Atlanta, Georgia, December 16 - Georgia Public Broadcasting announced today it has received a $175,000 grant from Truist Foundation to create a new bilingual (English/Spanish) online simulation/game - Start It Up! - designed to allow players to experience making realistic decisions surrounding starting a small business.

“GPB is listening to the instructional needs of our state and working with amazing partners to develop high-quality digital resources that are offered at no cost to educators and students,” says GPB Director of Education Laura Evans.

Produced in collaboration with the Georgia Council on Economic Education (GCEE), FableVision, and the University of Georgia Entrepreneurship Center, the game will be designed for high school and college students. It will simulate the role entrepreneurs and small business owners play in creating and growing a new business from the ground up.

Game play will be linked to real-world examples, including small business best practices and start-up strategies, key financial products, approaches to doing business and examples of small business successes, offering players insight and advice from entrepreneurs who have successfully created thriving businesses in communities throughout Georgia.

By enabling individuals to focus on key strategies of successful small business creation, Start It Up! is designed to help young adults establish firm plans for starting businesses and lead to better opportunities and greater economic mobility within their communities.

Previously, GPB Education, the GCEE and FableVision created a financial literacy game targeting middle and high school students. Made possible by a grant from the SunTrust Trusteed Foundations, Lights, Camera, Budget! has been played 6.3 million times and is one of GPB’s most successful educational resources.

Most recently, GPB and the Georgia Council on Economic Education launched Econ Express, a game-changing, free online resource that helps teachers and students learn, practice, and assess basic economic concepts in a creative and engaging way.

“Small businesses drive our local economies, disrupt industries, and support employees and families across the state,” said Jenna Kelly, Georgia regional president for Truist, speaking on behalf of the Truist Foundation. “This grant will enable Georgia Public Broadcasting to provide aspiring entrepreneurs information and education that can fuel new business ventures, and it represents another way Truist fulfills its purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities.”