The following guidelines established by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) are used to determine the certification status of minority and women owned businesses.

Designation	Ownership Definition	Certifying Agency
Certified African American Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an African American individual(s) with U.S. citizenship. African Americans have origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Asian American Owned Business (Includes Asian Pacific and Asian Indian categories)	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an Asian American individual(s) with U.S. citizenship. Asian is the ethnicity of an individual whose origins are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Samoa, Guam, US Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Asian-Indian Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an Asian Indian American individual(s) with U.S. citizenship. Asian Indian is the ethnicity of an individual whose origins are from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Asian-Pacific Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an Asian Pacific American individual(s) with U.S. citizenship. Asian Pacific is the ethnicity of an individual whose origins are from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Samoa, Guam, US Trust Territories of the Pacific or the Northern Marianas.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Disabled Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a disabled individual or individuals.	Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Hispanic Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a Hispanic American individual(s) with U.S. citizenship. Hispanic is the ethnicity of an individual whose origins are from any of the Spanish-speaking areas of Latin America or the following regions: Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean Basin.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Native American Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a Native American individual(s) with U.S. Citizenship. Native American is the ethnicity of an individual whose origins are from American Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos and Native Hawaiians.	National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) or its Regional Affiliates, Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Woman Owned Business	Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a female individual(s) with U.S. citizenship.	Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Various State, Local and Private Agencies
Classified Small Business	Business that meets "small" ownership criteria and Business Size Standard for their industry, as defined by the SBA	Non-Certified Businesses, Size Criteria Obtained from 3rd Party Sources
Certified Small Disadvantages Business (SDB)	SBA Certified Small Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a socially and economically disadvantages individual(s)	U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Certified HUBZone Small Business	SBA Certified Small Business, located in distressed area (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) and is eligible for certain federal contracting opportunities.	U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Certified Veteran Owned Small Business	Certified Small Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a Veteran(s) of the U.S. Armed Forces with U.S. citizenship.	Various State and Local Agencies
Certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business	Certified Small Business that is at least 51% owned and operated by a Service Disabled Veteran(s) of the U.S. Armed Forces with U.S. citizenship.	Various State and Local Agencies
Classified Historically Black College or University	Historically Black Colleges and Universities are postsecondary academic institutions founded prior to 1964, whose educational mission has historically been the education of African Americans	No Certification Process, Classifications from 3rd Party Sources