Frequently Asked Questions

4 Info Sessions are held a year to provide potential applicants with an overview of the stakeholder experience. Prospective stakeholders are required to attend one info session to be eligible to apply. Once you join an info session, you’ll be invited to apply to join the RICE stakeholder community. Join our mailing list to be notified about the next info session. Learn more

The Russell Center has a number of lectures, networking opportunities, and resources available for all Black small businesses owners and entrepreneurs.  Through our SBA Navigator Program we are increasing the support of training and technical assistance to underserved small businesses in Georgia regardless of membership.  We can assist with general business development, strategic planning, accessing capital and marketing help – with no cost to you. So while it is not our Stakeholder program, it is an important RICE resource. This program has the potential for supporting and readying your business for its next phase. 

There are two ways for businesses to engage with the Russell Center. Each year we have a call for applications for businesses to become Stakeholders of the Center. These 100+ Stakeholder companies receive the full suite of RICE services. The Russell Center also has a number of lectures, networking opportunities, and resources available for all Black small businesses owners and entrepreneurs. Sign up at russellcenter.org to join our 4500 + member network.

RICE works with any type of company – whether they are just starting out with their first idea, or trying to scale an existing business. We have solo-preneurs and companies with growing employee bases. We support all industries and possibilities. Current Stakeholder
Companies are concentrated in consulting, tech, food & beverage, film & media, and education.

The proprietary curriculum is the Center’s Big IDEAS platform – a continuous, experiential and individualized model that leads companies from INSPIRE to DEVELOP to EXECUTE to ACCELERATE to SCALE. Big IDEAS is the key to RICE’s action plans for Stakeholder companies allowing our Stakeholders to work through their ideas, test them with customers, discard, change and build stronger business models that will systematically move the business forward.

Two of RICE’s defining features are the level of talent we harness for our Stakeholder Companies and the network of experts that we surround them with. We are always looking for volunteers who can help reach, teach, mentor and motivate our business owners. Email us at volunteer@russellcenter.org to get involved.

RICE is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization. Contributions of support are deductible to the extent allowed by law. Our expanded RICE website (russellcenter.org) now accepts online donations. Other questions: Please email our Director of Development, Brittany Saadiq at bsaadiq@russellcenter.org to discuss how you can fund the dreams of Atlanta’s Black Entrepreneurs.”

Many of Atlanta’s top companies are investing in RICE (visit https://russellcenter.org/ourdonors to view the full list of donors). You can join them in financial support, employee volunteerism, and executive engagement. Email us at volunteer@russellcenter.org to learn how your company’s time, treasure, and talent can help. Our Donors – Atlanta’s Home for Black Entrepreneurshttps://russellcenter.org

The COVID-19 crisis has hit this community hard, and with mounting evidence that the pandemic will expand America’s racial wealth gap, the impact to Atlanta’s Black business community is significant. RICE is providing informational webinars, strategy huddle sessions, virtual classrooms and individualized coaching sessions through our suite of business resources. There are over 4500 Black-owned small businesses in our network, and we’re providing our entrepreneurs with the world-class expertise and resources they’ll need to survive this crisis, keep their businesses afloat, and give them the tools for true economic mobility.

We have a number of positions currently open. If you’re qualified, passionate, fun to work with, and interested in joining the team at RICE in support of Atlanta’s Black entrepreneurs, email us at info@russellcenter.org.