Local Business Support

Invest Atlanta is our city's development authority. IA provides gap financing through various loan programs to small, minority and women-owned businesses to expand and/or relocate in the City of Atlanta. The purpose of these loans is to revitalize targeted commercial neighborhood areas, promote business development projects and stimulate job creation within the City. To find more about Invest Atlanta as well as the various loan programs available click here. Or browse here for Small Business Loan

You may need to contact your county's health department to obtain permits for food vending. Here are some links:

Fulton County Health Department, Permits & Inspections page

DeKalb County Health Department, Food & Environmental Safety page

Center for Black Women’s Wellness (CBWW's) Women's Economic Self Sufficiency Program WESSP is a micro-enterprise development initiative used as a strategy to increase the opportunity for women to become self-employed by starting and operating a micro-business. The program serves primarily low-to-moderate income women by providing them with financial literacy, life skills, business development and technical assistance. For more information about CBWW and the WESSP, visit cbww.org or contact wessp@cbww.org. 

The Urban League of Greater Atlanta (ULGA) recently launched two programs from their Entrepreneurship Center: the Start-Up Accelerator and Strategic Growth Accelerator. Managed by ULGA, these programs feature classes and resources that help provide capacity building, training, coaching, and development programming for microenterprise business owners of all experience levels.