Baltimore BASE Network

We are a network of small business support organizations (SBSOs) that are striving to make Baltimore City the greatest city in America to own and operate a small business.

 

Business Assistance and Support for Equity (BASE)

Network

We operate as an Impact Network of distributed leaders across fifteen organizations. We use our expertise - as people who work alongside small business owners - to inform our Network priorities & strategies.

Learn More about our Partners

We are committed to building an equitable small business ecosystem so that the following underserved business owners can grow and thrive —

  • Black-Owned Businesses

  • Women-Owned Businesses

  • LGBTQIA+ Owned Businesses

  • Immigrant-Owned Businesses

  • Veteran-Owned Businesses

  • Disabled-Owned Businesses

  • First Generation Business Owners

  • Microenterprise Businesses

  • Mid-stage Businesses

  • Place-Based Businesses

  • Worker-Owned Businesses

Network History

The foundation of the BASE Network was built in 2018 and Network Partners convened in February of 2020. Network Partners have been meeting weekly for five years and counting. Read more about the key players, milestones and outcomes from each of the Network’s eras.

2018 - 2019
2020 - 2021
2022 - 2024

Our BASE Network Vision

BASE Network is working to build a better small business support ecosystem for Baltimore City. Network Partners believe that overlooked small business owners have a hard time entering & finding their way around the ecosystem. Their well-resourced counterparts can rely on their network to start a business.

We will consider our work successful when all Baltimore City business owners receive and benefit from a consistent amount of support at every stage. By this point, small business owners will be recognized as the #1 driver of health & economic vitality in Baltimore City.

Our Equity Statement

The BASE Network is making an explicit commitment to building an equitable ecosystem for small business owners. We will continue to identify and alleviate systemic injustices within the business owner’s journey by:

Amplifying Equitable Access to the Ecosystem

The BASE Network is only a subset of organizations and collaborators in this small business ecosystem. We want to identify ongoing or create new initiatives that promote equitable access and utilize others expertise.

Build Collectively-Owned Solutions

Our initiatives are design used participatory & consensus decision-making frameworks to ensure what we create is relevant, effective and responsive to the needs of business owners and community leaders.

Accountable to Business Owners

We will continuously assess our impact and seek feedback from the community to improve our efforts. We will regularly communicate our progress, challenges, and successes to ensure our work remains aligned to what small businesses need from support organizations.

The Baltimore BASE Network Vendor Directory is intended to be a resource for the small businesses of Baltimore, a trusted list of service providers.

 

This directory is provided as a resource of service providers only and is not a specific endorsement.

VENDOR DIRECTORY

Vendors interested in being listed in the directory must complete the Vendor Questionnaire.