The Alabama Association of Nonprofits (AAN) was founded in 1996 under its former name of the Nonprofit Resource Center of Alabama as a collaborative effort of Alabama Power Company, the United Way of Central Alabama and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Our mission is a simple one – to strengthen the capacity of Alabama's nonprofit sector through professional development, advocacy and management support, all resulting in better communities and a stronger Alabama.

The Office of Minority Business Enterprise administers a certification program to identify small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses capable of providing goods and/or services to both government and private sectors. Certification provides these businesses with a stamp of approval affirming that they are a credible business entity. Certification is valid for two years.The office is part of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

The Alabama Small Business Development Center network is a statewide, inter-institutional program to enhance economic growth in Alabama by providing management and technical assistance to small businesses. Professional Business Advisors are available in 10 Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) located at our member partners across the state.

Alabama Women in Business (AWIB) provides women entrepreneurs in diverse sectors with opportunities to interact and develop strategic alliances. The corporation encourages, supports and educates women who own and operate businesses by both improving the environment for women entrepreneurs in small and growing businesses and supporting women in established businesses. In addition, AWIB strives to assist its members to grow personally and professionally by fostering leadership by business women in the community.

The mission of the American Business Women’s Association is to bring together business women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition.

The Atlas Alabama website was created alongside the Alabama Small Business Commission (ASBC) and the two share similar goals for small businesses in Alabama. The ASBC is an appointed group of state small/independent business owners responsible for advising government entities. Atlas Alabama was designed to help business owners identify typical permits, licenses, certifications, etc. for given activities undertaken by businesses. This site offers a starting point for entrepreneurs and small business owners to locate the requirements, tips, news, and contact information that can help when opening or expanding a business.

The BhamBizHub is a program led and co-founded by the Birmingham Business Alliance in partnership with the Innovation Depot, Alabama Capital Network and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

The Birmingham region has hundreds of resources available to entrepreneurs interested in starting and growing their business. BhamBizHub wanst to help the entrepreneurial community save time by finding the best programs and services for business owners.

The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) is the lead economic development organization for the Birmingham seven-county region, including Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby and Walker counties, focused on economic growth.

The Birmingham Business Resource Center was designed to be a “one-stop-shop” to assist entrepreneurs in every stage of development of their business.

The Birmingham Metro Black Chamber of Commerce is a private nonprofit body serving cities and counties in the surrounding areas. The BMBCC is the only sanctioned central Alabama affiliate of the Alabama State Black Chamber of Commerce. Our objective is to assist in growing and maintaining a well-built, effective, and incorporated business community.

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) is a private non-profit organization funded by more than 60 Alabama companies, whose mission is to attract and retain world-class talent across a broad spectrum of interests and industries, support and inspire both industry and innovative/emerging companies whether home-grown or transplanted, expand existing businesses, and be the trusted source for data and insights for key economic drivers and stakeholders for Alabama economic development.

The mission of IGNITE! Alabama is to ensure that minorities stay informed, have a clear understanding, and receive access to Federal, State, and Local Funding, as well as resources and technical assistance needed to competitively compete, succeed, and excel in the local business environment.

Innovation Depot is the epicenter for technology, startups and entrepreneurs in the Birmingham region. Through a variety of programs, Innovation Depot gives entrepreneurs a competitive advantage in attracting customers, talent, mentors, press and funding to grow their business.

Operation HOPE is a natonal nonprofit, for-purpose, organization working to disrupt poverty and empower inclusion for low and moderate-income youth and adults. They currently maintain several offices in Birmingham.

Small business development is a core focus of HOPE’s Adult Empowerment Program. Offering small-business workshops and a more intensive entrepreneurial training program, HOPE helps participants master business basics, create and maintain a strong small business plan, as well as gain access to funding and resources to grow their business.

REV is a place-based revitalization and economic development nonprofit working to make the city of Birmingham a more vibrant place.

Whether you’re starting a business or are ready to expand, entrepreneurship is a journey. REV’s Business Growth team offers workshops, one-on-one business consulting, business-proving opportunities and real estate assistance to help you along the way.

The SCORE North Alabama branch offers FREE business mentoring, low-cost or no-cost business training, and numerous templates and tools to help you start or grow a business.

The mission of TechBirmingham is to strengthen and promote the technology ecosystem by promoting tech companies in the region, helping to recruit and retain tech talent and entrepreneurs, and providing opportunities for technical training and education.

The Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem at UAB and provides the infrastructure required for students, staff, and faculty to commercialize innovation on campus, within the community, and beyond. Through partnerships with UAB schools, colleges, programs, and the local business community, the HIIE works to increase innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and businesses to launch sustainable startups with new or disruptive technologies.

Urban Impact Inc. (UII) is a 501 (c)(3) local place-based community and economic development agency that advances asset building, economic opportunity and revitalization of the Historic 4th Avenue Business District and the Civil Rights District through support and services to assist individuals, businesses and developers. We strive to lead, build and grow traditionally underserved and historic African-American commercial districts and communities. We create economic opportunity and impact people, place and business.

The SBA Birmingham District Office serves all 67 counties located in Alabama. Over the years, the SBA has developed many small business loan and assistance programs, special outreach efforts and initiatives to aid and inform small businesses.

blkLSTed is Birmingham's black business and nonprofit directory. The directory is listed on the Urban Impact Website, where other resources can be found for Black business owners.

This database is maintained by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The database can be used to search for procurement information in multiple ways by using any or all of the following types of information about the small businesses profiled in the system. It is not necessary to fill out every part of the form. You must, however, enter sufficient search criteria to limit the results to 5,000 firms or less, so as not to bog down the system and adversely affect other users. Businesses can be searched for using any of the following search criteria: location (state, congressional district, metropolitan statistical area) ownership data (U.S. Citizen owned, minority owned, veteran owned, etc.) federal certifications (SBA 8(a) certification) industry sector codes (NAICS, "Buy Green" NAICS) business type (manufacturing, construction, etc.) keywords minimum acceptable bonding level(s) quality certifications (ISO-9000, etc.) security clearance EDI capabilities unique identifiers (CAGE code, DUNS, EIN, SBA Customer Number, etc.)

The Business Entity Division operates as a depository for records of domestic entities and foreign entities that have qualified to transact business in Alabama. The types of entities we serve include For-Profit Corporations, Non-Profit Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships, Registered Limited Liability Partnerships, and Limited Liability Limited Partnerships.

Any person or entity desiring to conduct trade or provide services within the city limits of Birmingham is required to register with the City of Birmingham. New business licenses may be applied for in one of two ways: 1) using the online web portal provided by the City’s tax and licensing vendor, Avenu Insights & Analytics (http://revds.com/taxpayer/selectyour-state/alabama/taxpayer-forms/alabama-business-license-forms/), or 2) applying in person, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the office of the Tax and License Administration (Revenue) Division located on the first floor of City Hall, Room TL-100, 710 North 20 th Street, Birmingham, AL 35203.

A privilege license is a license requirement of every person, firm, company or corporation engaged in any business, vocation, occupation or profession described in Title 40, Chapter 12, Code of Alabama 1975. The state and county license(s) is issued by the county Probate Judge or License Commissioner in the county where the business is located. Unless otherwise provided, a license is required in every county where the business is conducted. For Jefferson County, the application for a tax and license number can be downloaded at: https://www.jccal.org/Sites/Jefferson_County/AppData/DocLib/Main/ApplicationforTaxorLicenseNumber.pdf

A variety of business privilege licenses are administered by the Alabama Department of Revenue which affect proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations as well as certain professions. Fees vary dependent upon the type of license required, and, in some cases, upon the population of the area where the business is located or upon the volume of business. It is important to be aware that one business may require several different types of business privilege licenses depending upon the services offered or products sold by the business.

The Alabama Department of Revenue's Entity Registration Unit assists taxpayers registering their new entity or making changes to their existing entity. Additionally, the Unit ensures entities pay the appropriate fees and taxes.

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. You may apply for an EIN in various ways, and now you may apply online. This is a free service offered by the Internal Revenue Service and you can get your EIN immediately. You must check with your state to make sure you need a state number or charter.