Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence: Creating shared infrastructure for Birmingham’s small business ecosystem

The Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence is a Birmingham-based nonprofit recently established through a federal Recompete Grant to strengthen how small businesses access capital, technical assistance, and coordinated support across the city. The Center was created to address long-standing gaps in ecosystem coordination by serving as a backbone organization for Birmingham’s small business support system.

Rather than operating as a direct service provider, the Center focuses on building shared infrastructure that allows lenders, business support organizations, and ecosystem partners to align priorities, share information, and operate more effectively in support of local entrepreneurs.