Global Village Project

What Global Village Project does

Global Village Project (GVP), founded in 2009 and headquartered in Decatur, Georgia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the only school in the United States dedicated exclusively to refugee girls. The organization delivers a tuition-free, full-day, three-year middle-school program serving 46 students in 2025-26 (up from a 40-50 baseline), with students drawn from 19 countries and speaking 26+ languages. All admitted students receive instruction, meals, transportation, and after-school enrichment at no cost.

GVP's core offering is a proprietary four-pillar educational model: (1) Intensive English Language & Literacy (additive, strengths-based ELL instruction targeting 2 grade levels of reading growth per year); (2) STEAM Education with 15+ experiential field trips annually and 4 Authors' Teas; (3) Social & Emotional Learning & Wellness, including 27 weekly counseling classes and trauma-informed therapy (CBT, EMDR); and (4) Mentoring & Alumnae Engagement, with 65+ community mentors supporting graduates into college and careers. The program is anchored in a trauma-informed, culturally responsive framework for English Language Learners with interrupted formal schooling, validated by 1.8 years of average annual grade-level growth, a 96% attendance rate, and 90%+ of mentored alumnae continuing formal education versus a 75% national dropout rate among refugee secondary students.

GVP's revenue model is 100% donation-dependent. Sources include individual giving (recurring, one-time, legacy, stock, IRA), foundation and corporate grants (e.g., Delta Air Lines as Welcome Walk presenting sponsor), the Georgia tax-credit scholarship program via the Apogee Scholarship Fund, and corporate matching. FY2025 fundraising events generated $188K (Welcome Walk) and over $500K (Tribute to Education Gala), and the organization closed an $8M capital campaign in 2025 for a new three-building, 3.2-acre campus on Shamrock Drive (renovation began September 2025, completion scheduled May 2026) that will double enrollment to ~100 students. The school operates today from Decatur Presbyterian Church under a 17-year host arrangement. The organization's 28-person staff is led by a new CEO & Head of School (Elizabeth Elango, succeeding Allison Ezell effective August 2025), with operational leadership including a Director of Education & Programs, Director of Development, Director of Finance (ex-Spanx VP), Senior Grants Manager, and a multilingual teaching corps with TESOL/ESOL credentials.

Name

Global Village Project

Legal name

The Global Village Project, Inc.

Website

https://globalvillageproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Village Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the only U.S. school exclusively serving refugee girls, providing tuition-free middle-school education (ELL literacy, STEAM, SEL, mentoring) to ~46 students annually from 19 countries in Decatur, Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Education / K-12 Nonprofit School Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Welfare, Pastoral Care & Safeguarding Services (EDAIAHAI), Language Immersion Programs & Camps (Local/Seasonal) (EDAMAFAL)

Keywords

• Refugee girls education
• Tuition-free middle school
• English language literacy
• STEAM refugee education
• Nonprofit education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: GVP relies almost entirely on funds and gifts raised from individuals. The school operates a recurring giving program, one-time donations, stock donations, IRA distributions, and legacy giving through wills/trusts.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations and corporate partners including sponsorship of events like the Welcome Walk (Delta Air Lines as presenting sponsor).
3. Georgia Tax Credit Program: Through the Apogee Scholarship Fund, donors can redirect Georgia state income taxes to support GVP students.
4. Workplace Matching: Corporate employee matching gift programs multiply donor impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Global Village Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a tuition-free, full-day middle school program for refugee girls aged 11–16 in the metro Atlanta area. The program integrates intensive English literacy instruction, STEAM education, social-emotional learning and wellness, and post-graduation mentoring into a single three-year curriculum designed for English Language Learners with interrupted schooling. All services, including meals, transportation, and after-school enrichment, are provided at no cost to admitted students.

Product overview

Global Village Project is a nonprofit middle school (not a technology company) offering a single, unified educational program for refugee girls. The core offering is a three-year, full-day, tuition-free middle school program that combines four integrated pillars: Intensive English Language & Literacy, STEAM Education, Social & Emotional Learning and Wellness, and Mentoring & Alumnae Engagement. Supplementary programs include Student Showcase events, a Community-Based Mentoring Program, and annual fundraising events (Welcome Walk and Tribute to Education Gala). The organization also operates a recurring giving donation program for supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Three-Year Middle School Program Full-day, tuition-free academic program serving refugee girls aged 11-16, focused on English language literacy, core academic subjects, and the arts within a compassionate community and STEAM framework. All services, meals, transportation, and after-school enrichment are provided at no cost.
• Intensive English Language & Literacy Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Students gain 1.8 years of grade-level growth each year enrolled at GVP
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agnes Scott CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership where GVP students walk to Agnes Scott College for lunch and use their dining hall. Agnes Scott is a women's college and partner in the educational ecosystem supporting GVP.
• Ethnē DentalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit dental clinic in Clarkston employing multiple GVP alumni. Provides culturally sensitive dental care to refugee and immigrant population with interpreters for 48 languages.
• 1% for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental partnership organization supporting GVP through environmental stewardship initiatives.
• Delta Air LinescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the annual Welcome Walk event. Provides major event support and corporate partnership for refugee education cause.
• GuideStar / CandidminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndependent nonprofit evaluation organization providing transparency seal and profile for GVP.
• Coalition of Refugee Serving Agencies (CRSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGVP is a member organization adding support to the larger refugee-serving community on issues relevant to the refugee population.
• Georgia State University College of Education & Human DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of 2019 Partnership Award. Partnership in educator development and support for refugee education.
• Decatur Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent host location for GVP school operations for 17 years. Partnership providing physical space for the school.
• Apogee Scholarship FundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeorgia tax credit program through which donors can redirect state income taxes to support GVP scholarships.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Community School: A private nonprofit K-5 school in Decatur, GA with a mission-focused ESOL/immigrant-student model; operates in the same city and serves a closely overlapping refugee/immigrant population (a former GVP lead teacher previously taught there for six years).
• Charles R. Drew Charter School: A public charter school in metro Atlanta serving a high-need, racially and linguistically diverse student body that includes refugee families, with a comparable emphasis on wraparound services and college-going outcomes for under-resourced youth.
• New American Pathways: An Atlanta-based nonprofit providing education, employment, and family support for newly arrived refugees in metro Atlanta — overlapping geography, target population, and wraparound service model, with GVP staff connected through the local resettlement ecosystem.
• Refugee Women's Network: An Atlanta-based nonprofit empowering refugee women and youth through education, advocacy, and leadership programs; shares GVP's female-refugee focus, metro Atlanta catchment, and dependence on community-driven programming and donor support.
• Centro Tyrone Guzman: A Minneapolis-based nonprofit serving Latino immigrant and refugee families with culturally responsive education, youth, and family services — a strong analog in mission, wraparound service design, and reliance on individual and foundation giving.
• Academy of the Oaks: A small private progressive school in Decatur, GA that serves as a documented feeder institution for GVP alumnae; shares the same city, similar small-school ethos, and operates as a comparable nonprofit independent school at similar scale.
• Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO): A Portland, OR-based nonprofit providing culturally and linguistically specific education, youth, and family services for immigrants and refugees; comparable in mission, wraparound service design, and reliance on a mix of government, foundation, and individual donor funding.

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): A large global humanitarian organization that runs refugee education, resettlement, and youth programs in metro Atlanta and elsewhere; competes for the same philanthropic and policy mindshare as GVP but at vastly greater scale and with broader scope beyond K-12 schooling.
• Catholic Charities USA - Migration & Refugee Services: A national network of Catholic Charities agencies providing refugee resettlement, education, and case management; overlaps with GVP on refugee ELL support and is one of the largest U.S. operators in the same space, but does not run dedicated schools for refugee girls.
• LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service): A national refugee resettlement and services organization that supports unaccompanied refugee minors and education programs; overlaps with GVP in serving refugee youth and competing for the same foundation and faith-based donor pool, but at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GVPGA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-global-village-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/globalvillageproject
• Xx.com/GVPGirls

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Village Project