Give your customers confidence that they’re buying from a legitimate woman-owned business. Becoming certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and/or Minority Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE) does that, and while the word “certification” often elicits images of piles of paperwork and red tape, that’s not always the case, especially with NAWBO by your side. Through our program, we will walk you step-by-step through the process to certification. Once certified, we’ll continue to guide and educate you on how to harness the power of your certification, and network with businesses to grow your company. Yes, certification takes work and organization to prepare, but the payoff is well worth the effort. The future of certification starts here…let NAWBO help you grow! 

Testimonials

“Having just gone through the NAWBO certification process, I would like to give a thumbs-up to NAWBO for having streamlined the process appropriately. NAWBO representatives are available  to help you with the document submission every step of the way. NAWBO certification provides validity to me and my business with a strong message that I stand for women empowerment.”

—Nan McKay, Owner, Nan McKay Connects LLC

 

“The online portal for NAWBO certification was very convenient. The few times I had difficulty, the staff worked with me and quickly and easily answered my questions. It seems overwhelming to start but most of what you need are things we have at hand for business anyhow! Very excited to see what doors open with the certification and excited to partner with other women in this business journey!”

—Tammy Hey, FNP-C, Revive Skin Clinic of Maine

Videos

Certification Details

What will the Certification process be?

The NAWBO Certification process starts with registration. Applicants will go to https://nawbo.org/certification and select which certification product applies to them. After selecting and paying the certification fees, the applicant will receive a confirmation email with a sworn affidavit attached and a link to their application portal to upload all of their documents.

Once the applicant has submitted all required documents and submits their application, they will receive another confirmation from the certification manager (CM) acknowledging receipt. An initial review will be conducted by the CM to make sure everything is accurate, current and correct. If there are missing documents, the CM will reach out to the applicant to upload the necessary items.

Once the application is marked as complete, the CM will assign a reviewer to conduct an in-depth review of the application to verify certification eligibility. The reviewer can, at times, request additional documentation—the CM will coordinate this request. When the reviewer has completed their review, she will flag the application as eligible or not eligible for WBE/MWBE Certification. If the applicant is eligible, a Zoom interview will be scheduled—all parties will be required to be on camera.

The reviewer will communicate with the CM after the interview to share whether the applicant is approved or denied. The CM will email the applicant with the decision. If approved, the CM will provide a digital toolkit, within one week, that will provide the woman business owner with downloadable certificates and other certification tools.

How long will the Certification process likely take from start to finish?

Our goal is to complete the evaluation process within 60 days from the time all required paperwork has been submitted by the company.

Is there a fee for Certification?
Yes, the fee structure for NAWBO Certification is based on membership status, business size and length of certification, and is as follows:

 

NOTE: Applicants have 3 business days following their date of registration to cancel their registration and receive a full refund. After that date, all registration fees are non-refundable.

Applicants have 6 months to submit all of their documents for review from the date of their registration. If additional time is needed, applicants have the option of requesting a one-time 60-day extension in writing or paying a $150 refiling fee to extend their application submission up to 1 year after the date of initial registration. After 1 year and the applicant has not submitted their documents and completed the process, all fees will be forfeited, and applicants will have to register again at the current fee structure. If after 6 months and the applicant has not submitted their application documents and has not submitted a written request for a 60-day extension, all fees will be forfeited, and applicants will have to register again at the current fee structure.

Are there minimum requirements?

WBE/MWBE Certification Requirements:

  • At least 51% unconditionally and directly owned by women who are U.S. citizens
  • The woman must manage the day-to-day operations
  • The woman must make the long-term decisions for the business
  • The woman must hold the highest officer position in the company
  • This woman must work at business full-time during normal working hours
  • The business must be operational and at least 51% woman-owned for 2 years or more
Who approves the Certification?

We have expert reviewers who complete the review of required paperwork, interviews, and site reviews (virtually). Once completed and the WBE/MWBE qualifies and meets the requirements, the candidate is approved, and a certificate is issued.

Is there a virtual and/or in-person interview with the applicant?

Interviews are required for all applicants and are conducted virtually on camera via Zoom. In some instances, we may also require interviews for co-owners and/or key employees.

Is NAWBO certifying on a national level or a state level?

NAWBO Certification is a national certification.

What kind of organizations will recognize NAWBO Certification?

NAWBO certification exceeds the integrity and verification of the WBE and/or MWBE requirements as stated by the SBA. We are not currently a 3rd party certifier for the SBA.

What type of business would benefit from this certification?

All industries can benefit from certification. NAWBO has certified women from the service industry, artists, photographers, retail, construction, consultants, tech, wellness, etc. Any woman business owner who wishes to leverage a woman-owned certification can market herself many different ways to promote and share that her business is woman owned. Certification adds a solid layer of credibility so that anyone who does business with a WBO, knows exactly who they are doing business with. Additionally, women are more inclined to do business with and to support other woman owned businesses.

How does NAWBO define MWBE?

A Minority Women’s Business Enterprise is defined as a US citizen who is:

  • Asian-Indian
  • Asian-Pacific
  • Black
  • Hispanic
  • Native American
  • Arab American

To qualify for a MWBE certification, a woman business owner must be at least 51% of the ownership and represent one or more of the minority categories.

What kind of organizations would I utilize this certification for?

NAWBO’s WBE/MWBE Certification is useful when interacting with corporations who have supplier diversity initiatives and goals in place. Many corporations have committed a certain amount of spend towards diversifying their supply chain—this means women-owned businesses! Corporations want to know who they’re doing business with, and most supplier diversity and procurement teams do not have the bandwidth to vet all of the suppliers who are trying to do business with them via the supplier diversity route. If they are willing to consider your products or services and your access point is through their supplier diversity route, it’s important to be able to show a valid certification that proves you have been vetted and validated as a woman-owned and/or minority woman-owned and operated business.

What’s the difference between the NAWBO WBE Certification and the SBA WOSB Certification?

The WOSB certification is solely to sell to the federal government and an organization has to be authorized by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in order to offer it. We are offering WBE and MWBE certifications, which are recognized by corporations, but not the federal government. We plan to apply to the SBA to be an authorized WOSB certification provider in the future.

Is there annual re-certification?

Yes, WBE/MWBE participants are required to re-certify each year to verify no changes have occurred affecting the certification of their business. If the applicant was approved for a 2-year certification, then re-certification would be every 2 years.

Does NAWBO offer any benefits for my business once certified?

NAWBO offers ongoing educational webinars with supplier diversity professionals from major corporations and experts in related fields. The live webinars are exclusive to our certification community. During the live sessions, NAWBO certified women have the opportunity to interact with decision makers at major corporations for Q & A’s and best practices. The recorded versions of these webinars are available to all women business owners and located on our YouTube channel.

Additionally, NAWBO offers a certification-focused session at all of its in-person national events, including Leadership Academy and the National Women’s Business Conference.

Certification Resources

Certification FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions about getting certified.

Application Checklist

View and download a checklist of application requirements for certification.

Certification Application Guide Video

Watch a step-by-step guide that explains how to apply for certification.

The Power of Certification Video

Get inspired by WBO’s and learn how they used their certification.

Meet the Team

Kimberly Snodgrass

Kimberly Snodgrass

NAWBO Institute Certification Manager

“It is such a unique opportunity to be part of the team supporting the NAWBO Institute Certification program and I am extremely grateful,” she says. “Helping to elevate women-owned businesses and assisting them in acquiring the WBE/MWBE certification is a step toward more inclusion and opportunity.”

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