The Greensboro Education and Development Council, Inc. is the outgrowth of discussions and concerns regarding the capacity of grassroots programs to sustain themselves and to provide quality programming. A second concern was the city's capacity to generate, on a continuning basis, minorities prepared to assume a variety of leadership roles in the community. These concerns led to the submission of an application to United Way of America for a Kellog Foundation grant.

United Way, as part of its positioning for its Second Century Intiative, targeted inclusiveness as its means of assuring its vitality and capacity to be more open and caring. Titled Project Blueprint, this program's first aim is to involve minorities in meaningful wasys in all levels of decision making in the United Way system of caring and sharing. Secondarily, its aim is to help establish minority managed agencies beneficiary of United Way support. With this support, Ken Alston, principal architecht of the grant, became the first Executive Director of the Council and led in the preparation of the bylaws and the establishment of the organization.

Incorporated in April, 1988, GEDC is a board driven organization. In its seventeenth year of operation, the agency has succesfully conducted seventeen Challenge Greensboro Leadership Development programs. As a result, the human services sector now has a pool of 200+ professionals who are prepared and ready to serve the community.

In addition, with its Afterschool and Summer Enrichmet Academies, added in 1991, Man to Man Male Mentoring program, added in 1994, and Enrichment Services, added in 2002. GEDC has served over 2000 children in the Greater Greensboro area.