Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and Fresno Metro Black Chamber Foundation (FMBCC)

Since its inception nineteen years ago, Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce and Fresno Metro Black Chamber Foundation (collectively referred to as FMBCC), has been an anchor institution in the Black community with boots on the ground, doing the day-to-day heavy lifting to get small and local neighborhood businesses the necessary resources, access to capital, and solid contracting opportunities to grow their businesses into sustainable entrepreneurial enterprises. We specialize in back-office technical assistance that provides RFx preparation and other supportive services for contracting with local, state, and federal agencies as well as corporate entities. During the last three years, FMBCC has focused on identifying and removing barriers to success through community engagement, education, mindset development, economic empowerment, and advocacy. Additionally, it has been a priority to foster a collaborative environment across private and public sector organizations to leverage resources, diversify funding streams, and advocate for policy that supports our target population.

Technical Assistance & Supplier Development Program: This initiative is designed to increase the capacity of small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) and minority-owned firms in Fresno's urban core. The program works to make Black businesses more competitive in government, corporate, and education agency procurement opportunities, and develop suppliers for market entrance at various levels of the supply chain. Understanding local procurement and supplier diversity culture, as well as the economic, social, and political barriers that impede the acceleration of procurement-based growth for Black-owned businesses, we work to cultivate procurement relationships throughout the state of California that can be leveraged for future opportunities.

Back Office Services: Recognizing that our businesses often lack the capacity to be competitive on government contracts, we have developed a process to provide deep technical assistance in the form of back-office services, including RFx preparation, budgeting, documentation, and writing. This is a specialized service only available to members who have met the eligibility criteria to participate in the FMBCC business acceleration program.

Women’s Economic Impact Center: Recognizing the importance of leadership development and economic empowerment for diverse women leaders and business owners, we developed the Central Valley Women’s Economic Impact Center to change the narrative and move the needle for women of color. Through the Circle of Excellence, a small, intimate cohort of experienced and aspiring women business owners are guided through the Entrepreneur’s Mindset course, enjoy enrichment sessions, and work on strategies to grow their businesses.

D3: Discover, Develop, Deliver: Focused on construction contractors, this project enrolls diverse suppliers that come to a discovery session to learn what it takes to get registered with the local Community College District as a vendor as well as meet the decision-makers in the district’s supply chain. In the second session, business owners learn the anatomy of a successful public works bid and dissect real bid, plans, and specifications. In teams, the suppliers work on the elements to prepare an actual bid. In part three of the series, the district team works to connect suppliers to live bids and prime contractors.

Fresno Recently Incarcerated Entrepreneur Network & Discovery Strategies (FRIENDS): The FRIENDS program mission is to empower System Impacted communities of color and formerly incarcerated individuals to explore entrepreneurship as a pathway to self-sufficiency and financial sustainability. Utilizing a trauma-informed, highly structured, and evidence-based 12-week Entrepreneur development program, FMBCC helps provide a fresh start for its program participants. The project aims to develop creativity, critical thinking, effective problem solving, business and economic fundamentals, teamwork, and other entrepreneurial skills - all transferable - that will enable systems impacted individuals to succeed regardless of their chosen occupational path.

Green Team & Youth Ambassadors: The Fresno Green Team works to green certify businesses, conserve resources, monitor air quality, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging incentives, rebates, state program dollars, and technical assistance to encourage market entry and facilitate green business practices. With a keen interest in balanced energy policies in California, the team works to ensure disadvantaged communities are not disproportionately impacted by changes in policy and local practices. The Fresno Green Team Youth Ambassadors is a green jobs workforce development program focused on developing job opportunities for young adults 18-24 who are assigned to work in FMBCC member organizations who are a part of the green economy. Ambassadors have worked in solar manufacturing, green mechanical design, certified green businesses, installed air quality monitors, and used purple water to clean residential and commercial facilities.

We also offer general technical assistance and capacity building on-demand (not part of the other cohort driven programs named above).