Athens-Clarke County Economic Development

The next ARTWORK professional workshop for creatives will feature speaker Amy Flurry sharing strategies on how to get your business or brand published on your own. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6:00 PM at the Lyndon House Arts Center. Free and open to artists of all types - please join us!

Register here: https://investathensga.zohobackstage.com/Howtogetyoursmallbizbrandpublishedonyourown #/

ACCGov is partnering with the Clarke County School District and University of Georgia to host a three-part workshop series that will walk through each organization's procurement processes. This is a fantastic (and free!) opportunity for local businesses interested in selling goods or services to some of the community's largest institutions.

📅 Wednesdays on Oct. 8 (ACCGov), Oct. 15 (UGA), and Oct. 22 (CCSD)
⏱ 9:30 to 11:30 AM
📍 Athens-Clarke County Library (2025 Baxter Street)
🔗 Register for one or multiple sessions at accgov.com/doingbusiness

In accordance with its mission, the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville is pleased to invite small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County) to apply for the Small Business Workforce Development Grant program. Grant funds must be used to mitigate financial hardship in response to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which officially ended May 11, 2023 in the state of Georgia.

Accordingly, JDA is seeking applications from small, for-profit businesses that:
- (i) have experienced negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 public health emergency,
- (ii) are able to certify the same, and
- (iii) are able to clearly demonstrate and provide evidence of that impact.

Negative economic impacts may include, but are not limited to, higher costs, higher wages, difficulty hiring, and supply chain disruptions.

Grant funds must be used for capital purchases or facility upgrades, training or software, or inventory purchases, which lead to generating revenue in a sustainable way that will lead to growth for small businesses in Athens-Clarke County or the City of Winterville (within Athens-Clarke County).

Grants will be made in one round, must be for a specific purpose, and will range from $1,000 to $10,000. The application window will be available through Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home.

The Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia allocated up to $100,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to the Joint Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia and City of Winterville for the purpose of implementing a grant program for small, for-profit businesses located in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, that have faced negative economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency.

For more details about the grant program, FAQs, and the online application form, visit https://sites.google.com/view/jda-acc-winterville/home.

Join (or browse) the Athens Creatives Directory today! https://athenscreatives.directory/

Attention local creators: Have you joined the Athens Creatives Directory?

The ACC Economic Development Department, in partnership with CREATE Athens (a division of Envision Athens) and many other local organizations recently launched the Athens Creatives Directory which serves as a hub for creatives as well as anyone looking for creative works or services.

Creators of all types can create a listing in the directory for free. For more information on how to submit your work for a directory listing – or to just explore the many creatives already there – visit https://athenscreatives.directory

PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY: ACCGov’s Economic Development Department and the Mall Area Tax Allocation District (TAD) Advisory Committee will host two open house sessions and an online survey during July for residents to provide input on items they would like to see constructed within the Mall TAD boundaries.

Open house sessions will take place Thursday, July 18 and Tuesday, July 23, both from 5:00-7:00 PM at the Extension Office (275 Cleveland Road). Residents can drop in anytime to learn more about the TAD process and provide input on ideas for community improvements. An online survey will also be available at www.accgov.com/tads through Wednesday, July 31 for those who cannot attend the sessions.

A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated area to finance costs related to development. These costs might include, but are not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

More information, maps & the survey: www.accgov.com/tads

Tax Allocation Districts | Athens-Clarke County, GA - Official Website A Tax Allocation District (TAD) is a redevelopment tool that uses the increased property taxes generated by new development in a designated redevelopment area to finance costs related to development including, but not limited to, public infrastructure, demolition, utilities, and planning costs.

Thanks to the work of Economic Development staff and industry partners, Athens-Clarke County was recently designated a gold level BioReady® Community by the state’s leading life sciences membership organization, Georgia Bio. 🏆

ACCGov is the first county in Georgia to receive this certification, which shows a community's readiness to support the biotech industry.