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U.S. EDA Partners with Operation HOPE to Assist Atlanta Entrepreneurs in Increasing Financial Literacy


WASHINGTON - The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) today announced a $600,000 grant to Operation HOPE, Inc., of Los Angeles, Calif., to support the HOPE Financial Literacy Empowerment Center Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. The HOPE Center will support entrepreneurship opportunities for individuals and families in low-income neighborhoods allowing them to take control of their economic future.

"This EDA investment supports Operation Hope's entrepreneurship initiative by providing Atlanta entrepreneurs with the technical assistance and training necessary to be competitive and succeed in the workforce," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John R. Fernandez.

"Our goal is to serve the under-served community of Greater Atlanta with financial literacy empowerment tools and services; teaching what we here at Operation HOPE call the "language of money," and giving people the dignity of a hand up, and not just a hand out," said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, Inc.

EDA is partnering with Operation HOPE to promote entrepreneurship in Atlanta by supporting the establishment and use of a variety of innovative business and technical tools that can be leveraged to increase small business efficiency and productivity. In 2010, EDA invested a $500,000 grant to Operation Hope, Inc., of New York, N.Y., to supply entrepreneurs, through the Operation Hope entrepreneurial training curriculum, with the necessary tools to ensure efficient growth of business.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration:

The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.