19 organizations
How small-business help works in Atlanta
Free, serious help for starting or growing a business is one of Atlanta's quiet strengths. SCORE Atlanta pairs you with a volunteer mentor (often a retired executive) for free, indefinitely. The UGA Small Business Development Center runs low-cost training and free consulting. The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs focuses on Black entrepreneurs with programming, space, and community. Your library card unlocks market-research databases that businesses pay thousands for.
For money: community lenders (CDFIs) like Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs make loans banks won't, sized for real small businesses; SBA microloans run up to $50,000. The honest note: grant programs exist (Invest Atlanta and others, periodically) but are competitive and slow — build the plan around revenue and fair credit, treat grants as a bonus.
What to expect: mentors will ask for your numbers, even rough ones. Bring what you have; turning a shoebox of receipts into a plan is exactly what they're for.
Operation HOPE is a nonprofit based in Atlanta that helps people build financial stability. It offers free coaching, classes, and workshops on credit, money management, home buying, small business, youth financial skills, and disaster financial recovery.
Downtown12 services
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta is a civil rights and economic opportunity nonprofit. It helps people with jobs, training, housing counseling, homeownership, financial coaching, youth programs, reentry support, small business help, and civic engagement.
Downtown16 services
Center for Black Women's Wellness is an Atlanta nonprofit that helps Black women and families with health, family, and money needs. They run a low-cost clinic for people without insurance, offer primary care, women's health care, mental health support, maternal health programs, health education, and business or financial workshops.
13 services
Seeds of Fortune is a nonprofit online and hybrid program for students, especially young people from under-resourced communities. It helps students prepare for college, find scholarships and grants, learn money skills, build careers, and join leadership and business programs.
6 services
The Wellness Room, LLC is an Atlanta-based mental health and wellness business led by Dr. April Brown, a licensed professional counselor. It helps people and organizations with wellness keynotes, workplace workshops, faith-based retreats for Christian women, and private practice consulting for therapists.
Berkeley Park5 services
Stand Beside Them is a nonprofit that gives free, confidential coaching to Post-9/11 veterans, service members close to leaving the military, military spouses, and caregivers. Coaching is usually virtual and helps people work on careers, leadership, life changes, relationships, wellness, or starting a small business.
8 services
Georgia Organics is a statewide nonprofit that supports organic and sustainable farmers in Georgia. It helps farmers with training, coaching, grants, group buying, organic certification help, and a directory that connects people with local farms and food businesses.
Downtown10 services
The Gwinnett Chamber is a business organization, not a mental health or crisis service. It helps Gwinnett County businesses grow through networking, business education, public policy advocacy, small business support, and economic development programs.
11 services
Georgia Lawyers for the Arts is a nonprofit that helps artists, makers, musicians, writers, and arts organizations with their legal needs. They connect you with volunteer lawyers for help with things like copyright, trademarks, contracts, and setting up a nonprofit. You join as a member, and if your income is low enough you may get the legal help for free.
6 services
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta helps people build stable, better lives through jobs, money, housing, and small-business support. They offer job training and career help, housing and homeownership counseling, emergency assistance, financial coaching, entrepreneur support, and a re-entry program for people returning from incarceration. They serve youth, adults, families, and returning citizens across Metro Atlanta.
8 services
The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization for businesses in Cumming and Forsyth County, Georgia. It helps local businesses grow by offering networking events, a business directory, leadership programs, and resources for starting or expanding a business.
5 services
The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce is a business membership group that has supported DeKalb County employers since 1938. They help businesses grow through advocacy, networking events, education, and small-business mentoring, and connect entrepreneurs to local resources. This is a business organization, not a mental health or crisis service.
7 services
Invest Atlanta is the City of Atlanta's official economic development authority. For everyday residents, they help people buy a home inside Atlanta city limits by offering down payment assistance — grants of $10,000 to $20,000 that are forgiven if you live in the home for 5 years. To use these programs you take a homebuyer class and work with an approved lender.
Downtown6 services
Acre & Herd Ranch is a small veteran-owned farm in Griffin, Georgia that raises pasture-raised Katahdin lamb using regenerative farming. It is a for-profit business that sells lamb meat directly to customers and also rents out its sheep to graze and manage weeds at solar farms. It is not a free food or assistance program.
3 services
Amenta Gardens is a small Atlanta-based garden and herbal wellness business focused on growth on the mental, physical, and spiritual levels through healthy food, plants, and meditation. They grow and sell herbal products like healing salves, infused oils, and plant tinctures, and offer Tai Chi and meditation sessions. It is a home-grown garden business, not a free social-service program.
Downtown2 services
Refugee Women's Network helps refugee and immigrant women and their families in metro Atlanta build new lives in the U.S. They offer help settling in, English and job-readiness training, small-business support, health and wellness programs, and youth programs. They are based at Legacy Park in Decatur and have served refugee women for more than 20 years.
8 services
The D'Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is a national program based at Syracuse University that helps service members, veterans, and military spouses build civilian careers and start businesses. Most of its help, like the free Onward to Opportunity career training, is offered online so veterans anywhere—including the Atlanta area—can take part. They offer career certifications, coaching, job placement, and entrepreneurship training at no cost.
4 services
The Farmer Veteran Coalition is a national nonprofit that helps military veterans start and run farms and ranches. Its Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund gives small grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to pay for equipment, livestock, and supplies for veterans in their first years of farming. The Idaho chapter offers veterans local training, mentorship, and connections to these programs; the group is based in Idaho and Texas, not Atlanta.
3 services
Welcoming Atlanta is the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of International & Immigrant Affairs. It helps immigrants and refugees connect to city services through community navigators, free language interpretation (iSpeakATL), resource fairs, naturalization ceremonies, and workshops to help residents engage with the city and start small businesses. It does not provide direct legal aid but connects people to information and partner resources.
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