Types of Certification -- Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE)
As its name suggests, the State of Ohio’s EDGE program provides an EDGE to small businesses by Encouraging Diversity, Growth and Equity in public contracting. EDGE is an assistance program for economically and socially disadvantaged business enterprises.
Socially disadvantaged criteria
(Must meet one criterion below)
Socially disadvantaged individuals are those who have at least one objective distinguishing feature that has significantly inhibited their business success, such as:
- Race
- Ethnic Origin
- Gender
- Physical/Mental Disability
- Long-Term Residency in an environment isolated from mainstream Ohio society
- Other objective relevant reason(s)
Economically disadvantaged criteria
Economically disadvantaged owners must have a personal net worth (of each owner) not exceed $750,000 during program participation.
Ready to Apply for Certification?
If so, follow these steps… If not, call us or fill out the form on the right:
The applicant must complete a Unified Application through the Ohio Business Gateway and provide supporting documentation as required. Only complete applications, including all required supporting documentation, will be reviewed. Applications are subject to on-site review by state compliance officers. Upon application approval, the company receives its certification by email.
The processing time for completed applications may vary. However, we offer assistance to expedite the process through our “fast track” system. While the exact timeframe may differ, this system aims to significantly reduce application processing time. To qualify for “fast track” processing, applicants must submit their application through one of the regional Minority Business Assistance Centers, such as ours, and the applicant must have a pending contract award that requires certification or be a candidate for and in need of financing or bonding where certification is a requirement.
For a tutorial of how to access the EDGE application, please review this video.
