Community Partners
If you are new to the Athens area, this should definitely be one of your first stops in the city. At the Visitor's Bureau, you can find area maps, information regarding Athens' history, attractions, hotel accommodations and more.
The ADDA is responsible for all things concerning downtown Athens, including businesses, events, and construction. They try to ensure that our downtown remains fun, vibrant, and full of great businesses so that people continue to visit.
The Historic Athens Welcome Center offers tours of the Classic City, information on attractions, accommodations, restaurants, and shopping, brochures, maps, and a gift shop. The historic house in which it is located is also a museum.
The ACC Economic Development, located in the same building as the AACOC, is the primary point of contact for industries, large commercial developments, site location consultants, and state economic development organizations interested in developing, expanding, or locating new or expanded businesses in Athens-Clarke County.
The Clarke County Mentor Program began in 1991 as a joint initiative of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce and the Clarke County School District to increase the number of students who graduated from high school and were prepared for employment or post-secondary education. Today, the CCMP is a thriving non-profit serving the children in Athens-Clarke County every day with approximately 500 UGA student and community mentors who work with all 21 schools in the C​larke County School District serving grades K-12.
With 21 schools and more than 13,000 students, the Clarke County School District offers students both diversity and a culture of academic excellence. It serves all of Clarke County, which includes Athens, Winterville, and part of Bogart, GA.
Envision Athens is a visionary, yet achievable, multi-dimensional strategy that will serve as the foundation of the Community and Economic Development Plan. It has established a larger community-based vision which not only helped to inform the development of the local government’s Comprehensive Plan, but also created an environment where organizations sat down across the table from one another and found common ground on which to begin working on the issues that matter most to our community.
The Minority Business and Nonprofit Association is organized to support the development, growth and sustainability of minority businesses and nonprofits.
The Northeast Georgia Business Alliance's mission is to expand access to capital and procurement opportunities for African-American organizations in Northeast Georgia
SCORE is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, and is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. They provide a wide range of services to established and budding business owners alike, including mentoring, webinars and courses on demand, a library of online resources, and local events.
The SBA helps small business owners and entrepreneurs by providing counseling, capital, and contracting expertise as the nation’s only go-to resource and voice for small businesses.
The SBDC’s goal is to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Local Colleges
Athens is home to four colleges: The University of Georgia, Athens Technical College, Piedmont College, and University of North Georgia’s Oconee Campus. We work with and support all of these colleges and are happy to be the place they call home.
