City staff can help connect you to partner organizations that offer expertise in numerous areas. The following organizations can provide you with resources and information on how to start a business, government contracting opportunities, and other varied services. Contact the organizations below directly or contact us to get pointed in the right direction for your unique needs!
Call us: 651-266-6565
Loans & financial counseling
General technical information/services
Business planning
Skills training/workforce development
Facade improvements
Marketing
Tax preparation/ information
| Organization | Contact | Description | Services | Languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Development Center (ADC) | info@adcminnesota.org 612-333-4722 | Guides African immigrants and refugees to economic prosperity | | English, Somali, Swahili |
| African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) | info@aeds-mn.org 651-646-9411 | Builds wealth within communities of Black heritage through economic development activities | | English, Oromo, Somali, Swahili, Amharic, Tigrinya |
| Amplio Economic Development Corporation | info@amplioedc.com 651-631-4900 | Provides real estate and equipment loans for small businesses | | English |
| Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA) | info@aeda-mn.org 651-222-7798 | Expands opportunities for economic success for low-income Asian Americans | | English, Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish |
| BETA.MN | hello@beta.mn | Partner for early-stage technology entrepreneurs | English | |
| City of Saint Paul Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) | cert@ci.stpaul.mn.us 651-266-8900 | Facilitates CERT certification for woman, minority-owned businesses to do government contract work | | English |
| Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF) | loanservicing@crfusa.com 612-338-3050 | Funds for commercial real estate, business acquisition, equipment, debt refinance, and permanent working capital | | English |
| ConnectUp! | connect@connectupmn.org 651-505-9438 | Provides education, consulting and collaboration on innovative social finance and enterprise development for entrepreneurs from underestimated communities | | English |
| East Side Neighborhood Development Corporation, Inc. (ESNDC) | DLabelle@esndc.org 651-288-8744 | Engaging the community to create affordable housing and support commercial development | | English |
| Energy Smart | EnergySmart@mnchamber.com | Consultations and funding assistance to support energy efficiency initiatives | | English |
| Forge North | hello@forgenorth.com | Assists in starting, scaling, investing in and supporting a business | English | |
| Greater MSP | info@greatermsp.org 651-287-1300 | Provides economic development services to accelerate job growth and capital investment | | English |
| Hmong American Partnership (HAP) | askhap@hmong.org | Serves Hmong-owned, micro-enterprise businesses | Hmong, Korean, French, Somali, Oromo, Burmese | |
| Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) | bizsupport@ledcmn.org 612-724-5332 | Business management training, specialized technical assistance, start-up readiness and growth | | Spanish |
| LegalCorps | jirwin@legalcorps.org | Free business legal help for low-income entrepreneurs, business owners, inventors, and low-revenue nonprofit organizations via volunteer attorneys | | English |
| Lunar Startups | hello@lunarstartups.org | Growth, connection, and innovation via a six month startup-up accelerator | English | |
| Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) | info@mccdmn.org | Business advising and technical assistance to new and existing entrepreneurs | English | |
| Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda) | info@meda.net 612-332-6332 | Business consulting and lending for minority entrepreneurs | | English |
| Minnesota Africans United (MAU) | bajuo@mnafricansunited.org | Advances economic mobility for African immigrants and refugees through three core program areas—economic development, workforce development, and trade and investment—delivered through training, mentoring, networking events, membership access, and trade missions and facilitation. | | French; Somali (Maxaa Tiri and Maay Maay); Amharic; Swahili; Liberian dialects (Kpelle, Bassa)
|
| Minnesota Business Finance Corp | mmueller@mbfc.org 612-746-6905 | Provides loans for small businesses | | English |
| Minnesota Small Business Assistance Office | deed.mnsbao@state.mn.us 651-556-8425 | Financial assistance, counseling, assistance for small business owners | | English |
| Mni Sota Fund | info@mnisotafund.org 612-225-0480 | Support programs for Indigenous communities focused on small business development, commercial and consumer lending, and financial wellness | | English |
| Move Minnesota | maxs@movemn.org 651-728-9326 | Helps businesses of any size implement commuter programs or resources | | English |
| Naturally Minnesota | info@naturallyminnesota.org | Serves food and agriculturally-focused businesses | English | |
| Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) | info@ndc-mn.org 651-291-2480 | Provides training, lending, business services and incubator spaces to local entrepreneurs. | | English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Arabic, Oromo |
| New Impact Fund | alicia@newimpactfund.org 612-281-4809 | A community of philanthropic leaders who want to invest in and with Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, and immigrant business owners located in underinvested and underestimated Twin Cities neighborhoods | | |
| North End Neighborhood Organization (NENO) | 651-488-4485 | Offers economic development resources and support for North End area businesses. | | English |
| NCXT | info@ncxt.co | Specializes in restaurant technology integration | | English |
| Quorum | info@twincitiesquorum.com | Minnesota's award-winning LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce. | | English |
| Ramsey County Workforce Center | jobconnectmn@ramseycounty.us 651-642-0363 | Helps businesses find and train workers, provides business-related data | | English |
| Rondo Community Library - Small Business Resource Center | rondolibrary@ci.stpaul.mn.us | Free classes, research assistance, notary services, and technology help for business owners | | English (more languages but limited availability) |
| Saint Paul Port Authority | info@sppa.com 651-224-5686 | Economic development services to attract/retain jobs, with a focus on industrial business | | English |
| SCORE Twin Cities | twincities@scorevolunteer.org 952-938-4570 | Free business mentoring, learning, and business development | | English |
| St. Paul Area Chamber | info@saintpaulchamber.com | Join the chamber to advance your skills, grow your business, and impact your community | English | |
| U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) | minneapolis.mn@sba.gov 612-370-2324 | Works to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns | | English, Spanish |
| University of Minnesota Business Law Clinic | lawclinic@umn.edu | Project-based legal assistance for locally-owned small businesses | | English |
| University of St. Thomas Small Business Development Center | smallbus@stthomas.edu | Free business consulting services for small businesses | | English |
| Visit Saint Paul | info@visitsaintpaul.com | Connect your business with visitors, meeting planners, event attendees, and the travel/hospitality industry | | English |
| WomenVenture | info@womenventure.org 651-646-3808 | Provides women with tools to achieve economic success through small business ownership | | English |