ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta is giving the creative sector a big boost through a grant program aimed at keeping that community thriving.
The Creative Industries Grant comes from Invest Atlanta and the Mayor’s Office of Film and Entertainment.
On Friday, more than $700,000 dollars was awarded to more than 125 entrepreneurs. Each grant is valued between $5,000 and $20,000 dollars.
Officials say the money not only helps creatives but helps the economy.
One grant recipient says the cash infusion will help him with his music business.
“I have a project. I call it the billion-dollar project," Jeffrey Pierre-Louis, owner of Ready to Go Records said. "So just investing in the production of that, the quality of that; investing in my legal team and my legal fees, getting it trademarked and copyrighted."
The grant program helps to support the city's Economic Mobility Plan which includes focusing on efforts to help "create pathways that strengthen the ability of entrepreneurs and small businesses to create and maintain thriving businesses."
Dr. Eloise Klementich of Invest Atlanta says the funding was originally offered as a loan but was converted to a grant program during the pandemic.
“Creatives have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic as performing arts centers closed, events were called off, and studios were temporarily shuttered," Klementich said. "Eighty-four percent of creatives who responded to a 2020 Invest Atlanta survey said their income fell, and we recognize that many are still working to regain their footing, which makes this round of funding especially impactful.”