GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION INC
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
IN 2020, THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION (THE FOUNDATION) WAS INTEGRAL IN SETTING THE LONG-TERM STRATEGIC DIRECTION OF THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BY EXAMINING EMERGING TRENDS AND PERFORMING POLICY AND DATA ANALYSIS.BUILDING ON THE WORK OF GEORGIA 2030, THE FOUNDATION LAUNCHED A NEW STRATEGIC INITIATIVE, THE NEW GEORGIA ECONOMY TO EXAMINE OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS THAT ACCOMPANY THE ADVENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATION. ONCE COVID-19 PROPELLED THE STATE INTO LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES, THE FOCUS TURNED TO ASSISTING GEORGIA CHAMBER MEMBERS INTERPRET STATE AND FEDERAL DECLARATIONS. BUSINESSES OF EVERY SIZE AND ACROSS EVERY INDUSTRY WERE FORCED TO RE-EVALUATE AND RE-IMAGINE HOW TO OPERATE SAFELY GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE PANDEMIC AND EVOLVING REGULATIONS. IT BECAME APPARENT VERY EARLY THAT WHILE THE FOUNDATION ASSISTED MEMBERS WITH SHORT-TERM CHALLENGES, IT WAS PARAMOUNT THAT ATTENTION TURNED TO BOLSTERING THE STATE'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND ASSESSING STRATEGIES TO BUILD A MORE RESILIENT GEORGIA. IN APRIL, THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED THE RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY TASK FORCE COMPOSED OF TOP BUSINESS LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE, REPRESENTING EVERY INDUSTRY. THIS GROUP MEET THROUGHOUT 2020 EXAMINING THE FOLLOWING SIX KEY AREAS: ECONOMIC RESILIENCY, ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND INCLUSIVENESS, UPSKILLING AND WORKFORCE, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL RESILIENCY AND SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVAL. MONTHS OF MEETINGS LED TASK FORCE MEMBERS TO GAIN A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF TRENDS OCCURRING IN GEORGIA AND GLOBALLY AND GATHER DATA FROM SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCE. AT THE END OF 2020, THE RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY TASK FORCE FINDINGS REPORT AND RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS WERE RELEASED. THE FORMER PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE TASK FORCE UNCOVERED AND IMMEDIATE ACTIONABLE NEEDS, WHILE THE FORMER PROVIDES A RANGE OF POLICY OPTIONS THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE COMING YEAR OR YEARS. THIS WILL SERVE AS THE BASIS THE CHAMBER'S 2021 STRATEGIC PLAN: REIMAGINED NEW GEORGIA ECONOMY.IN ADDITION TO DEVELOPING POLICY-ORIENTED SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE TASK FORCE, THE FOUNDATION ALSO ASSISTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY ROUNDTABLES. THESE VIRTUAL FORUMS FEATURED EXPERTS IN AN INDUSTRY WHO SHARED ON THE GROUND INSIGHTS AND EMERGING TRENDS. RESILIENCY AND RECOVERY ROUNDTABLES WERE AVAILABLE TO THE FULL CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP, ALLOWING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TO BE AVAILABLE WIDELY TO BOLSTER DECISION-MAKING FOR BUSINESSES.THE FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO WORK ON A GRANT FROM BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION CALLED THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION. THROUGH THE GRANT, THE FOUNDATION WORKED TO EXAMINE BARRIERS TO POST- SECONDARY SUCCESS FOR GEORGIANS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY INTERVENTIONS TO ADVANCE THE STATE'S WORKFORCE. THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION REPORT WAS RELEASED DETAILING ALL THE POLICY OPTIONS THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION. INCLUDED WERE SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO FURTHER THESE GOALS. THE BEGINNING OF 2020 ALSO FOCUSED ON EDUCATING ELECTED LEADERS ABOUT CURRENT LEGISLATIVE MEASURES THAT WOULD FURTHER POLICIES THAT REDUCED BARRIERS AND CREATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR GEORGIA STUDENTS. ONE OF THESE MEASURES WAS SB 486 WHICH WOULD HAVE REQUIRED SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO OFFER THE SAT OR ACT DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. THIS WOULD HAVE ELIMINATED TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS ON TEST DAY, REDUCED FINANCIAL BURDENS, AND ENSURED STUDENTS HAD ONE REQUIRED ITEM FOR ENROLLMENT AT A COLLEGE IN GEORGIA. COVID-19 LIMITED THE 2020 LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND SB 486 DID MOVE FORWARD. THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION CONTINUED TO MEET THROUGHOUT 2020 TO ASSESS WHAT NEW NEEDS EMERGED DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND WHAT NEEDS WERE PRE-EXISTING BUT HAVE BECOME MORE SIGNIFICANT. EXISTING RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN EXAMINED TO CREATE A BLUEPRINT FOR 2021 ACTIVITIES.THE FOUNDATION RECEIVED A $150,000 GRANT FROM THE CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE TO SHIFT THE NARRATIVE SURROUNDING IMMIGRATION IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA. THIS PROJECT WAS TITLED THE GLOBAL TALENT INITIATIVE AND A TASK FORCE WAS BUILT CHAIRED BY KEVIN GREINER, GAS SOUTH, AND RENE DIAZ, DIAZ FOODS. THE TASK FORCE IS COMPOSED OF BUSINESS LEADERS,INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER LEADERS, AND NON-PROFITS THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITH FOREIGN-BORN INDIVIDUALS. THIS DIVERSE GROUP, REPRESENTATIVE OF VARIETY OF GEORGIA INDUSTRIES REVIEWED POLLING DATA AND PROVIDED INSIGHTS REGARDING TACTICS AND STRATEGY. MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF POLLING GEORGIA VOTERS WERE CONDUCTED TO TEST MESSAGES AND CREATE LONGITUDINAL DATASETS ON THESE MESSAGES. STRONG MESSAGES AND STATISTICS WERE INCORPORATED INTO ONEPAGERS AND OP-EDS THAT THE GEORGIA CHAMBER PUBLISHED. A WEBSITE WAS ALSO DEVELOPED THAT HOSTS KEY STATISTICS, ONE-PAGERS, AND OP-EDS TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF FOREIGN-BORN INDIVIDUALS AND THE WORKFORCE IMPERATIVE OF INCREASING GLOBAL TALENT IN THE STATE. FUNDS WERE ALSO COMMITTED TO DEVELOP VIDEOS THAT WILL INFORM INDIVIDUALS ABOUT HOW CRITICAL IT IS TO HAVE PREDICTABLE, DIVERSE LABOR TO FUEL OUR ECONOMY. A KEY PART OF THE FOUNDATION IS THE POLICY COMMITTEES WHICH EXAMINE POLICY ACTIVITY OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND GLOBALLY TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES. EACH POLICY COMMITTEE DEVELOPED STRATEGIC AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE COMING YEAR. ONCE THE PANDEMIC'S IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY WAS REALIZED, COMMITTEES DID PIVOT TO ENSURE THE FOCUS WAS ON ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY.THE TALENT AND LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOCUSED ON BARRIERS TO POST- SECONDARY SUCCESS ALIGNING WITH THE WORK OF THE SMART DECISIONS COALITION. THIS ISSUE HAS BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WITH NUMEROUS GEORGIA FAMILIES FACING FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. ADDITIONALLY, MANY STUDENT SUPPORTS ARE LESS ACCESSIBLE AS STUDENTS CONTINUE TO BE EDUCATED VIRTUALLY ELIMINATING OPPORTUNITIES TO REMOVE THESE BARRIERS. THE COMMITTEE ALSO FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE. LIKE WITH POST-SECONDARY ACCESS, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION BECAME MORE IMPORTANT DURING THE PANDEMIC AS MANY FAMILIES WERE ATTEMPTING TO WORK AND EDUCATE THEIR CHILDREN. THIS HAS LIMITED THE EARNING POTENTIAL OF MANY GEORGIANS, PARTICULARLY WOMEN. THE FUTURE OF TALENT WAS A CONTINUED AREA OF ANALYSIS AS OUR WORKFORCE EVOLVES IN TERMS OF WHERE INDIVIDUALS WORK AND HOW THEY WORK. THE HIGH POTENTIALS LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WAS MOVED TO 2021 TO ENSURE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF INDIVIDUALS. THIS PROGRAMACCELERATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE LEADERS WITHIN COMPANIES BY TEACHING PARTICIPANTS HOW TO EFFECTIVELY AND AUTHENTICALLY REPRESENT THEIR COMPANY IN EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS, FOCUSING ON CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE EXAMINED VACCINE DEVELOPMENT NATIONALLY AND HEARD FROM PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS AT EMORY UNIVERSITY AND THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH. THESE PRESENTATIONS WERE VITAL TO ENSURE THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAD A COMPREHENSIVE UNDERSTANDING OF TRENDS IN GEORGIA, THE U.S. AND THE WORLD. THESECONVERSATIONS ALSO SUPPORTED THE COMMITTEE'S FOCUS ENSURING GEORGIA IS A RESEARCH HUB. OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS THAT WERE OF THE UPMOST IMPORTANCE GIVEN COVID-19, WERE ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE AND GROWING THE HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE. BOTH OF THESE AREAS HAVE BEEN STRAINED BY THE PANDEMIC IN UNPRECEDENTED WAYS. ENSURING HEALTHCARE WORKERS HAD NECESSARY LIABILITY PROTECTIONS WAS ANOTHER KEY PRIORITY FOR THE COMMITTEE AND THE CHAMBER AS A WHOLE.THE BUSINESS CLIMATE COMMITTEE FOCUSED MUCH OF 2020 ON UNDERSTANDING THE ECONOMIC AND TAX TRENDS AT WORK BASED ON EVOLVING CIRCUMSTANCES. ADDITIONALLY, RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO SEE IF ANY REVISIONS WERE NEEDED TO EXISTING INCENTIVES TO ENSURE GEORGIA REMAINS COMPETITIVE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE COMMITTEE ALSO HEARDPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OF INCREASING GLOBAL TALENT IN THE STATE THROUGH STATE AND FEDERAL REFORMS.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$968.6KEconomic Analysis and Community Insights
THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION, THE RESEARCH ARM OF THE GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, DEDICATES ITSELF TO PRODUCING IN-DEPTH ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS, AND PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS TO BETTER PREPARE GEORGIA'S BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR OUR FUTURE CHALLENGES, INCREASING THE STATE'S COMPETITIVENESS AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. IN 2023 THE GEORGIA CHAMBER FOUNDATION PRODUCED ITS FIRST ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS REDBOOK WHICH PROVIDES ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO COMPARE GEORGIA TO EVERY OTHER STATE IN THE NATION TO ANALYZE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS TO PROPEL THE STATE FORWARD. COUNTY LEVEL DATA WAS ALSO INCLUDED TO ENABLE LOCAL LEADERS TO HAVE TAILORED INSIGHTS TO UNDERSTAND THE GREATEST CHALLENGES AND STRENGTHS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE FOUNDATION ALSO PRODUCED ITS FIRST EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS SURVEY, WHICH GARNERED FEEDBACK FROM TOP BUSINESS LEADERS ABOUT THE TOP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STATE OF GEORGIA TO CONTINUE STRONG ECONOMIC GROWTH. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOUNDATION PRODUCED QUARTERLY ECONOMIC REPORTS CENTERED AROUND THE CHAMBER'S STRATEGIC PLAN TO GIVE STAKEHOLDERS A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHERE SOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. THE FOUNDATION CONVENED MEMBERS THROUGH 6 POLICY COMMITTEES AND 3 POLICY COUNCILS TO DISCUSS KEY ISSUES AND EMERGING TRENDS AND ESTABLISH ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS TO MOVE FORWARD. FOUNDATION STAFF PROVIDED TESTIMONY TO NUMEROUS GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY STUDY COMMITTEES ON WORKFORCE AND TAX ISSUES. ADDITIONALLY, THE GEORGIA CHAMBER FOUNDATION BUILT A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GEORGIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, HOMEBUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GEORGIA, ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COMMISSIONERS OF GEORGIA, AND GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION TO CONVENE MEMBERS FROM ALL GROUPS TO DISCUSS SOLUTIONS TO STATEWIDE HOUSING SHORTAGES.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$735K
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