Minority group members are United States citizens who are Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic and Native American. Ownership by minority individuals means the business is at least 51% owned by such individuals or, in the case of a publicly owned business, at least 51% of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals (i.e. the management and daily operations are controlled by those minority group members.)

Definition

For purposes of NMSDC’s program, a minority group member is an individual who is a U.S. citizen with at least one quarter of the following:

African-American|Black:

A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Sub-Sahara Africa.  These countries include Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina-Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chad; Comoros; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Cote d’Ivoire; Djibouti;  Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Lesotho; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mozambique; Namibia; Niger; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tome &Principe; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Somalia; South Africa; Swaziland; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Western Sahara; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.

Caribbean natives of African descent are also eligible. These islands include Aruba; Barbados; Bonaire; the Cayman Islands; Saint Croix; The Bahamas or Antigua; Cuba; Hispaniola; Puerto Rico; Jamaica; Dominica; Montserrat; Saba; Saint Kitts; Saint Lucia; Saint Thomas; Saint John; Tortola; Grenada; Saint Vincent; Guadeloupe; Martinique; and Trinidad & Tobago.

Asian-Indian

A U.S. citizen whose origins are from the Asian Indian region. These countries include Bangladesh; India; Indonesia; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka.

Asian-Pacific

A U.S. citizen whose origins are from the Asian Pacific region.  These countries include the following: Cambodia; China; Guam; Japan; Korea; Laos; Malaysia; the Philippines; Samoa; Thailand; Tibet; Taiwan; the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas; and, Vietnam.

Hispanic|Latin American:

A U.S. citizen of true-born Hispanic heritage, from any of the Spanish-speaking areas of the following regions:

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South America, Uruguay, Venezuela.

The Caribbean Basin only, Brazilians (Afro-Brazilian, indigenous/Indian only) shall be listed under Hispanic designation for review and certification purposes.

Native American

A person who is an American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut or Native Hawaiian, and regarded as such by the community of which the person claims to be a part.

Native Americans must be documented members of a North American tribe, band or otherwise organized group of native people who are indigenous to the continental United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e., tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number).

If the above applies to you and your business, contact the NMSDC affiliate council closest to you to learn more about the certification process.

Certification fees vary by council and can be found on their individual websites. Documentation to prove ethnicity will be required.