St. Louis Restarts Minority Women-Owned Contract Program

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer has announced the restart of the city's Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program after a brief pause due to threats from the Trump administration to withdraw federal funding over diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The program, which helps minority- and women-owned businesses secure city contracts, was paused to protect federal disaster recovery funds following a tornado. After consulting legal experts and a review by the Atlanta-based firm Griffin & Strong, the program has been redesigned with a stronger legal framework and will now set equity hiring goals on a project-by-project basis rather than uniform targets. The decision follows a 2024 disparities study revealing significant disparities in city contracting for Black, Hispanic, and Native American-owned firms. Mayor Spencer expressed confidence in the program’s legality and effectiveness in addressing these disparities and emphasized the city’s commitment to equity and anti-discrimination. The city also plans to update its code to reflect these changes, with support from local minority contractors and advocacy groups.