Official City information for MBE, WBE, DBE, ACDBE, and SBE certification programs and their current eligibility paths.
Free accessOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Evaluating a City-administered business certification
- Eligibility
- Ownership, control, size, location, business history, and program-specific evidence can apply
- Before you go
- Complete vendor registration first when required and use only the current certification checklist.
Official registration instructions for contractors working on permitted projects in Austin, including account and trade-license requirements.
Fees may applyOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Preparing to perform permitted construction work in Austin
- Eligibility
- Registration path and state-license evidence depend on contractor type
- Before you go
- Select the exact contractor type and complete registration before permitted work.
Direct county owners for development, repair, floodplain, septic, driveway, utility, commercial-construction, building, and fire-system requirements outside incorporated city limits.
Fees may applyOnlineIn personService: English
- Best for
- Contractors and property owners determining which county approvals may apply before work starts
- Eligibility
- Requirements depend on the property's incorporated-city, extraterritorial-jurisdiction, or unincorporated-county location and on the exact scope; county, city, utility, fire-district, and state approvals can overlap
- Before you go
- Confirm the property's jurisdiction and project scope with the responsible county and city offices before bidding, scheduling, demolition, excavation, repair, or construction.
Reviewed August 22, 2026Official page: EnglishIndependent listing
Browse official resources3 official links+
Each link opens the named provider's official page. Eligibility, availability, deadlines, registration, fees, funding, and service area can differ by provider; verify the current terms before acting or paying.
Official county entry points for vendor onboarding, bid registration, current solicitations, procurement instructions, forecasts, and electronic proposal submission.
Fees may applyOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Contractors, suppliers, and service businesses pursuing county construction, repair, maintenance, professional-service, or commodity opportunities
- Eligibility
- Each county, solicitation, commodity code, insurance requirement, disclosure, prequalification, and third-party bidding platform controls its own registration and response rules; registration never guarantees an invitation or award
- Before you go
- Choose the county, create only the account required by its current instructions, select accurate service categories, and review the complete solicitation before submitting or paying for optional platform features.
Reviewed August 22, 2026Official page: EnglishIndependent listing
Browse official resources3 official links+
Each link opens the named provider's official page. Eligibility, availability, deadlines, registration, fees, funding, and service area can differ by provider; verify the current terms before acting or paying.
A short City questionnaire that gives initial permit guidance for residential projects and directs users to confirmation resources.
Free accessOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Early permit research before defining a project schedule
- Eligibility
- Guidance only; staff confirmation and other permits or approvals may be required
- Before you go
- Complete the questionnaire and follow its instruction to confirm the result with the City.
The City's official starting point for vendor registration, commodity codes, solicitation notices, and vendor training.
Free accessOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Preparing to find and respond to City solicitations
- Eligibility
- Registration, account, commodity-code, and solicitation requirements apply
- Before you go
- Register the business, select accurate commodity codes, and follow the current solicitation instructions.
No-cost regional employer services covering recruiting, job matching, hiring events, labor-market insights, training pipelines, apprenticeships, employee upskilling, and layoff assistance.
No-cost advisingOnline and in personService: English
- Best for
- Williamson or Hays County employers hiring workers, developing skilled-trade talent, or planning training and retention
- Eligibility
- Employer consultation is no-cost, while individual training funds, wage subsidies, workers, occupations, and partner programs apply separate geography, approval, and eligibility rules
- Before you go
- Contact the official Business Services team with the worksite county, positions, hiring timeline, training need, and current workforce size before assuming a program will fund an expense.
The State's official financing map to SBA resources, nonprofit lenders, Texas credit initiatives, workforce grants, federal grant catalogs, and cash-flow help.
Free accessOnlineService: EnglishService: Spanish
- Best for
- Comparing the main public and nonprofit capital pathways available in Texas
- Eligibility
- This is a directory; every linked loan, grant, lender, and training program sets separate requirements and terms
- Before you go
- Use the page as a map, then verify the selected provider's current eligibility, repayment, fee, deadline, and availability terms.
A county-organized collection of high-utility local coaching, business research, contracting-readiness, improvement-grant, incentive, and entrepreneur-support programs.
Fees may applyOnlineIn personService: EnglishService: Spanish
- Best for
- Finding geographically specific help after statewide and federal guidance is too broad
- Eligibility
- Every linked program sets separate city or county boundaries, business stage, employee, property, census-tract, matching-fund, reimbursement, application-window, library-card, certification, and funding rules; Spanish service is explicitly confirmed for San Marcos ThinkB!G, not every program in the collection
- Before you go
- Open the exact local program and verify current eligibility, available funding, deadlines, required approvals, reimbursement terms, language access, and intake instructions before spending or applying.
Reviewed August 22, 2026Official page: EnglishIndependent listing
Browse official resources8 official links+
Each link opens the named provider's official page. Eligibility, availability, deadlines, registration, fees, funding, and service area can differ by provider; verify the current terms before acting or paying.
MBDA is the federal agency dedicated to Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) growth, connecting eligible minority-owned firms with business-development assistance for capital readiness, contracts, capacity, strategic partners, research, and domestic or global market expansion.
Fees may applyOnlinePhoneIn personService: English
- Best for
- Established minority-owned businesses preparing to scale, pursue larger contracts, strengthen financing readiness, or enter new markets
- Eligibility
- MBDA Business Center guidance generally requires at least 51% ownership and daily operational control by one or more socially or economically disadvantaged individuals; each center and program may add separate revenue, operating-history, industry, geography, documentation, and client requirements
- Before you go
- Use MBDA's current program finder and confirm the provider's service area, client criteria, fees, documents, and deliverables. MBDA states that it does not provide loans or grants to start or expand a business, and assistance does not guarantee financing, certification, or a contract.
Reviewed August 22, 2026Official page: EnglishIndependent listing
Browse official resources2 official links+
Each link opens the named provider's official page. Eligibility, availability, deadlines, registration, fees, funding, and service area can differ by provider; verify the current terms before acting or paying.
Federal minority-business support
The official federal registration path for entities that want to bid on contracts or apply directly for federal awards, plus Unique Entity ID guidance.
Free accessOnlineService: English
- Best for
- Preparing to pursue federal prime awards
- Eligibility
- Account, entity validation, taxpayer, banking, ownership, and annual renewal requirements apply
- Before you go
- Use only SAM.gov, gather the official preparation data, and allow time for validation.
SBA's primary loan-guaranty program for eligible working capital, equipment, supplies, real estate, refinancing, ownership changes, and other approved business uses.
Loan; repayment appliesOnlinePhoneService: English
- Best for
- Operating U.S. small businesses comparing flexible lender-issued financing for an eligible business purpose
- Eligibility
- The business must meet current SBA and lender requirements, operate for profit in the United States, be creditworthy, and demonstrate repayment ability; terms and documents vary
- Before you go
- Review permitted uses and eligibility, then apply through a participating lender and compare the complete rate, fee, collateral, guaranty, and repayment terms.
