Are you Classified as a Minority, Woman, Veteran or Disadvantage Owned Business?

The definitions provided below apply to businesses owned, operated, and controlled by U.S. Citizens only. Businesses that are owned, operated, and controlled by a non-U.S. citizen is classified as foreign-owned.

Minority-Owned Business
Is a business concern which is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.

Women-Owned Business
A business that is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned by a woman or women who also control and operate it.

Veteran-Owned Business
Must be at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned and controlled by a U.S. Veteran or Veterans possessing a discharge other than dishonorable.

Disabled Veteran
A veteran of the military, naval, or air service of the United States with a service connected disability. To qualify as a veteran with a service connected disability, the person must be currently declared by the United States Veteran Administration to be 10 percent (10%) or more disabled as a result of service in the armed forces.

Disadvantaged Business
A business concern which is at least fifty-one percent (51%) owned by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the stock of which is owned by such individuals and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of such individuals. Socially disadvantaged individuals are individuals who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their identity as a member of a group without regard to their qualities as individuals.

Economically disadvantaged
Individuals are socially disadvantaged individuals whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system is impaired due to diminished opportunities to obtain capital and credit as compared to others in the same line of business who are not socially disadvantaged. Individuals who certify that they are members of certain named groups (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Asian-Indian Americans) are to be considered socially and economically disadvantaged.

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).

Black and/or African American
A U.S. citizen having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

Asian-Pacific
A U.S. citizen whose origins are from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas.

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