The Business In Development (B.I.D.) Academy
A Partnership Proposal
Fall 2026 Cohort · Tarrant County
Growing Leaders and Cultivating Tomorrow, Together
Prepared for · ______________________________
Prairie View A&M University Extension, through its Community and Economic Development work, serves entrepreneurs and small businesses across Tarrant County and the wider North Texas region. The Business In Development (B.I.D.) Academy is one of the ways we do that.
The Academy is a free training program for people building businesses, including many who have not had the same access or support that others count on. It runs as a nine-session cohort and teaches the real work of running and growing a business, along with how to compete for government contracts and procurement in Texas.
Keeping it free is the point, and it is also why we are reaching out. Sponsors, donors, and partners are what let us hold the program at no cost to the people in the room, put lunch on the table on the days they give up their own break to be there, get real resources into their hands, and bring in the right teachers.
This proposal is an introduction. It walks through what the Academy is, who it reaches, how a cohort runs, and the ways you can be part of it. If something here fits, the last page tells you how to reach me directly.
The Business In Development (B.I.D.) Academy is a free entrepreneurship and government contracting training program run through PVAMU Extension in Tarrant County. It runs as a nine-session cohort, and every session is taught by a subject-matter expert who does the work they teach. Many run their own businesses. Others work for established companies that invest in stronger businesses and communities.
The standard we hold our facilitators to is simple. Teach something an owner can use that same week, whether or not they ever become your client. That is the line that separates this from programming built to sell from the front of the room.
The format runs on participation. Everyone in the room asks one question. Everyone names one resource before they leave. There is no pressure and no judgment, and that is the part people tell us they remember.
With over 450 entrepreneurs trained, and over $9.2 million in contracts won across the statewide program, these numbers are a starting point. We know the real reach runs higher.
Free to join. Sessions run every Wednesday, 12:00 to 2:00 PM Central, from September 2 to October 28, 2026, at a central, accessible location in Tarrant County. The Fall venue is being finalized.
A B.I.D. cohort is a room of small business owners, founders, and aspiring entrepreneurs across North Texas. Some are well along. Many have not had the same access or the same wins they have been working toward. PVAMU Extension serves historically underserved communities, and the Academy is open to anyone in Texas who wants to learn government contracting and procurement.
Small business owners and people building toward their first venture, including many who have not had the same access or support that others take for granted.
The program centers on government contracting and procurement in Texas, and the back office that makes a business contract-ready, from pricing to certifications.
Cohort members are actively choosing vendors, services, and partners as they grow, and they remember who showed up for them.
Each cohort runs on a single digital hub. Participants reach it from a phone or a laptop, and it holds the whole program in one place.
The cohort hub is provided at no cost to the program.
These businesses and organizations have helped deliver recent cohorts or are joining us for Fall 2026. The list is still growing, and there is room on it for you.
Recent cohorts have been taught by subject-matter experts who do the work they teach. The Fall 2026 lineup is set: Jared Raines, Dr. Cassandra Bradford, Malcolm Davis, Queen Kima, Heather Jefferson, Brittany Cooks, Dom Lewis, Wendell Jean Jules, Ally Nicholas, Asia Wright, Booker T. Spencer Jr., Michael Chavez, Stack Moses, Katrina Hawkins, and Ervin Hughes Jr. Many run their own businesses or work for companies that invest in stronger communities.
Every level is built to give something back. Visibility in a room of buyers, a stage if you want one, and recognition that runs the whole cohort. Each level includes everything below it.
Provide resources, tools, or swag for every participant's gift bag. A non-monetary way to be in their hands all cohort.
Cover lunch for one session, or a set across the cohort. People give up their own lunch break to be here. A meal on the table is a real thank-you, and your name is on it.
Hosting a session means teaching something useful to the room. You are welcome to name your services. We ask that the content earn the time.
Some of the most useful support never comes as cash. These keep the program free and the experience strong. Recognition is matched to the value of what you provide.
The launch event, recruitment, gift bag items, and venue for the launch.
Weekly food and drinks, session materials, volunteers, and consultations.
The graduation celebration, its venue and catering, certificates, and sponsor spotlights that carry on after the cohort.
If any level fits, or if you just want to talk it through, call or email me. Tell me what you have in mind and what you would want in return, and we will shape it together. If you are not sure where you fit, that is a fine place to start.
The Business In Development (B.I.D.) Academy is part of PVAMU Extension, which holds IRS 501(c)(3) status. Documentation of tax-exempt status and our Federal Taxpayer ID is available on request.
