The Georgia Economic Placemaking Collaborative is two-year place-based economic development program that provides participating communities with education, facilitation, technical assistance, networking, peer learning, and incentives to help identify their community assets and develop a locally based placemaking strategy.
  • YEAR ONE: education, visioning, and planning.
  • YEAR TWO: development projects, funding, implementation, and impact analysis.

Apply to participate in 2025 GEPC Program

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Georgia Cities Foundation State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)

The Georgia Cities Foundation (GCF) welcomes State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) applications from owner-occupied small businesses located in downtown areas within cities in Georgia. The mission of the Foundation is to assist cities in their efforts to revitalize and enhance downtown areas by serving as a partner and facilitator in funding capital projects. The goal of GCF is to promote economically sustainable projects and build partnerships in order to help ensure the long-term health and economic vitality of the community.

Eligible Applicant & Uses

The eligible mechanisms for making funds available from the Foundation are:

•Project must be a primarily owner-occupied, commercial property

•Applicant may be a commercial tenant using funding for leasehold improvements

•Application must be approved for SSBCI funding PRIOR to beginning construction and/or purchasing building/property

•Additional US Department of Treasury requirements to be discussed during application phase

•Once approved, funds may be used for activities such as: real estate acquisition, building rehabilitation, new construction (infill), and other soft and hard costs directly tied to the project.

Ineligible Uses

•Funds may not be used for projects that have begun construction.

•Funds may not be used for residential.

•Funds may not be used for passive real estate investment unless the majority of the project is owner-occupied.

Loan amounts will not exceed $1,250,000 per project.

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Heart & Soul Downtown Workshop -- Spring 2024 (Location TBD)
 
This six-hour workshop targets municipal officials that are interested in downtown revitalization. Workshop participants are provided opportunities to view actual plans and projects with officials from the host city discussing their downtown and neighborhood strategies, their success stories, and their lessons learned. The workshop includes formal presentations and tours of downtown areas.
 
The course utilizes city officials and downtown practitioners that have first-hand experience with downtown development. Additionally, information regarding available resources that are available to provide technical assistance and downtown incentives will be provided.

 

Renaissance Partnership

Downtowns in Georgia are the heart of our communities and are integral to the economic prosperity of our cities and state. The Georgia Downtown Renaissance Partnership was created to foster vibrant downtowns.

In 2011, a Special Downtown Development Task Force, co-chaired by Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and Georgia Cities Foundation President Mike Starr, recommended the creation of a Downtown Capacity Building Partnership, which has been named the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Partnership. The Partnership, consisting of the Georgia Municipal Association, the Georgia Cities Foundation, and the University of Georgia, working in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Georgia Downtown Association, has been established to help cities and local leaders focus on the importance of downtown planning and visioning. The Partnership seeks to serve as the cornerstone in helping create locally developed plans that are supported by both elected officials and the business community. 

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