Programs – Archive 02-13-2024
USHCC programs and partnerships provide the tools, resources and opportunities to tangibly advance the Hispanic business community.
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Educational Fund, a 501(c)(3), amplifies the organization’s mission and impact with programs and initiatives centered on access to capital, capacity building, and cultivating connections in its commitment to fueling America’s economic growth with one of the largest and growing demographics in the U.S.
USHCC Signature Programs and Initiatives
Accelerating business growth for businesses ready to Avanzar (“to advance” in Spanish)
Avanzar is a six to eight-month business accelerator program designed to take Hispanic businesses to the next level with curated skills building sessions, resources, tools, and strategies to position participants for success. Avanzar participants will complete an updated business plan, learn how best to access capital for their business, and attend workshops aimed to strengthen operations and marketing capabilities to support their vision of scaling their business.
The program launched in 2019 thanks to the investment and partnership of Wells Fargo. Since 2019, Avanzar has expanded to additional cities and regions thanks to the support of USAA and Philip Morris International who joined Wells Fargo in this mission to advance Hispanic businesses ready to grow with Avanzar.
USHCC Supplier Development Pilot Program with Blue Wave now USHCC Avanzando Suppliers with Blue Wave
USHCC Avanzando Suppliers with Blue Wave
Formerly USHCC Supplier Development Pilot Program with Blue Wave, this pilot program launched in 2022 and concluded in the spring of 2023 at USHCC’s Energy Summit with reserve funds from the Educational Fund graduated 23 Hispanic suppliers with Blue Wave’s pragmatic and proven methodology to take on competitive and global contracts. The purpose of this program now USHCC Avanzando Suppliers with Blue Wave, is to deepen the core capabilities of certified entrepreneurs to meet the most competitive international standards in procurement. Participants walk away understanding their personalized areas of improvement with a plan to update their procurement profile and compete successfully in the marketplace. This program has expanded to run in 2024 due to investment support of the Kroger Foundation and JP Morgan.
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready
Program Details
In partnership with Next Street and Local Initiatives Support Corp, the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready online curriculum is designed to give small businesses the tools they need to thrive in today’s digital economy, including access to personalized learning plans, coaching from experts and networking opportunities with diverse, industry-specific businesses.
More than 100,000 small businesses closed due to the pandemic, with a disproportionate impact on Latino and Black-owned small businesses. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready offered businesses support, aiming to enable digital readiness and drive digital transformation through a customized curriculum that accounts for industry, size, and interests. The USHCC was proud to work with Verizon to reach those businesses most in need of support
USHCC – Small Business Administration Community Navigator Pilot Program
Program Details
In 2021, the Small Business Administration awarded a grant to the USHCC to design, launch and operate the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program for technical assistance and development of Hispanic small businesses, known as USHCC Navigates Small Business. The USHCC was selected from more than 50 applicants nationwide to manage programs to support minority-owned business development during the pandemic and post-pandemic economy, free of charge.
During the two years of this unprecedented effort to support Hispanic and minority entrepreneurs, the USHCC acts as a hub, leading two spokes that are strategically located in areas across the nation with significant concentrations of Hispanic and minority-owned businesses, empowering them to support historically underserved communities. The USHCC selected these spokes out of the more than 260 Hispanic Chambers of Commerce that make up our network because of their experience impacting their local business communities with other broad-ranging public-sector programs and partnerships.
Participating is 100% free.
Supplier Readiness Bootcamp with the Anheuser-Busch Foundation
The USHCC Educational Fund partnered with Anheuser-Busch Foundation to provide a program specifically to increase the readiness of Hispanic suppliers. In 2023, together, they launched a two-day virtual summit to provide a comprehensive overview of the procurement process Anheuser-Busch utilizes to engage suppliers across various categories at its company. These informative sessions covered a range of topics from the best forms of communication to how to assess a procurement opportunity to ensure there is alignment.
Navigating the procurement and contracting process successfully is a core tenet of USHCC’s focus areas to provide supplier development learning to our network. Data shows that diverse suppliers receive less than 2% of all contracting dollars from corporate and federal procurement opportunities.
Business Matchmaking
The USHCC’s Business Matchmaking provides a unique forum for Hispanic Business Enterprises (HBEs) to connect with procurement officers from federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in business opportunities. Last year thousands of unique appointments resulted from this event. These meetings provide an opportunity for buyers and sellers to discuss specific projects and capabilities.
Corporate Partner Membership Program
CPM program provides USHCC Corporate members with access to a vast array of Hispanic Businesses Enterprises (HBEs) from emerging small ventures to established businesses with revenues of over one billion dollars. Our ability to connect USHCC Corporate members to such a broad network of HBEs is facilitated by the network we maintain with our over 200 Hispanic Chambers across the country, numerous business matchmaking events throughout the year, and our nationally renowned conferences, including the Annual Legislative Summit and the USHCC National Conference— the largest gathering of Hispanic business owners in America.
Chamber Leadership Alliance
Chamber Leader Development Program for Small & Diverse Business Advocates
The USHCC is one of four partners of the Chamber Leadership Alliance along with the the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., and the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Together, we co-present the Chamber Leadership Development Program which consists of virtual and in-person trainings for trainings for our empowering and strengthening our chambers of commerce and their employees.
ELEVATE TOGETHER™ | Office Depot & Round It Up America
ELEVATE TOGETHER™ powered by Round It Up America® is a nonprofit initiative designed to address systemic discrimination and historical racial disparities in business growth and profitability in Black and Hispanic communities. Through a partnership with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the National Urban League, the initiative helps support Hispanic and Black small businesses with five or less employees. The ODP Corporation (parent company to Office Depot and CompuCom) is the initiative’s founding partner.
Green Builds Business
Greening Toyota’s Supply Chain Through the USHCC Green Builds Business Program seeks to offer business coaching on proven green best practices to its suppliers. The goal is to enable business suppliers’ ability to identify, design and implement green projects that achieve triple bottom line results of lower costs, enhanced human benefits, and reduced environmental impacts.
Grow with Google
In partnership with the USHCC, the Grow with Google program offers free training and tools to help you grow your skills, career, or business. You can earn Google Career Certificates and learn job-ready skills in fast growing fields like IT, project management, data analytics, and UX design. No experience necessary to enroll.
Hispanic Business Enterprise (HBE) Membership
Two-thirds of American jobs are created by small businesses and Hispanic enterprises are leading this critical growth; starting new ventures at a rate three times the national average. The HBE program provides a national platform to Hispanic-owned companies that have scaled and grown beyond the scope of local chambers of commerce. In addition to advocating on behalf of HBEs on Capitol Hill and across the country, the USHCC equips members with resources and knowledge to grow their business by raising awareness on procurement opportunities and introducing them to a broad network of decision makers in both the public and private sectors.
In Her Footsteps
Launched in 2018 by USHCC and Bank of America, the In Her Footsteps Podcast hosts dynamic Latina business owners who are helping drive the American economy and creating change in their communities. It provides listeners with information and resources to better run their businesses, while also working to highlight the contributions of the Hispanic community and Latina businesswomen. This program is proudly sponsored by Bank of America.
La Voz del Negocio Hispano
Mario Andrés Moreno hosts this unique radio show to Inform, Guide, Educate, and Empower Hispanic Owned Businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico. “La Voz del Negocio Hispano” presentado por Mario Andrés Moreno es una plataforma para informar, guiar, educar y empoderar a los negocios Hispanos en los Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico.
Lyft
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) wants to make sure you have reliable transportation when it is time to get vaccinated for #COVID-19. So, we’ve teamed up with Lyft to provide access to #free and discounted rides to get the #vaccine. Use our USHCC codes below! Each code is good for 2 rides up to $25 off each ride (up to $50 off each round trip) to get each of your shots:
USHCCV1 for the first dose
USHCCV2 for the second dose (if applicable)
Local Chamber Grant Program
The USHCC has partnered with Wells Fargo to provide substantial funding each year directly to chambers across the country for programs that strengthen and foster the growth of small business communities. Multiple grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 are awarded to select local chambers. These funds support a variety of programs that empower female entrepreneurs, promote green energy, and advance diversity and inclusion.
Nationwide Business Solutions Series
Through a partnership with the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), Nationwide launched a virtual series designed to strengthen the operations and growth of small businesses. The Nationwide Business Solutions Series includes an e-workbook to give participants the opportunity to develop a custom execution plan to grow their businesses. As the nation’s top provider of small commercial insurance, Nationwide understands small businesses and is committed to providing solutions to help meet their needs. Hispanic business owners are opening businesses at 3 times the rate of all other business owners. The Business Solutions Series gives these entrepreneurs valuable insights and tips on how to take their businesses to the next level in today’s marketplace. The Business Solutions Series teaches small business owners how to leverage social media to drive sales, develop an annual plan and learn how to assess the value and growth potential of the business.
La Voz del Negocio Hispano
Mario Andrés Moreno hosts this unique radio show to Inform, Guide, Educate, and Empower Hispanic Owned Businesses in the United States and Puerto Rico. “La Voz del Negocio Hispano” presentado por Mario Andrés Moreno es una plataforma para informar, guiar, educar y empoderar a los negocios Hispanos en los Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico.
Ford Minority Dealers Association
As a group of ethnic minority dealers, the Ford Minority Dealers Association is uniquely positioned to understand the challenges other minority business owners face. We know you have a lot of choices when purchasing and servicing your vehicles. Our Minority owned and operated Ford Dealers want to be your Auto Dealers of choice. Our association has been built by members from a variety of racial groups. Working together to lift one another up will only prove beneficial for future minorities. Our mission to sustain, strengthen, and grow the opportunities and representation of minorities, needs consumer support. Reflecting the diversity of our communities in business owners, decision makers, and leaders is our vision for the future. Join us and leverage your buying power for the minorities of tomorrow.