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15 U.S.C. § 9501

Verified against govinfo.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on govinfo.gov ↗
In this chapter:
  1. (1)The term “Agency” means the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.
  2. (2)The term “community-based organization” has the meaning given the term in section 7801 of title 20.
  3. (3)Except as otherwise expressly provided, the term “eligible entity”—
    1. (A)means—
      1. (i)a private sector entity;
      2. (ii)a public sector entity; or
      3. (iii)a Native entity; and
    2. (B)includes an institution of higher education.
  4. (4)The term “Federal agency” has the meaning given the term “agency” in section 551 of title 5.
  5. (5)The term “federally recognized area of economic distress” means—
    1. (A)a HUBZone, as that term is defined in section 657a(b) of this title;
    2. (B)an area that—
      1. (i)has been designated as—
        1. (I)an empowerment zone under section 1391 of title 26; or
        2. (II)a Promise Zone by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; or
      2. (ii)is a low or moderate income area, as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
    3. (C)a qualified opportunity zone, as that term is defined in section 1400Z–1 of title 26; or
    4. (D)any other political subdivision or unincorporated area of a State determined by the Under Secretary to be an area of economic distress.
  6. (6)The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given the term in section 1001 of title 20.
  7. (7)The term “MBDA Business Center” means a business center that—
    1. (A)is established by the Agency; and
    2. (B)provides technical business assistance to minority business enterprises consistent with the requirements of this chapter.
  8. (8)The term “MBDA Business Center agreement” means a legal instrument—
    1. (A)reflecting a relationship between the Agency and the recipient of a Federal assistance award that is the subject of the instrument; and
    2. (B)that establishes the terms by which the recipient described in subparagraph (A) shall operate an MBDA Business Center.
  9. (9)
    1. (A)The term “minority business enterprise” means a business enterprise—
      1. (i)that is not less than 51 percent-owned by 1 or more socially or economically disadvantaged individuals; and
      2. (ii)the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by 1 or more socially or economically disadvantaged individuals.
    2. (B)Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to exclude a business enterprise from qualifying as a “minority business enterprise” under that subparagraph because of—
      1. (i)the status of the business enterprise as a for-profit or not-for-profit enterprise; or
      2. (ii)the annual revenue of the business enterprise.
  10. (10)The term “Native entity” means—
    1. (A)a Tribal Government;
    2. (B)an Alaska Native village or Regional or Village Corporation, as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.);
    3. (C)a Native Hawaiian organization, as that term is defined in section 7517 of title 20;
    4. (D)the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; and
    5. (E)the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
  11. (11)The term “private sector entity”—
    1. (A)means an entity that is not a public sector entity; and
    2. (B)does not include—
      1. (i)the Federal Government;
      2. (ii)any Federal agency; or
      3. (iii)any instrumentality of the Federal Government.
  12. (12)The term “public sector entity” means—
    1. (A)a State;
    2. (B)an agency of a State;
    3. (C)a political subdivision of a State;
    4. (D)an agency of a political subdivision of a State; or
    5. (E)a Native entity.
  13. (13)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Commerce.
  14. (14)The term “socially or economically disadvantaged business concern” means a for-profit business enterprise—
    1. (A)
      1. (i)that is not less than 51 percent owned by 1 or more socially or economically disadvantaged individuals; or
      2. (ii)that is socially or economically disadvantaged; or
    2. (B)the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by 1 or more socially or economically disadvantaged individuals.
  15. (15)
    1. (A)The term “socially or economically disadvantaged individual” means an individual who has been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias (or the ability of whom to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired due to diminished capital and credit opportunities, as compared to others in the same line of business and competitive market area) because of the identity of the individual as a member of a group, without regard to any individual quality of the individual that is unrelated to that identity.
    2. (B)In carrying out this chapter, the Under Secretary shall presume that the term “socially or economically disadvantaged individual” includes any individual who is—
      1. (i)Black or African American;
      2. (ii)Hispanic or Latino;
      3. (iii)American Indian or Alaska Native;
      4. (iv)Asian;
      5. (v)Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; or
      6. (vi)a member of a group that the Agency determines under part 1400 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on November 23, 1984, is a socially disadvantaged group eligible to receive assistance.
  16. (16)The term “specialty center” means an MBDA Business Center that provides specialty services focusing on specific business needs, including assistance relating to—
    1. (A)capital access;
    2. (B)Federal procurement;
    3. (C)entrepreneurship;
    4. (D)technology transfer; or
    5. (E)any other area determined necessary or appropriate based on the priorities of the Agency.
  17. (17)The term “State” means—
    1. (A)each of the States of the United States;
    2. (B)the District of Columbia;
    3. (C)the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
    4. (D)the United States Virgin Islands;
    5. (E)Guam;
    6. (F)American Samoa;
    7. (G)the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and
    8. (H)each Tribal Government.
  18. (18)The term “Tribal Government” means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, component band, or component reservation, individually identified (including parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of November 15, 2021, pursuant to section 5131 of title 25.
  19. (19)The term “Under Secretary” means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development, who is appointed as described in section ___3(b) 1 So in original. See References in Text note below. to administer this chapter.