After Fort Worth cut DEI programs, will this small business development program help?
The city of Fort Worth was provided an update on Tuesday afternoon on the Small Business Development Program, a program that was developed as a result of last summer’s vote to end city programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In an informal report to the city, Economic Development Department Director Jessica Rogers presented how in the last six months the city of Fort Worth entered a 13-month contract — September of 2025 through September of 2026 — with the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce in developing the Small Business Development Program. Their task was to increase access to business resources by creating platforms for networking, mentoring, and collaboration, and by assisting small businesses in navigating the city’s procurement system.
“We’ve kind of themed these first few months as capacity building and foundational elements for the Small Business Development Program and putting a lot of things in place to bring awareness to the program and the changes and get businesses prepared for entering into city contracts and bids,” Rogers said.
The program was developed in response to last year’s vote to follow federal regulations and cut diversity, equity and inclusion programs and prevent the loss of $277 million in existing federal grant funding and future federal funds. Last August, the city adopted an ordinance establishing a small-business program for the procurement of goods, services, and construction. A small-business division was then created in the Economic Development Department, which administers several small-business initiatives, programs, and partnerships.
Councilman Chris Nettles asked about the city’s goal to contract with small businesses and when the data will be available to see if it is working.
“It’s one thing to hear about what’s happening, but to actually see it on paper, how it is affecting our communities, to make sure that those who may have lost opportunity still have opportunity for work,” Nettles said.
City Manager Jay Chapa said the goal will be 30% and next summer there will be data available to examine how the program has benefitted small businesses.
Each chamber had a set of responsibilities and objectives that helped with the development of the program, according to Tuesday’s report.
The Black Chamber of Commerce conducted a series of workshops with Frost Bank to educate and increase members’ readiness for bonding and insurance services. The chamber teamed up with Tarrant County College and Workforce Solutions to create a workforce development committee to implement the Workforce Grants/Skills Program, which connects small businesses and employees to job-skills training. The chamber has also partnered with the city to host a series of workshops with the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency, designed to educate and bring awareness of the benefits of obtaining a Small Business Enterprise certification as a vendor within the city.
“I have to tell you that when we started this process, and when you guys sent us out with the mandate to go forward and make sure our small businesses were really growing and developing in the city, was a little scary,” Michelle Green-Ford, president and CEO of Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, said. “Because we’re in uncharted water ... no one’s really done this under this mandate. And I’m happy to say that the last six months have been incredible.”
The Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has developed a campaign to launch its Preferred Supplier Assessment Form to help identify local vendors, and has introduced a Procurement Readiness Index to understand what resources contractors need to build capacity and be prepared to bid on city projects. The chamber will also help contractors by holding their annual Build Fort Worth event on August 6, at Will Rogers Memorial Center.
“Throughout this whole process that happened last summer, the silver lining for us, truly, was being able to partner with the two other chambers,” said Jennifer Garza, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce created a webpage where vendors can subscribe to procurement opportunities and link to related workshops where potential vendors can register to attend. The chamber is creating a list of members identified by business classification so it can begin targeted communications for specific bid opportunities.
The Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce and Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce contracts were worth $270,000. The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce contract is worth $185,000.
The city has also built out their Small Business Development Program webpage. Also, the city has promoted small-business programs through its social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and has included SBDP programming and opportunities in its monthly BAC Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship e-newsletter.
The city also launched the Small Business Advisory Board, which includes representatives from local chambers of commerce, construction associations, certifying entities, and city departments. It will provide direct connection between city departments and entities representing potential bidders and providing opportunities for input and feedback on the city’s procurement processes.
The city entered into a six-month agreement with the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency for an amount up to $96,250. The program provided one dedicated certification officer, plus system and overhead support, to facilitate an accelerated review of Small Business Enterprise certification applications. So far, 85 expedited certifications have been approved.
