Arab American Business Council
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Certified

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Certification is a program designed for businesses that are 51% owned and operated by American citizens considered an "ethnic minority." MBE Certification will give MENA American businesses the opportunity to access nationally recognized corporations and online services that seek to benefit from purchasing or marketing a certain proportion of goods from minority-owned businesses. This certification also makes businesses more appealing to state, local, and municipal contracting agencies, while also granting access to supply networks that otherwise may be closed. The aim of this initiative is to economically empower MENA American business owners to compete on an equal footing as other minority-owned businesses who have access to federally recognized certifications. 

What counts as “MENA”?

“MENA” stands for Middle East and North Africa. This designation includes 22 Arab countries, as well as peripheral non-Arabic speaking countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkiye. MENA can also encompass transnational ethnic and linguistic groups such as, Armenian, Assyrian/Syriac, Bedouin, Chaldean, Druze, Kurdish, and Yazidi. 

 

AABC’s certification process was modeled off of the one used by the National Minority Supplier Development Council to certify minority-owned businesses. Following the submission of an intake form, program administrators follow up to collect further necessary business information, explain the documents required, and schedule a formal interview with an administrator. The documents that AABC uses to determine ownership and proof of ethnicity include:

  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Operating Articles
  • Identification of Business Owner (e.g., driver’s license)
  • Proof of Ethnicity for the Owner (e.g., (foreign passport, long form original birth certificate, parent’s birth/death certificate)

Once the documentation is submitted, an administrator conducts a formal interview with the business owner to confirm their identity and ethnicity, learn about their business’ history, and set the foundation for a future working relationship with AABC. The last step in our certification process is payment of a processing fee by the applying business, laddered based on annual revenue and business type:

  • Businesses with over $1 million in revenue pay a processing fee of $750
  • Businesses with under $1 million in revenue pay a processing fee of $350
    Nonprofit organizations are certified for free on a case-by-case basis, provided they offer some sort of concrete product or service to clients. 

Once the program administrators have reviewed all the necessary documents, completed the initial meeting, and received the processing fee, they utilize a paid online service to produce unique QR – traceable certifications. This certification is finally sent by a PDF to the business owner through email. In certain cases of contracts between certified business owners and larger corporations, the National Director can provide a signed letter of confirmation, if required.

ALL BUSINESSES (SOLE PROPRIETORS) ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT:

  • Completed certification application
  • Signed, dated and notarized affidavit/declaration page
  • Fictitious Business Statement – DBA (if applicable)
  • Driver’s license or currently valid picture ID
  • Proof of U.S. Citizenship (US passport, long form original birth certificate, driver’s license and voter’s registration card, naturalization certificate)
  • Proof of Ethnicity for Owner(s), Partners, Shareholders that includes race (Foreign passport, long form original birth certificate, parent’s birth/death certificate or child’s birth certificate)
  • Indian/Native Americans Blood Degree Certificate (i.e. tribal registry letter, tribal roll register number) [if applicable]
  • Two Years of Federal Tax Returns (Business)*1
  • Current Financial Statements (P &L , statement of cash flows, balance sheet)*2
  • Notes Payable (if applicable)
  • Applicable Operating Business License and/or permits (if applicable)
  • Occupational Licenses (if applicable)
  • Lease Agreement if business premises are leased or rented Signature page of homeowners deed or mortgage receipt (if property is owned or home based)
  • Resume(s) of owner(s), partners, shareholders or key employees (to include current enterprise and the definition of role within)
  • Bank Signature Card (or letter from bank identifying signatures on the account and type of account)
  • Equipment Rental and Purchase Agreements (if applicable)
  • Current invoice receivables with corresponding proof of payment (at least two) (i.e. cancelled check, deposit slip, bank statement with matching amount)
  • Equipment owned or available (include description of equipment, year acquired, and current value)
  • Proof of Bonding Capacity (if applicable)
  • Proof of EIN
  • Certificate of Authority to Transact Business (Foreign Entity Certificate) (if applicable)
  • Non-refundable application processing fee based on annual gross revenue sales

FRANCHISES SUBMIT:

  • Franchise Agreement

PARTNERSHIPS SUBMIT: (If the company is a LLP or Ltd., applicants must submit the legal documents for all companies involved.  For example, if the GP is a LLC, the applicant must submit documents for the Partnership and the LLC)

  • Articles of Partnership(for LLP/Ltd)
  • Certificate of limited partnership or certificate of formation(for LLP/Ltd)
  • Partnership Agreements (to include buy-out rights and profit sharing)
  • Proof of Capital Investment (i.e. both side of cancelled checks, initial deposits, bank statements)
  • Proof of Partnership purchase (i.e. both sides of cancelled checks, deposit slips, bank statements)

CORPORATIONS SUBMIT:

  • Assumed Name Certificate (filed with the Secretary of State) (if applicable)
  • Certificate of Corporation
  • Article of Incorporation or Certificate of formation (stamped copy from the Secretary of State)
  • Articles of Amendment or Certificate of Amendment (if applicable)
  • Corporate Bylaws or Governing documents
  • Proof of Capital Investment (i.e. both side of cancelled checks, equipment receipts, initial deposits, bank statements)
  • Minutes of 1st Organizational Board Meeting
  • Minutes of the last Board meeting
  • Minutes of the last meeting where officers were elected
  • Copies of both sides of all stock certificates issued (no specimen)
  • Copies of both sides of the next consecutive stock certificate not issued
  • Current Stock Ledger
  • Proof of Stock purchase (i.e. both sides of cancelled checks, deposit slips, bank statements)
  • Copy of the purchase or buy/sell agreement with the corresponding proof of payments)(if applicable)
  • Copy of any stock options or other ownership options outstanding as well as agreements which restrict ownership or control of minority owners (if applicable)

LLCs SUBMIT:

  • Assumed Name Certificate (filed with the Secretary of State) (if applicable)
  • Certificate of organization
  • Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation (stamped copy from the Secretary of State)
  • Articles of Amendment or Certificate of amendment (if applicable)
  • Operating Agreement
  • Proof of Capital Investment (i.e. both side of cancelled checks, equipment receipts, initial deposits, bank statements)
  • Minutes of the organizational meeting or minutes of the meeting
  • Minutes of the last meeting where managers or members were identified and elected
  • Copy of both sides of all certificates of ownership issued (no specimen)
  • Copy of both sides of next consecutive membership unit certificate not issued
  • Copy of ownership transfer ledger or copy of membership transfer ledger
  • Proof of unit purchase (i.e. both sides of cancelled checks, deposit slips, bank statements)
  • Copy of the purchase or buy/sell agreement with the corresponding proof of payments)(if applicable)
  • Copy of any membership unit options or other ownership options outstanding as well as agreements which restrict ownership or control of minority owners (if applicable)
  • Connection to large State Government agencies
  • Listing in National Supplier Databases
  • Training and educational programs exclusive to minority-owned businesses
  • Networking opportunities
  • Spending goals of top corporations
  • Connections with buyers looking to meet subcontracting goals
  • Access to purchasing agents
  • Mentorship programs
Minority Status History

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) began working on providing Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (MENA/Arab) American-owned businesses access to minority business support programming in the 1990’s. These efforts were highlighted by the City of San Francisco becoming the first municipality to recognize the social and economic disadvantage faced by MENA/Arab-owned businesses. 

In 2009, ADC reengaged with the Department of Commerce and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), working with then-Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to advocate for the community’s designation as socially or economically disadvantaged. Frequent meetings occurred through the majority of the Obama Administration, in addition to ADC hosting conferences in partnership with the Department. Over the course of these many conversations, ADC provided multiple submissions on a range of economic issues affecting the MENA/Arab American business community. This engagement culminated in a formal petition for designation being presented to MBDA. That formal petition was unsuccessful, leaving in place the status quo of disadvantage without recognition for MENA/Arab business owners. 

Over the course of the engagement with the Department and MBDA, and in the years following the unsuccessful petition, ADC was approached by businesses who had identified opportunities in the private sector for minority businesses. Despite the lack of federal recognition, these business owners found that they were eligible for these opportunities if they could produce a certification demonstrating their minority-owned status. At the time there was no entity to provide them with that documentation, and so in 2022 ADC began to research and develop its own certification program.

In June of 2023, ADC soft launched a program, the first of its kind, to certify MENA/Arab American-owned businesses as minority owned. Since launching, ADC has successfully certified dozens of businesses from across the country, helping businesses build connections with corporate partners while refining and strengthening the certification process. ADC has now established a strategic implementation plan for how to expand participation and improve the material benefits offered to MENA/Arab American-owned Businesses.

Over the last year, ADC has witnessed significant progress towards recognition on both the federal and state levels. Federally, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised Statistical Policy Directive 15 (SPD15) in March of 2024, which added a distinct MENA/Arab category to the racial and ethnic standards that all federal agencies are required to use when collecting demographic information. On the state level, Illinois and New York have passed bills adding MENA/Arab as a category for state demographic data, while California and Michigan have proposed, but not yet passed, similar bills. 

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