Mass. Supplier Diversity Office lifts citizenship requirement for diversity certifications
Photo I Courtesy of the Asian Business Empowerment Council
The SDO's decision to lift its citizenship requirement for immigrant-owned businesses to achieve diverse certifications is a major step forward in breaking down barriers and increasing access to certification.
The Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office, a state agency providing diverse business certifications to minority-owned businesses, has lifted its citizenship requirement for those seeking accreditation.
Lifted on Dec. 6, the previous citizenship requisite meant business owners needed to be naturalized citizens or permanent U.S. residents in order to qualify for the diverse certifications, granted to businesses owned by those who are a racial minority, woman, veteran, service-disabled veteran, have a disability, or member of the LGBT community.
With the expanded eligibility, owners who are non-citizens permanently residing in the U.S. under the color of law are now eligible for consideration.
“This designation is given to any non-citizen permanently living in the United States when the individual is known to the Department of Homeland Security and there is no evidence that the DHS is engaged in deportation proceedings against the noncitizen,” the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance said in a Wednesday email to WBJ.
Achieving SDO certification not only adds credibility to a business, it creates additional streams of revenue as companies receiving government funding must reserve a slice of their spending for SDO-certified businesses.
Business leaders had criticized the SDO’s citizenship requirement, arguing the regulation placed an undue extra barrier for immigrant-owned businesses on top of a notoriously difficult and lengthy application process.
“SDO certification is a marketing tool used to enhance a firm's ability to do business in public and private markets. In the past, the citizenship requirement for SDO certification had become a roadblock for many companies that are locally-owned and have been fixtures in their communities for years. This change in our regulations ensures the benefits of SDO certification will be more accessible, equitable, and inclusive of businesses that have been historically underserved,” the EOAF said.
Long-term previous SDO Executive Director Bill McAvoy led the charge to remove the citizenship requirement, which was removed under his leadership. In July, McAvoy announced he would be retiring from his executive role after a nine-year tenure in the position and 36 years of public service. The SDO named Bonnie Borch-Rote as his successor on Tuesday.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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