The Equity in Infrastructure Project was founded in 2021 by Denver International Airport CEO Phillip A. Washington, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation John D. Porcari and others in anticipation of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and to advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities, which pledges to increase by 2026 the share of federal contracts that go to small and disadvantaged businesses.
EIP exists to build generational wealth and reduce the racial wealth gap by improving public infrastructure contracting practices at the state and local level to create more prime, joint venture and equity contracting opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). EIP defines HUBs as any business certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBEs), as well as those formally designated as a Minority or Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE or WBE), Tribal Enterprise, Small Business Enterprises (SBE), or those with any other locally recognized designation.