FAQ

For purposes of all NMSDC's programs, an ethnic-minority group member is an individual who is a U.S. Citizen with at least 1/4 or 25% minimum (third-party governmental documentation to support claim of 25% required from applicant) and is a person whose bloodline reflects an indigenous heritage from the following countries:

AFRICAN AMERICAN|BLACK - A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Sub-Sahara Africa. These countries include the following:

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. The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which are enclosed by the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and North America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America. 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.

HISPANIC|LATIN-AMERICAN - A U.S. citizen of true-born Latin heritage (true-born meaning “authentically” or “genuinely” as per Webster’s Dictionary), from any of the Spanish speaking areas of Latin America or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean basin only.

Brazilians (Afro-Brazilian, indigenous/Indian only) shall be listed under the Latino designation for review and certification purposes. These countries include the following:

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

NATIVE AMERICAN|ALASKA NATIVE - 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 United States and proof can be provided through a Native American Blood Degree Certificate (i.e., National or State certified tribal registry letter; tribal roll register number).

ASIAN INDIAN AMERICAN - A U.S. citizen whose origins are from the Asian Indian region. These countries include the following:

Bangladesh; India; Indonesia; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka.

ASIAN-PACIFIC AMERICAN - 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.

Groups not certifiable by NMSDC are listed below, and not limited to:

• Northern Africa (Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, etc.)
• Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal)
• Asia Minor Region (Peninsula between the Black Sea & the Mediterranean)
• Persian Gulf (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
• Europe

Yes, instead of 2 years of business taxes you will need to submit 2 years of personal taxes

NMSDC has 23 Affiliate Councils with certification staffers who process these applications.  Each Council has a team of corporate persons on the Certification Committee who review and recommend acceptance or denial of certification.

NMSDC reviews applications for 51% minority ownership, management and operational control of a business. The minority’s role is the key determining factor in the application.

Councils usually take between 45 to 90 days to process applications. The policy manual requires completion of processing within 90 days.  The process includes a thorough review of the applications, a site visit, and collection of all supporting documents. Lastly, a vote is required from the council’s Board of Directors.

Once the application is received at an Affiliate Council, a certification staffer reviews for required documents, then reviews the information available, conducts a site visit and presents it to the Certification Committee.  The committee then makes a recommendation to the Board who ultimately decides whether the applicant is a certified MBE.  The certification process should not vary from one Council to another through all steps taken.

ALL BUSINESSES (SOLE PRIOPRIETORS) 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 andvoter’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 homeowner’s 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 an LLP or Ltd., applicants must submit the legal documents for all companies involved.  For example, if the GP is an 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 1^stOrganizational 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:

1. Assumed Name Certificate (filed with the Secretary of State) (if applicable)
2. Certificate of organization
3. Articles of Organization or Certificate of Formation (stamped copy from the Secretary of State)
4. Articles of Amendment or Certificate of amendment (if applicable)
5. Operating Agreement
6. Proof of Capital Investment (i.e., both side of cancelled checks, equipment receipts, initial deposits, bank statements)
7. Minutes of the organizational meeting or minutes of the meeting
8. Minutes of the last meeting where managers or members were identified and elected
9. Copy of both sides of all certificates of ownership issued (no specimen)
10. Copy of both sides of next consecutive membership unit certificate not issued
11. Copy of ownership transfer ledger or copy of membership transfer ledger
12. Proof of unit purchase (i.e., both sides of cancelled checks, deposit slips, bank statements)
13. Copy of the purchase or buy/sell agreement with the corresponding proof of payments) (if applicable)
14. 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)

In verifying ethnicity, the best place to begin is with the long form birth certificate. If the applicant’s long form birth certificate does not include ethnicity or race, the following documents should be requested in the following order. There documents will connect the lineage of the family’s ethnicity or race to the applicant.

1. Long form Birth Certificate of the applicant’s parent (mother or father) that includes the ethnicity or race.
2. Death Certificate of the applicant’s parent (mother or father) that includes the ethnicity or race.
3. Long form Birth Certificate of the applicant’s grandparent (mother or father) that includes the ethnicity or race.
4. Death Certificate of the applicant’s grandparent (mother or father) that includes the ethnicity or race.
5. Long form Birth Certificate of the applicant’s child that includes the ethnicity or race.
6. Death Certificate of the applicant’s child that includes the ethnicity or race.

Alternative documents, translated by applicant if necessary, may include but are not limited to:

• Medical records.
• Military records or other government issued documents that includes race.

NMSDC is unique in our certification process because we require a site visit as part of the certification process. Most site visits are currently conducted virtually.

Following either an upheld denial from the appeal process or 30 days from an appeal process, an applicant may only reapply after one year from the date of application.

No

Certification fees are non-refundable and based on annual sales as follows

$0 to $1M $300
$1M to $10M $750
$10 to $50 M $1,000
Over $50M $1,250

NMSDC certifies minority business enterprises (MBEs) to be suppliers of various services and/or products for large corporations, to ensure only qualified suppliers, eligible for NMSDC assistance, are serviced.  Corporations rely on NMSDC to protect their reputation by ensuring only bona fide minority vendors benefit from this program.

NMSDC is a private, non-governmental, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our charter specifies the above definition by our founding group.

No, NMSDC does not accept any other certification from any other entities; however, number of local and state governments do recognize our certification.  In a growing number of states, NMSDC certification is required to do business with public buying entities.

Staffers review the changes and the impact on the ownership, control and management of the business. If the minority ownership is less than 51% and control of management and operations is no longer in the hands of the minority individual(s), continued certification is doubtful.  They then investigate and take appropriate action through the Certification Committee and Board of Directors.  These factors will decide whether the MBE is permitted to keep their certification.

Yes, if they have different tax identification numbers.

An applicant may withdraw their application if the request is received in writing before the application goes to the Certification Committee.

Applicants for renewal are required to fill out the recertification form online and include the previous year’s tax forms.

No, once an MBE certification has expired, the applicant has to submit a new application.

A local member pays the annual fee through EMSDC and has access to MBEs in Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. A National member pays the annual fee through NMSDC and has access to all MBEs in the United States.

Click here for NMSDC Central.

Local members will need to complete this form, and national members will need to contact their NMSDC Corporate Coordinator.

nonprofits, advocacy organizations, governmental/quasi agencies only

MBEs located outside of our region (Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware) and certified by an NMSDC affiliate. (i.e., NYNJMSDC, OMSDC, etc.)

Each council has their own process, fee structure and benefits. Visit the council’s individual websites for information. Click here for a list.

Click here to learn more, see the fee structure, and apply online.

The same date as the certification expiration with your home council.

Subscription services are for MBEs 51% minority-owned and located outside of Pennsylvania, southern NJ, and Delaware. Registered is not a certification and the business must be at least 51% ethnic minority-owned. Listed is not a certification and must be at least 50% ethnic minority-owned. Click here to take our survey and find out which service is best for you.