Education & Growth | Building Relationships | Economic Justice & Transformation
The Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA)
American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) Project
About NW Native MBDA Center
The MBDA AIANNH Projects support Tribal and native business growth by addressing one or more of the following three strategic initiatives: a) innovation and entrepreneurship; b) strategic planning; and/or c) transformative projects.
Accelerating Northwest Native Business Innovation:
The Oregon Native American Chamber (ONAC) will expand its existing AIANNH business development services programs to additional service areas in the Northwest to include Idaho and Washington.
In the area of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the project will support AIANNH entrepreneurs using a three-component approach which allows ONAC to serve MBEs at every level of development.
Technical Assistance Program
Through focused resources, collaboration, and client-centered services, ONAC seeks to drastically shift outcomes for business owners of color, immigrants, women founders, and underrepresented minorities. ONAC provides resource navigation for our entrepreneurs and small businesses to facilitate long-term support and business advising. ONAC provides resource navigation for entrepreneurs and small businesses through focused resources, collaboration, and client-centered services. ONAC facilitates in-network connections to partner services which include, microloan products, seed funding, business loans, legal support, accounting, and market research.
Professional Service Providers:
To better meet the needs of our entrepreneurs, ONAC has created a full suite of services of vetted and culturally aware professional service providers. As we seek to build the capacity of the small business we serve, we also seek to provide opportunities for business to business connections, strengthening our businesses and economies across the region. ONAC prioritizes PSPs from the communities that we serve to create impactful and meaningful connections across cultures and industries at no cost to the entrepreneurs we serve.
Education
Oregon Native Enterprise Program & StartUp Oregon Platform
An innovative, in-depth 9-week business development course offered at no cost for business development centers serving AI/AN populations. The courses are entirely told through the stories of our very own Native entrepreneurs and provide the foundation for startup and startup growth.
The curriculum is hosted on ONAC’s StartUpOregon.US platform. StartUpOregon is not a program. It is a part of a new, larger strategy for Oregon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Purpose – Every entrepreneur has access to high-quality resources, tools, mentoring, and the needed capital to launch, grow, and scale a viable business, no matter where they live or who they are.
Student Academic Achievement Award (SA3) Program Direct financial assistance to our American Indian and Alaskan Native students looking to be of service to their community, develop and provide leadership in their field, and demonstrate intentional engagement with tribal communities.
Access to Markets
Access to Capital
The NW Native MBDA Center utilizes partnerships with lending partners, CDFIs, credit unions, and banks around the region to connect small businesses with lending products and services that fit the unique needs of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Certification
We collaborate with partner organizations, agencies, and government stakeholders to assess, support, and inform on the certification process at the federal, state, county, and city level.
