In an effort to bring greater visibility and support, the Manchester NAACP, Citizens Bank and the Center for Women & Enterprise have partnered to develop a statewide directory of minority- and women-owned businesses.

Citizens has donated $10,000 toward the creation and enhancement of a list that so far features more than 80 minority-owned businesses and organizations in a Google Doc spreadsheet, allowing the public to make additions. Granite Staters are also encouraged to join the conversation via social media by tagging their favorite minority- and women-owned business using #PurchasePowerNH.

“This partnership with Citizens and the Center for Women & Enterprise will allow us to expand our work into the area of economic justice inside and outside of the city of Manchester,” said NAACP Branch President James McKim.

Earlier this year, McKim took over a list he found and reconstituted it.

He said the impetus to compile the list came when the Paycheck Protection Program was rolled out. “We recognized that minority-owned businesses were not getting any of it, or very much, and many of the owners didn’t even know that it existed — they didn’t know the Main Street Fund existed — and those that did know and tried were not able to take advantage of it because the rules, regulations and criteria were not conducive to minority-owned businesses,” McKim said.

McKim said the Manchester NAACP found and expanded the list to share information about available assistance as well as educate business owners, such as explaining the need for a DUNS number — a uniquely identifiable number assigned to a business by the private credit firm Dun & Bradstreet that is required to receive assistance or do business with the federal government.

There are a wide mix of industries on the list, including consulting, construction, financial services and real estate, but a majority of the minorityowned businesses on the list are community-based hair and beauty salons, bakeries, coffee shops, caterers and restaurants, said McKim.

“It’s predominately people in local communities,” said McKim, which means the directory aims to encourage Granite Staters who are not regulars to those businesses or living in the neighborhood to go out of their way to purchase a product or service. McKim also hopes businesses will consider the list to diversify their supply chain.

The businesses themselves are “happy to know about this,” said McKim of the feedback he’s received about the directory. “They all know they need visibility.”

To view the directory, visit naacpmanchesternh.com/businesses. — LIISA RAJALA