U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce
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The U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce was founded in 2001 to increase economic growth opportunities for women. As the only national organization of its kind, the USWCC works in concert with its members, national and local association partners, and key influencers to open doors for women business owners and career professionals.
Key areas of focus for the USWCC include: access to government contracting markets, access to capital for business start-up and growth, access to political office, access to education, and access to career promotions. In each area, the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce works towards integrating women into the mainstream rather and providing access to economic advancement.
In 2005, the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce won a lawsuit against the U.S. Small Business Administration for failure to implement a law passed in 2000 to provide a targeted set-aside program for women-owned businesses seeking federal contracts. This set-aside was established to help end the disparity in contracting faced by women. Even though women-own over 35 percent of all businesses in the United States, in 2006 they received only 3.3% of federal contracts.
In 2007, the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce filed an amicus brief in support of the women's class action suit against Wal-Mart.
