 Seal of the Minority Business Development Agency | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1969; 56 years ago (1969) |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Employees | 50-100 |
| Annual budget | US$30 million (2009) US$32 million (est. 2010) US$32 million (est. 2011) US$34 million (est. 2017) |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | U.S. Department of Commerce |
| Website | www |
TheMinority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is an agency in theUnited States Department of Commerce that promotes growth and competitiveness of theUnited States'minority-owned businesses, includingHispanic and Latino American,Asian Pacific American,African American, andNative American businesses.[1]
MBDA's stated mission is to promote the growth and competitiveness ofminority-owned businesses by providing access to capital, access to contracts and access to market opportunities – both domestic and global. The main feature of the organization and its site is to provide business consulting services to minority business owners.[2]
In March 2025,President Trump issued anexecutive order that directed eliminating the MBDA to the maximum extent of the law.
On March 5, 1969, PresidentRichard Nixon issuedExecutive Order 11458, establishing the Office of Minority Business Enterprise.[1] On October 13, 1971, President Nixon issued Executive Order 11625, which clarified MBDA's authority and expanded the scope of its operations.[3] In 1979, the agency was renamed the Minority Business Development Agency.[1]
The Reagan Administration established the Minority Business Development Center program, which became MBDA's primary method for delivering technical and management services to minority businesses.[1] The George H.W. Bush Administration proposed eliminating the agency and transferring its mission to theSmall Business Administration, but ultimately continued the agency as an entity within the Department of Commerce.[1]
President Trump proposed eliminating all agency funding in his FY18executive budget proposal.[4] This reflectedHeritage Foundation budget recommendations.[5] His FY19 budget proposal recommended eliminating MBDA business centers but retaining the agency as a policy office.[6]
On November 15, 2021, PresidentJoe Biden signed theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which established the Minority Business Development Agency as a permanent agency.[7] The law authorized $73 million in appropriations for MBDA for fiscal year (FY) 2021, $55 million for FY 2022, $70 million for FY 2023, and $68.25 million for FY 2024.[1]
According to the MBDA, in FY 2023 it facilitated access to $1.5 billion of capital for minority-owned businesses and helped create or maintain 19,000 jobs.[8]
In March 2024, a judge ruled that MBDA must provide support to all businesses and owners, regardless of race.[7]
MBDA requested $80 million in appropriations for FY 2025 to continue to implement its responsibilities under the Minority Business Development Act of 2021.[9] It stated it had 131 business centers and programs, including specialty centers that help business owners find financing, contracts, and markets for "Made in America" products.[9]
In March 2025,President Trump issued anexecutive order that directed eliminating the MBDA "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law", along with several other agencies.[10][11][12]
The Agency holds National Minority Enterprise Development Week in the month of October, observed in theUnited States to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of theminority business enterprise community.
PresidentRonald Reagan first recognized National MED Week in 1983.[13] The week is formally celebrated each year by the Minority Business Development Agency, a U.S. government agency housed within the U.S.Department of Commerce.[14]
On October 20, 2017, PresidentDonald Trump issued a proclamation which officially designated October 22 through October 28, 2017 as National Minority Enterprise Development Week.[15][16]
On October 24, 2017, President Trump recognized minority-owned businesses in theOval Office during National MED Week, when he welcomed winners of the National MED Week Awards with Secretary of CommerceWilbur Ross and MBDA Acting National Director Christopher A. Garcia.[17][16]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromAdam G. Levin.The Minority Business Development Agency: An Overview of Its History and Programs.Congressional Research Service.
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| People | |
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