The Neighorhood Business Alliance brings together impacted business communities to share resources and infrastructure, combine buying power, and advocate for sensible, informed solutions to local economic policies and beyond.
As the small business crisis in San Francisco came to a head, ethnic trade associations, family businesses, and unions joined forces to create solutions to competitive price setting, overreaching regulatory policy, and gaps in healthy and equitable supply chains.
Mission, Vision & Founding Principles
The Neighborhood Business Alliance is a 501(c)(6) Non-Profit Trade Association founded by small business communities in the Bay Area with sister organizations in cities all over the US!
We were founded to address small business concerns on an individual and systemic basis born out of decades of struggle, specifically amongst San Francisco Bay Area corner grocers. We built on a long and true legacy of small businesses, workers, farmworkers, and union solidarity.
Our goal is to help bring those harder-to-reach small businesses into the fold as it pertains to food access, community development, and business compliance.
Our Functionality is multi-fold as we are an umbrella for different sectors and formations of businesses in our communities. For example, we have direct services for those of us who need it most, as well as access to a vibrant working group of young entrepreneurs who are leading the way in culture-forward culinary excellence in the Bay Area and helping rebuild strong business organizations in our community again!
Our Services
Free Business, Legal and Technical Services
Subsidized by Public grant funding, legal and business rapid response, referrals and case management
Trade Association Due-Paying Membership for Group Buying / Preferred Vendor Benefits
We are currently in the Research and Development Stage of Formalizing a Small Business Buying Union.
Our membership options give merchants the support they need to be part of a larger, stronger, and more unified voice and buying power. Collective Buying and Bargaining Infrastructure, and solidarity along the supply chain towards building political and economic power for labor and food sovereignty.
Social Equity, Food Sovereignty and Mutual Aid
We have led and participated in pilots towards building equitable supply chains that empower workers and small business community corridors including Produce Delivery and Merchandising Pilots, CSA Box Pick Up Sites, Free Produce Bag Mutual Aid Network, POS and Age-Checking Technology, Sustainable Refrigeration Units, Energy Efficiency Monitors, and other preferred vendor and cumulative benefit projects.
Examples include; Regulatory License (WIC/EBT/Food Stamps/CalFresh etc) Compliance, Refrigeration and Energy Sustainability Upgrades, Corner Store - Community Resource and Produce Pop Ups, Produce Supply Chain, Group Buying and Merchandise Delivery Pilots
The Neighborhood Business Alliance views the ecosystem of economic health wholly and understands we are interconnected as workers, vendors, small businesses, sole-proprietors, organized labor, producers, wholesalers, retail and of course the communities we serve. Our mission is to build strategic partnerships with other impacted communities as well as work internally to build towards a more equitable future for everyone.
Advocacy and Engagement
Our goal is to encourage policymakers to create legislation with merchants at the table and in a manner that is inclusive to underserved and immigrant-owned businesses.
Our Exec Team
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Fuad Ateyeh
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Miriam Zouzounis
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Stefan Didak
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Rokia Sharifi