises (MBEs). Fifty years after the inception of the MBDA, it is estimated there...

WASHINGTON, DC (September 4, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) proudly announces recipients of the 2019 Minority Enterprise Awards. The Minority Enterprise Award is the highest level of national recognition that a U.S. minority-owned firm can receive from the Department of Commerce. These prestigious awards celebrate the outstanding...