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Resource Partners

There are many organizations ready to assist small diverse businesses. Depending on type of business or type of business ownership, these resources may be helpful. They can help you start, grow or expand a business.

Minority and Women's Business Support Organizations

MBDA Business Center - Tacoma

The MBDA Business Center located in Tacoma, Washington is operated by the City of Tacoma. The center is part of a national network of funded centers located in major cities throughout the United States. The center works with minority business enterprises to generate increased financing and contract opportunities and to create and retain jobs.

The program's objective is to provide ongoing, quality assistance to minority businesses with rapid growth potential so that they can achieve greater participation in the development of the nation's commerce. The center provides technical assistance and strategic business consulting to minority business enterprises to generate increased financing and contracting opportunities.

American Indian Chamber Education Fund PTAC

The American Indian Chamber Education Fund PTAC provides technical assistance to Native American owned businesses.

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is a leader in strengthening the economy and improving the lives of all Americans. We support job growth and economic expansion through a network of MBDA business centers, collaboration with federal, state and local government agencies, and strategic partnerships. We support job growth and economic expansion through a network of MBDA business centers, collaboration with federal, state and local government agencies, and strategic partnerships.

The US Small Business Administration (SBA) offers two small business certification programs; HUBZone and 8(a)/SDB; and has a lot of good information for starting a business.

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (Initiative) was originally established by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 to address the educational disparities faced by the Hispanic community. Since then, the call to address these within the Hispanic community has been recognized by Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush and more recently by President Barack Obama through the renewal of the Initiative.

Women Entrepreneurs Of America, Inc. was established in November, 2002 in Cleveland, Ohio by Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Yolanda Lamar-Wilder. Inspired by her own personal and business experiences in the corporate sector during the 80's and 90's, she set out to design an organization based on what she wished had been available to her.

The SBA offers two small business certification programs; HUBZone and 8(a)/SDB; and has a lot of good information for starting a business.

ASTRA Women's Business Alliance and WBENC have partnered to offer this Women's Business Enterprise program.The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), founded in 1997, is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States. WBENC, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit, partners with 14 Regional Partner Organizations to provide its world class standard of certification to women-owned businesses throughout the country.

Professional Women in Construction (PWC) is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing professional, entrepreneurial and managerial opportunities for women and other "non-traditional" populations in construction and related industries.

The Washington SBDC promotes economic vitality within Washington communities by providing expert business advising, demand-driven training, and applied research to existing businesses and entrepreneurs. The SBDC is a cooperative effort of Washington State University, other educational institutions, economic development organizations and the US Small Business Administration.

The Institute expands the services which the college can offer the tribes, enabling Evergreen to assist local tribes to meet their economic, governance and resource goals. At the same time, the Institute provides additional, real-life learning opportunities for Evergreen students.

African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native Americans Business Association (AHANA) strives to improve the economic status and enhance the quality of life of minority communities through the development of business and employment opportunities.

Tabor 100 is an association of entrepreneurs and business advocates who are committed to economic power, educational excellence and social equity for African-Americans and the community at large.

Founded in 1972 as a full-service, non-profit (501)(c)(3) corporation, the National Minority Business Council is dedicated to providing business assistance, educational opportunities, seminars, purchasing listings and related services to hundreds of businesses throughout the tri-state area and across the nation.

The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. With over 40 years of assisting American Indian Tribes and their enterprises with business and economic development - we have evolved into the largest national Indian specific business organization in the nation.

The Latin Business Association (LBA), a 501(c)(6) private non-profit organization established in 1976, is one of the nation's most active Latin business trade associations on the basis of active membership and overall outreach to its member business owners. The LBA is the only organization that truly represents over 800,000 Latin businesses in California.

The Mission of INROADS is to develop and place talented underserved youth in business and industry, and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.

The heart of this website is its free database of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (M/WBE's) and contacts within Fortune 1000 companies. You can register your company as a supplier at no charge. Suppliers' profiles are made available to buyers including Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, associations and other major purchasers nationwide seeking to do business with M/WBE's. You'll find a lot of other resources here as well.

Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence is a new organization that makes small business loans and gives training scholarships to women.

Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC) was established in New York City in 1994 to promote greater recognition of Asian American businesses' contributions to the general economy. AABDC encourages Asian American businesses to be more actively involved in issues and policies that directly affect them at the federal, state and city levels and provides capacity-building assistance to business entities that enables them to compete in the mainstream marketplace and expand business opportunities.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (IA) is the oldest bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. Established in 1824, IA currently provides services (directly or through contracts, grants, or compacts) to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Ventures offers a number of additional resources, incuding an initial eight-week Business Basics course to help people reach their goals and move their businesses forward. These services include a variety of resources, including access to capital, advanced business training, free small business legal advice, one-to-one coaching, and more. Some of these services require signing up in advance or have additional application requirements.

Business Impact NW is a consortium of non-profit community development organizations. This includes a community development corporation that provides training, counseling and membership. BIN also includes a certified community development financial institution that provides access to capital and business assistance to small businesses, with special emphasis on low-income, women and minority entrepreneurs and small businesses in distressed and undeserved communities in Washington State. BIN's approach to economic development and alleviating poverty is through self-sufficiency achieved through entrepreneurialism.

Buy Surplus for your Business

Washington State Department of Enterprise Services Surplus Operations

Surplus Operations handles used goods ranging from corkscrews to museum exhibits to used radar guns and vehicles. Proceeds from sales pay for the surplus program and also result in financial returns to state and local government agencies. The sale, reuse and recycling of goods also keeps hundreds of thousands of pounds of materials from being dumped in landfills.

The Retirement Marketplace makes it easy compare low cost, affordable plans. It’s a one-stop, easy-to-use website that helps small business owners and individuals comparison shop for retirement savings plans.

Visit the Retirement Marketplace to explore options for your business or yourself and help spread the word about this valuable resource in your community.

WA Retirement Marketplace from Department of Commerce.

Pro Bono Washington is an online resource administered by the Washington State Bar Association in collaboration with the WSBA Pro Bono and Public Service Committee, Qualified Legal Services Organizations, and others in the pro bono community.  The purpose of the Pro Bono portal is to connect legal professionals to pro bono opportunities throughout the state that match their interests, expertise, and availability.  Pro Bono Washington partners with more than 80 volunteer legal providers that offer legal services to low- and moderate-income individuals in our community.  Pro bono opportunities can be filtered by area of law, communities receiving support, geography, and type of pro bono work.

Visit the Pro Bono Opportunities Portal

You can also access various helpful pro bono resources on our Resources page.

Washington Tribes

Washington Tribes is a public education initiative sponsored by the Washington Indian Gaming Association to raise awareness about how tribal government investments benefit everyone in Washington.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Minority and Women Business Enterprises Support Services (MWBESS) program provides state-funded supportive services and training to minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged businesses. WSDOT also offers Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Support Services to help DBEs wishing to work on WSDOT highway-related construction projects.

Washington APEX Accelerator (formerly Washington PTAC), advises businesses on how to win government contracts and subcontracts. The one-on-one technical assistance includes bid reviews, marketing assistance, contract performance, small business certifications, and more. APEX also hosts procurement training classes and seminars, helps businesses register with the correct databases in order to compete for government contracts, and assists businesses through the government-contracting marketplace.

APEX’s mission is to increase the number of government contracts awarded to Washington firms so that those firms can grow. We provide no cost, confidential, one-on-one technical assistance in all aspects of selling to federal, state, and local governments. With the help of APEX, Washington State companies are awarded $300 million in government contracts each year.  When you become an APEX Accelerator client you gain access to experienced counselors who can help you navigate the maze of government contracting. Our services are free as are most of our events and workshops.

Enterprise for Equity's mission is to ensure that individuals with limited incomes in the South Sound region have access to training, support, and financial resources to foster the growth of their own small businesses. We firmly believe in the transformative power of individuals who bring their unique strengths, initiative, and dreams to their entrepreneurial endeavors, and we take great pride in our contribution towards their success.

Enterprise for Equity is committed to supporting those who have been historically marginalized and to growing our capacity to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion to our work. In this way, we hope to contribute to economically thriving, sustainable, and livable communities in the areas we serve: Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Clallam, and rural Pierce counties.

CAFÉ in Wenatchee, Washington was established in 2005 with the aim of bridging the gap between the Spanish-speaking community and essential resources and information. They offer a diverse range of educational and leadership programs. Subscribe for their updates at www.wenatcheecafe.org.