Diversity & Inclusion

The Municipal Equity Division is responsible for coordinating the City’s efforts to eliminate racial, ethnic and gender disparities in criminal justice, economic development, education, governance, health, housing and transportation as identified in the 2018 final report of the Race and Culture Task Force.

To ensure fair and equitable provision of city services and capital investments, the Municipal Equity Division is responsible for producing, maintaining and implementing the City’s Equity Plan. The plan shall identify any and all inequities in the provision of municipal services and present strategies for addressing issues underlying those inequities and updated continuously.

Additionally, the Municipal Equity Division is responsible for raising public awareness of Fort Worth’s diverse cultures and their contributions to the community social and economic vitality and fostering harmonious relations among Fort Worth residents and the city workforce.

Learn More about the Fort Worth Race and Culture Task Force recommendations:

• Recommendations(PDF, 1MB)
• Council Informal Report, June 23, 2020(PDF, 136KB)
• Race and Culture recommendations, third quarter 2020(PDF, 172KB)

The Business Equity Division supports capacity building efforts for aspiring and existing Business Equity Firms (minority and women business enterprises), or disadvantaged business enterprises; leads efforts to close racial and gender gaps in City contracting and procurement; and assists Business Equity Firms in gaining access to prime contracting and sub-contracting opportunities offered through City contracting and procurement in compliance with the City Council’s most current Business Equity Ordinance #24534-11-2020(PDF, 17MB).

Qualified businesses for the Business Equity Program must be located within the City’s Marketplace defined as the City of Fort Worth (including portions of Parker, Wise and Denton counties), and Tarrant, Dallas, and Johnson counties. Additionally, the City may recognize other counties, like Collin, in the North Central Texas Region within a 100-mile radius from City Hall, in the City of Fort Worth, on a case-by-case basis, when contractors located within those counties can prove they have done business in the City of Fort Worth.

The Business Equity Division also collects and analyzes contract data on the utilization and availability of Business Equity Firms. Additionally, we collect and analyze contract closeout satisfaction survey data. This data is used to assess equity in the participation levels of Business Equity Firms in City contracting and procurement. The division proactively work side by side with City buyers and City project managers in developing equitable bid contracts, and identifies, engages, and connects pools of ready, willing, and able certified Business Equity Firms or disadvantaged business enterprises to future opportunities with the City of Fort Worth.

The following Business Equity Firms are program eligible in the City of Fort Worth:

MBE — means a minority owned business enterprise that is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, joint venture or any other business or professional entity that is at least 51 percent owned and operated by one or more minorities or women or in the case of a publicly owned business, at least fifty one percent (51%) of all classes of the stock of which is owned by one or more minority individuals whose management, policies, major decisions and daily business operations are independently managed and controlled by one or more such minority individuals. The City accepts MBE certification from the following agencies: North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA) and Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Development Council (DFW MSDC).

WBE — means a woman owned business enterprise that is a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, joint venture or any other business or professional entity that is at least 51 percent owned and operated by one or more women or in the case of a publicly owned business, at least fifty one percent (51%) of all classes of the stock of which is owned by one or more women AND whose management, policies, major decisions and daily business operations are independently managed and controlled by one or more women. The City accepts WBE certification from the following agencies: Women’s Business Council - Southwest (WBCS) and North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA).

Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are program eligible for federally-funded projects:

DBE — for-profit small businesses where socially and economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51% interest, and also control management and daily business operations. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific and Subcontinent Asian Americans, and women are presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged. To be regarded as economically disadvantaged, an individual must have a personal net worth that does not exceed $1.32 million. The City accepts DBE certification from the following agencies: North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Unified Certification Program (UCP).

Resources

• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)(PDF, 5MB)
• Business Equity Ordinance #24534-11-2020(PDF, 17MB)
• M/WBE Listings Form(PDF, 169KB)
• Register as a Vendor with the City of Fort Worth

Obtain a Certification

• North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency
• Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council
• Women’s Business Council-Southwest
• Texas Department of Transportation 

Partner Organizations

• ­Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Supplier Development Council ­
• Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ­
• Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce ­
• National Association of Minority Contractors ­
• Regional Black Contractors Association ­
• Regional Hispanic Contractors Association ­
• US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce ­
• Women's Business Council - Southwest

Housing

Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Fair Housing Act), state law (Texas Fair Housing Act) and city ordinance (Human Relations Ordinance) prohibit discrimination of people in housing because of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and/or familial status. The city’s Human Relations Ordinance also includes protection from discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity and/or gender expression. 

These laws cover virtually all housing — private homes, apartment complexes and condominium developments — and nearly all  housing transactions including renting and selling houses and providing mortgage loans.

The City of Fort Worth is a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Fair Housing Assistance Program with the authority to investigate federal fair housing complaints. For more information about the City’s anti-discrimination ordinance or to report a housing discrimination, call 817-392-7525 and/or visit www.FortWorthTexas.gov/Diversity-Inclusion.

Employment

Numerous federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, state law (Texas Labor Code), and the city’s Human Relations Ordinance, protect people from difference in treatment in their employment because of their race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age (over the age of 40) and disability. The city’s Human Relations Ordinance also protects people from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, and/or gender expression. An employer cannot base a decision to hire or fire, promote or transfer on any of these protected bases.

The City of Fort Worth is authorized by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a Fair Employment Practice Agency to investigate fair employment complaints.

Public Accommodation

Several federal laws, including Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as Fort Worth’s Human Relations Ordinance, prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and age in the advantages, facilities or services offered to the general public by a place of public accommodation.  The city’s Human Relations Ordinance also protects people from discrimination in places of public accommodation based on their sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity and/or gender expression.

Resources

• Fair Housing Act
• Employment Ordinance
• Housing Ordinance
• Public Accommodations Ordinance

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment (Title I), public services (Title II), public accommodations (Title III), telecommunications (Title IV), and other miscellaneous provisions (Title V). 

In accordance with the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the City of Fort Worth will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs or activities:

• Employment: The City of Fort Worth does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its hiring or employment practices, and complies with all regulations promulgated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Title I of the ADA.
• Effective Communication: The City of Fort Worth will generally, upon request, provide appropriate aids and services leading to effective communication for qualified persons with disabilities so they can participate equally in the city’s programs, services and activities, including qualified sign language interpreters, documents in Braille and other ways of making information and communications accessible to people who have speech, hearing or vision impairments.
• Modifications to Policies and Procedures: The City of Fort Worth will make all reasonable modifications to policies and programs to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to enjoy all of its programs, services and activities. For example, individuals with service animals are welcomed in City offices, even where pets are generally prohibited.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits the exclusion from participation in, denial of the benefits of, or discrimination in the provision of any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other federal authorities, the City is committed to ensuring that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, income, age, disability, or limited English proficiency (LEP), be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.

For more information about accessibility and accommodations, the City’s Title VI Program, ADA and Title VI grievance procedures, and/or the Mayor’s Committee on Persons with Disabilities, contact the City’s ADA/Title VI Coordinator by phone at 817-392-8552 or by email to ada@fortworthtexas.gov, and/or visit www.FortWorthTexas.gov/Diversity-Inclusion .

Persons with disabilities who may need an accommodation, auxiliary aid or service, or a modification to a policy or procedure in order to participate in a City of Fort Worth meeting, program, service and/or activity, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (817) 392-8552 or ada@fortworthtexas.gov at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled event so that appropriate arrangements can be made.  If the City does not receive notification at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled event, the City will make a reasonable attempt to provide the necessary accommodation.

Resources

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
• ADEA
• American with Disabilities Act

• Human Relations Commission
• Minority and Women Business Enterprise Advisory Committee
• Mayor's Committee on Persons with Disabilities
• Employee Diversity & Inclusion Committee
• Movies That Matter