The Georgia Education Foundation provides educational opportunities to small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state of Georgia. The GEF is focused on targeted programs and training sessions that will help small business owners develop capacity and acquire the business acumen necessary to build sustainable and profitable enterprises. A 501c (3) non-profit that was established in 2012, the GEF assists small business owners and emerging entrepreneurs in their efforts to drive business growth, create jobs and strengthen communities in Georgia. The Foundation offers scholarships to small business owners to support a variety of key learning initiatives.
The Georgia Education Foundation is the education arm of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council – the state of Georgia’s leading supplier diversity and small business development advocacy organization. Key focus areas for the GEF include capacity, infrastructure, capital, business acumen and community. Funded by donations and foundation grants, the GEF offers training in a wide variety of areas necessary to build a successful business enterprise, such as:
- Executive mentoring and coaching
- Leadership and company culture
- Technology and systems
- Innovation and creativity
- Employee development and morale
- Operational efficiency
- Certification preparation and documentation
- Fiscal excellence and access to capital
- Client satisfaction and customer service
- Capacity, scope and scale for global supply chains
GEF Programs –
- Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection – MPC matches emerging small business owners with corporate mentors for a one-year partnership, to work on any business opportunity or growth area that is of mutual interest.
- GMSDC Business Development Center – The BDC is a state-of-the-art small business hub with training rooms, meeting space, resource libraries and workspaces, all dedicated to the needs of small businesses. The BDC provides a central location for productivity and collaboration unlike any other in Georgia.
- GMSDC Academy – A comprehensive clearinghouse of training, professional development and thought leadership for small business owners, the Academy offers a full slate of seminars, classes and learning opportunities on all aspects of small business development. Programs are offered throughout the year, in a variety of formats and locations, to help build capacity and business acumen.
- GEF Scholarship Fund – The GEF Scholarship Fund was created to provide financial support to business owners who wish to build capacity and competitiveness by attending training programs and other learning initiatives. Partial scholarships to programs like the Small Business Development curriculum at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University are among the opportunities supported by GEF donations.