Purpose

The mission of Georgia City Solutions (GCS) is to establish and support innovative programs, solutions and research aimed at building vibrant, economically prosperous, and well-managed cities, and improving the quality of life of municipal residents.

Georgia City Solutions, Inc. (GCS) is a 501(c)(3) organization created in 2018 by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) to help cities address the challenges of intergenerational poverty. Governed by a 12-member Board of Directors and guided by three advisory councils, the work of GCS promotes economic mobility as a means of combating intergenerational poverty.

Why GCS?

Significant challenges keep Georgia’s cities and their citizens from reaching their full potential. Those barriers include low levels of civic engagement, systemic conditions and policies that foster racial inequities and perpetuate outcomes of intergenerational poverty—such as low academic achievement and high unemployment rates—and a deficient pipeline of qualified workers to fill critical municipal government positions.

Given the scope of these challenges, municipal leaders cannot solve them on their own. They require active engagement from local government officials, as well as the public and private sectors, the philanthropic community, academia, and individual citizens themselves who directly benefit when well-balanced cities operate at an optimal level. City leaders are well suited to convene stakeholders in their community to tackle serious, persistent community challenges.

GCS creates and delivers a wide range of programs through collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships to make a positive impact on the economic vitality and quality of life in cities. Under the direction of its public-private board, GCS has successfully launched programs in the initial focus areas of Equity and Inclusion, Municipal Workforce Development, Youth Leadership and Engagement, along with Literacy Improvement which underpins each of these priorities.