MBN USA

December 01, 2022

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Organizations partner to educate diverse businesses about Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opportunities

NEW YORK — The National Urban League (NUL), the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) are excited to announce the release of the first phase of Build Up Local, a one-stop shop for business owners in systematically excluded communities of color to learn about resources and programs made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Today, phase one of Build Up Local is going live and business owners can sign up to receive updates. In the coming week, an updated version of the platform will launch with a full suite of resources that will be continually updated. The goal of this platform is to help close the racial wealth gap through inclusive infrastructure contracting opportunities. 

More specifically, Build Up Local aims to assist minority owned businesses by:

• Providing business owners with resources to help them understand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and how it can help their business thrive.
• Equipping businesses of color with the information needed to access contracting opportunities.

Over the coming months, NUL, NMSDC, and PPSI will continue to partner on an educational outreach campaign to highlight the opportunities of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to systematically excluded communities of color.

“The National Urban League is dedicated to ensuring African American and other underserved communities have access to the same economic opportunities as everyone else in our society. This resource, and the valuable contracting opportunities it opens for the communities we serve, is a crucial tool to make that happen,” said National Urban League CEO and President Marc Morial.

“Ensuring that NMSDC-certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) can access the contracting opportunities provided by the recent infrastructure bill, is a high priority for NMSDC. Reaching our audacious goal of $1 trillion in annual revenue for certified MBEs requires that we all work together to create greater economic equity. Build Up Local is a great example of that collaboration in action,” said NMSDC CEO and President Ying McGuire.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides billions of dollars in funding for infrastructure. We’re excited about the launch of Build Up Local as a continuation of our work to connect systematically excluded minority owned businesses with critical educational resources, and ensure opportunities from this historic legislation are accessible, equitable and inclusive for all,” said Rhett Buttle, President, Public Private Strategies Institute.

Business owners can learn more about this resource and the opportunities presented by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law at builduplocal.org. As noted, today’s announcement is phase one of the platform. In the coming weeks, the resource center will be further populated, and regulations updated. Additionally, the three groups have committed to launching a public education campaign with partner organizations to educate business owners about the infrastructure law, the platform and connecting to government resources.

About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the Urban League collaborates at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups. For more information, please visit nul.org.

About NMSDC

Founded in 1972, NMSDC is the longest-operating business growth engine for the broadest group of systematically excluded communities of color (Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American), and our impact goes far beyond the supply chain. It’s about upward mobility for the emerging majority of Americans, an equal shot at participating in the American experiment of free-market capitalism and entrepreneurship. Our work is about correcting the unequal access to wealth-building opportunities. For more information, please visit nmsdc.org.

About Public Private Strategies Institute
The Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) is an independent research and education organization. PPSI engages in educational activities concerning the public and private sectors’ roles in advancing societal change. PPSI explores best practices and trends through research, publications, and educational events. Additionally, it produces educational and informational content that will educate public and private sector actors about their capacity to be agents of social change; and conduct research into the existing landscape of public and private social responsibility and the potential for the future. For more information, please visit ppsi.org.