Invest Atlanta presents FY26 ask, highlights small-business support and food-access investments

Dr. Eloisa Comentich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, told the Atlanta City Council budget hearing on May 20 that Invest Atlanta is seeking $3 million in the city general fund for fiscal 2026 while continuing programs aimed at small businesses and food access.

The request matters because Invest Atlanta says its 2024 investments — $717 million of direct investment that the agency reported leveraged another $900 million for a total capital impact of $1.57 billion — are concentrated in the city’s disinvested neighborhoods and are intended to produce jobs, tax revenue and neighborhood revitalization. "For every $1 of general fund dollars that come to Invest Atlanta, we have been able to return to the city $7.2," Comentich said.

Invest Atlanta emphasized measurable results and tools. The agency described 18 targeted small‑business financing programs that provided about $14,800,000 in direct grants and loans in 2024 and supported 1,845 unique small businesses. Invest Atlanta reported providing roughly 3,800 hours of technical assistance and said equity metrics for program participants were 57% Black owned, 30% women owned and 16% operating inside the agency’s designated disinvested neighborhoods.

The presentation highlighted a mix of tools for food‑access work. Invest Atlanta described a partnership with the Independent Grocers Alliance and said it has supported 20 independent grocers (about 75% minority‑owned) that collectively operate about 7,000 square feet of retail space and serve more than 25,000 customers a week. The agency said it has awarded 15 operators about $750,000 in reimbursable commercial property improvement grants (50% located in food deserts) and cited local projects including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, City of Refuge, The Gooder at Edgewood and Wholesome Way of Georgia as examples of investments aimed at underserved areas.

Comentich also described legacy‑business support: the Atlanta Local Legacy Program launched April 1, offering the Legacy Empowerment Grant (up to $5,000 reimbursable) and, for qualifying businesses in a tax allocation district (TAD), a Small Business Improvement Grant up to $50,000. She invited council members to promote a new Local Legacy app that Invest Atlanta plans to use to connect businesses with programs.

Council members asked operational questions about program availability and outreach. Councilmember Collins asked whether Small Business Improvement Grants remain available; Invest Atlanta staff said the program is active, described outreach efforts (webinars and in‑person sessions at Pittsburgh Yards and the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs) and said staff will help businesses navigate the application process. Councilmember Lewis and others praised local grocery, market and neighborhood projects, and asked about specific locations such as Campbellton Road and Petrie/Peachtree projects the agency listed as pipeline priorities.

On the agency’s FY26 budget, Invest Atlanta told the council the agency’s general‑fund ask declines from a $3.5 million request to $3.0 million and the proposal contemplates a headcount of about 21 full‑time employees and a net headcount reduction of roughly three positions compared with the prior year’s ask. A slide shown to the council summarized operations by category (business attraction, women’s entrepreneurship initiative, technology and innovation, business retention and small‑business support) and flagged a projected FY26 reduction in SG&A and personnel costs.

No formal council action was taken at the hearing. Council members asked for follow‑up on program availability, practical application support for small businesses and a clearer breakdown of how Invest Atlanta will reach disinvested neighborhoods in FY26.