About Us

The Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that was established in 2018, to help drive the economic growth of Louisiana by empowering and sustaining the BIPOC business community through the development of local chambers. This mission is achieved by engaging public and private sector partners in providing BIPOC businesses access to procurement opportunities, a network of strong BIPOC chambers of commerce, technical assistance that build their capacity, and advocacy for BIPOC business growth and development. As a statewide economic development organization, LCCF is dedicated to the establishment, development, growth, expansion, and sustainability of locally and minority owned businesses across Louisiana through its leadership in chamber development and facilitation of technical assistance services.

Currently, LCCF supports Black chambers and advances equitable economic development through its CCGI program and operates the Business Innovation Program (BIP). This program provides a variety of technical and training support for Black-owned businesses to mitigate common barriers to success, including human resources, legal services, financial support, accounting, and how to move key business aspects—including commerce—online. LCCF also serves as a liaison and connector between state and municipal agencies focused on policy, outreach, and small business utilization and the state’s Black business communities.

LCCF has quickly established itself as the go-to resource for Black business development and growth in Louisiana. In 2019, LCCF entered into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the State of Louisiana through Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to extend the reach of LED’s Small Business Programming into the Black business community. Under this CEA, LCCF has engaged hundreds of BIPOC-owned businesses and strengthened BIPOC chambers of commerce. LCCF also recently worked with the Louisiana State Treasurer to guide the design of the state’s Main Street Recovery Program, which helped ensure minority business enterprises (MBEs) had an exclusive application period before all other applicants that allowed them to access the first $40M for COVID economic relief grants from the Louisiana State Treasurer’s office. In 2021, the organization received funding from the AARP Foundation to support the implementation of its BIP to older small business owners across the state. In the spring of 2022, LCCF secured its first federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to support the implementation of a business incubator geared towards supporting Black-owned small businesses in Lake Charles.