The Council for Supplier Diversity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of using the disciplines of supplier diversity initiatives as an engine for economic empowerment in underrepresented communities. We are dedicated to expanding business opportunities for women, minority, service-disabled veterans, and other business enterprises.
We believe that diverse business development is a key component of reducing poverty, unemployment, increasing wealth, and integrating American society.
The Council is a powerful partner and resource for diverse suppliers to expand and increase their bottom line. We help diverse businesses grow so they can give back and help others. As the businesses we work with grow their capacity, it enables them to support opportunities for others in the underserved community. The Council offers a variety of services to promote supplier diversity and economic equity. Some of the services offered are:
- Supplier diversity sourcing and sourcing program development
- Specialized business lending services
- Supplier development and training programs
- Office space, conference rooms, and event bookings for meetings, trainings, etc.
Over the years, the Council has established strategic relationships with partners in the community. We work with partners such as San Diego Youth Services, Access Inc., and other local agencies to assist them in their objectives for delivering workforce development and economic sustainability programs for youth and adults. These relationships allow us to leverage the small and diverse business community’s expertise in supporting local programs.
Over the past year, we have put an emphasis on enhancing our relationships with other organizations in the community to provide opportunities for the underserved youth. We have expanded our Young Entrepreneur Academy program this year to support the goals of both the county’s Department of Justice and Office of Education. Our collaboration with the Juvenile Diversion Initiative (JDI) by the DA’s office allows eligible youth the opportunity to attend our Young Entrepreneur Academy as part of the program designed to divert them from the court system. This collaboration gives them additional guidance, mentorship, and support, but most importantly, gets them exposure to the opportunity of business and entrepreneurship as a potential career path.
More recently, we have developed a Financial Support Services team to help small/underserved businesses access the financials they need to grow their businesses and create jobs in the community. This new business lending service gives businesses access to a variety of business credit solutions thanks to our partnerships with lenders who have a special interest in supporting the diverse businesses in our community. Our financial team will work with individuals to tailor an appropriate financial solution based on their businesses’ specific needs. This is possible thanks to the support of our key partners: Union Bank, Civic Community Partners, Mission Driven Finance, and DBE financial firm, Genesis Funding.
We are excited to announce our annual end-of-year fundraiser for the month of December. This fundraiser is a great opportunity to support and get involved with The Council!
The funds generated over this month will help us continue to serve the community by funding programs such as our High Performance Supplier Series and Young Entrepreneur Academy, as well as help us expand our organization’s reach to help provide more opportunities to the diverse businesses in our community.
You can help support the council by visiting our website and making a donation, or if you own a diverse business or know the owner of a business who would benefit from the council’s services, we encourage you to get connected with us and register your business today!