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Who We Are

The Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) is a 501(c)3 affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation. BCLC is the U.S. Chamber's resource and voice for businesses and their social and philanthropic interests.

BCLC's vision is for the positive role of business in society to be understood and advanced.

Our mission is to promote better business and society relations and improve long-term social and economic conditions by:

  • Communicating the U.S. private sector's unique and valuable contributions
  • Cultivating strategies and practices that achieve positive results
  • Coordinating public-private partnerships and coalitions

BCLC works with leaders from the business, government, and nonprofit sectors to address and act on shared goals. Our overarching goal is to help build good will, good relations, and good markets by focusing on issues that affect businesses from a social and economic standpoint. This is what we call "business and society relations."

What We Do

The Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) addresses social issues that affect business, including corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, nonprofit and social service effectiveness, globalization, community investment, and disaster assistance. 

Annual conferences, forums, and other events: BCLC hosts events with some of the top leaders in civic engagement and corporate social responsibility. Forums and roundtables are scheduled throughout the year, and BCLC has three signature annual events: Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner, Conference on Corporate Community Investment, and the Global Corporate Citizenship Conference.

Network Development: Networks help corporate foundation heads and corporate citizenship professionals communicate on common issues, share information, and identify partnership opportunities.

BCLC currently has networks for business disaster assistance and recovery, corporate community investment, and global corporate citizenship.

Corporate Citizenship Awards: These awards showcase businesses, trade associations, and chambers of commerce that have demonstrated ethical leadership and corporate stewardship, made a difference in their communities, and contributed to the advancement of important economic and social goals.

The Corporate Citizen : This monthly e-newsletter is distributed to leaders in corporate citizenship and corporate communications positions, corporate foundations, chambers of commerce, AmChams, NGOs, and governments. It provides an opportunity for members to contribute through company profiles, interviews, op-eds, and guest editorials. Subscribers obtain ideas for their own corporate citizenship programs.

Research, Reports, and Public Appearances: BCLC research helps media, advocacy, civil society, and public policy leaders achieve a better understanding of business contributions to society and helps business leaders identify strategies and issues to improve their external relations.

BCLC History

The Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) was founded in May 2000 as the Center for Corporate Citizenship (CCC). It stemmed from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's informal creation of corporate public service coalitions and the fact that corporate citizenship was an emerging area of business management strategy.

The October 1999 U.S. Chamber Conference titled "Corporate Responsibility and Globalization" resulted in the establishment of the Center for Corporate Citizenship to "support business efforts to work with governments, lending institutions, NGOs and community groups to address corporate responsibility issues."

Over the past ten years, our programs and events have grown in both reputation and in the scope of the issues covered. Since the corporate scandals including Enron, WorldCom, and others, our mission grew from just addressing corporate citizenship issues to now include the link between social and community progress and economic development and trust-building between business and civil society.

In 2006 CCC became the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) to reflect this expanded mission.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BCLC's relationship with the U.S. Chamber?

BCLC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber. BCLC has an independent board of directors which approves BCLC's annual program of work. BCLC's board is made up of senior U.S. Chamber representatives and companies and chambers of commerce representing different industries, geographic regions, and interests in the field of corporate citizenship and corporate public affairs. BCLC's 990 forms are available here or upon request.

Why does BCLC need to fundraise?

The Chamber's philosophy is that all of its departments and affiliates should be as market-driven and as accountable to the business community as possible. If members do not see a need for an initiative, then the initiative will not exist under the U.S. Chamber umbrella. This is why all BCLC salaries, events, policy programs, and special projects are funded by company contributions and sponsorships. This is also why BCLC cannot initiate a new program if there is not funding support for it.

I give heavily to the U.S. Chamber. Can I reallocate my contribution or get a discount for BCLC?

The U.S. Chamber raises money to address legislative and regulatory issues on behalf of the business community, whereas BCLC's focus is on corporate citizenship and community development. Re-allocation is not encouraged. See a BCLC representative for event sponsorship and registration discount opportunities.

Does the U.S. Chamber support BCLC?

The U.S. Chamber provides office space, HR, IT, legal and administrative support and overhead. BCLC has access to all of the U.S. Chamber's meeting space, communication services, networks, survey and research capabilities and other amenities. BCLC works closely with Chamber departments like the Chamber Federation, the Small Business Council, the International Division, the Homeland Security Department and other Chamber policy departments.

How do companies get involved with BCLC?

BCLC's primary activity is conducted through its working groups. The working groups set the agenda for their program to the approval of BCLC's board of directors and organize themselves in terms of the number of times they meet and what they want to accomplish. Currently, there are four working groups:

  1. Business & Society – which deals with corporate social responsibility, ethics, attitudes toward business and non-profit relations,
  2. Community Investment – which focuses on strategic corporate engagement in U.S. community development,
  3. Global Citizenship – which focuses on overseas relationships and emerging marketing development, and
  4. Disaster Assistance and Recovery – which focuses on communication and coordination issues with key partners and on embedding long-term community recovery into the disaster response process.

What benefits does BCLC provide?

BCLC is working to address social and community development issues which affect market development and build good will and good relationships on behalf of American business. We facilitate connections with other company, government, and non-profit allies and potential partners, and we address public policy issues which affect the development of corporate citizenship programs.

BCLC helps individual companies with their external affairs management. We facilitate strategic corporate citizenship planning. We provide publicity and speaking opportunities at BCLC events. We raise awareness about corporate contributions. We facilitate networking opportunities. We provide advice and counsel, and trouble-shooting services for companies working with government or non-profit partners.

Does BCLC take government funding?

BCLC takes government funding for specific research and information-sharing projects. BCLC does not take government funding for operating support.

What is BCLC's reach?

BCLC has access to the U.S. Chamber's network of 2,000 state and local chambers and 100 American Chambers in 91 countries around the world. BCLC also taps into the U.S. Chamber's membership of 3 million businesses.

BCLC's website receives thousands of unique visitors every month, and BCLC's library of corporate profiles is one of the most heavily visited pages on the website by media, students, and researchers interested in corporate contributions.

BCLC's monthly newsletter is focused on leading corporate citizenship practices. BCLC's reports are distributed to peers in the business community, members of Congress, Administration officials, members of the media, non-profit organizations, local chambers of commerce and other opinion leaders.

How do we sign up?

Call or email Rebecca Freyvogel Mousseau at (202) 536-9134.