The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development works with a consortium of academic institutions and other entities to achieve its vision and mission. Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University (GSU), Emory University, University of Georgia, and Mercer University each have programs and faculty of the highest caliber working on aspects of quality growth—in particular, the City and Regional Planning Program and the Center for Geographic Information Systems in the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech, the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta, the Real Estate Program in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at GSU, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, and the Emory School of Law. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also an important participant in CQGRD's research.

Additional partners include the Atlanta Smart Growth Partnership consisting of the Atlanta Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Conservancy, the Atlanta District Council of the Urban Land Institute and Georgia Tech's College of Architecture . The Center also works with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and the University of Georgia.