May 2, 2022 Lavonya Jones is passionate about entrepreneurship as a solution to economic injustice and inequality. As a third-generation HBCU graduate, she also serves as an Entrepreneurship Instructor for Morehouse College, the founder of a social justice media company, Consciously Funded, and the Director of Student Programs for the Morehouse Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center where […]
April 28, 2022 By: Lavonya Jones, GSIC Director During the 2021-2022 academic year, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University because the first Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) to join the Blackstone Launchpad network. Founded in 2008, Blackstone Launchpad is a program of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to help students navigate […]
April 14, 2022 By: Tyler Thompson and Jeffrey Shiau Profile Summary: Entrepreneur Name: Tyler Thompson Venture Name: Atlanta Green Market (a subsidiary of TESS: The Environmental Solutions Store) Impact Focus Area(s): Environmental Sustainability [Our own unique terminology: “Consumer-driven, market-based environmental problem-solving”] Business Stage (Ideation, Startup, Early, Later, Mature): Startup Year Venture Established: Formerly […]
April 4, 2022 By: Kayla Jones, GSIC Social Impact Fellow Yohana Solomon was born and raised in Ethiopia and came to the US in 1998 due to a civil war. She is the owner of Atlanta Underground Market and chef and owner of Kushina Catering, which specializes in authentic Ethiopian cuisine. Yohana is […]
March 31, 2022 By: LaDerrius Williams, GSIC Social Impact Fellow GSIC x START: ME x Read 4 Unity Entrepreneur: Yenny Yang Venture: Read4Unity Impact Focus Area(s): Literacy, Diversity Business Stage (Ideation, Startup, Early, Later, Mature): Ideation/Early Year Venture Established: 2020 Business Type: Micro-Nonprofit Yenny Yang is committed to creating a better tomorrow for […]
March 7, 2022 By: LaDerrius Williams, GSIC Social Impact Fellow On Friday, February 18th, 2022, Georgia State University’s (GSU) Social Entrepreneurship Club and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Career Center coordinated a “Careers in Impact-Focused Businesses” virtual networking event. Students got an opportunity to learn the skills needed for internships and […]
March 1, 2022 By: Kayla Jones, GSIC Social Impact Fellow The Oikos Institute for Social Impact helps congregations strategically respond to the disorienting effects of gentrification, disproportionate unemployment, and changing local demographics by harnessing the power of their assets. Oikos’ goal is for faith communities to maintain their agency in the use of […]
February 7, 2022 By: LaDerrius Williams, GSIC Social Impact Fellow Self-described as “Atlanta’s home for good trouble,” the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) is an integral part of Georgia’s social impact ecosystem and was an early addition to GSIC’s Ecosystem Map. Founded in 2014, CCI serves the ecosystem as an investor, an intermediary, […]
February 7, 2022 By: Kayla Jones, GSIC Social Impact Fellow Ashani O’Mard served as the Executive Director for the Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund (AAHF) since January 2020. AAHF is a social impact fund designed to aggregate capital to invest in affordable housing projects, with the goal of driving deeper, longer-term affordability. O’Mard recently […]
January 4, 2022 By: LaDerrius Williams, GSIC Social Impact Fellow On December 8th, 2021, the United States Department of the Treasury announced the recipients of $180.3M from its Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). These 2021 fiscal year awards are intended to help community development financial institutions expand their lending and investment […]