CCbenefits, Inc.

Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Clearinghouse on Entrepreneurship Education (CELCEE)

 Website:            www.celcee.edu

U. S. Department of Education

 Website:            www.ed.gov

Texas EDGE

 Contact:            Allen Spelce or R. J. DeSilva

 Phone:              (512) 463-4070

 Website:            www.window.state.tx.us/texasedge

National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship

       Phone:              (413) 755 - 6102

       Website:           www.nacce.com

Center for Rural Studies - a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. Rural Community and Economic Development – guides and training materials for citizens and community leaders.

Community and Rural Development Institute - provides research, education and policy analysis on critical community and rural development issues.

Community College National Center for Community Engagement – is a leader in advancing programs and innovations that stimulate active participation of institutions in community engagement for the attainment of a vital citizenry.

Farm Foundation - increase your understanding of the important issues facing American agriculture and rural people. Programs strive to identify the forces of change for agriculture and rural America, stimulate analysis and education on these forces of change and related policy issues, and encourage public dialogue on these issues and policy alternative so that public and private sector decision makers can make more informed decisions. Not a grant foundation.

Heartland Center for Leadership Development - an independent, nonprofit organization developing local leadership that responds to the challenges of the future. A major focus of the Heartland Center's activities is practical resources and public policies for rural community survival.

Local Economic Development Agency

National Rural Development Partnership - through State Rural Development Councils and a National Rural Development Council brings together federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as well as the private for-profit and non-profit sectors, to work in partnership for the improvement of rural America's communities. Rural Resources Online.

Rural Community Assistance Corporation - dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural communities and disadvantaged people through partnerships, technical assistance and access to resources. RCAC strives to help community-based organizations and rural governments increase their own capacity to implement solutions to their problems.

Rural Information Center - is a joint project of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service and the National Agricultural Library (NAL). Provides information and referral services to local government officials, community organizations, health professionals and organizations, rural electric and telephone cooperatives, libraries, businesses, and rural citizens working to maintain the vitality of America's rural areas. The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the NAL jointly created a rural health information clearinghouse known as the Rural Information Center Health Service (RICHS) - designed to be a national clearinghouse for collecting and disseminating information on rural health issues, research findings related to rural health, and innovative approaches to the delivery of rural health care services.

Rural Policy Research Institute - provides objective analysis and facilitates public dialogue concerning the impacts of public policy on rural people and places.

Texas Center for Rural Entrepreneurship – to establish neutral ground to facilitate the delivery of educational and technical support to meet the needs of rural entrepreneurs and organizations supporting entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial spirit in rural Texas.

Texas Workforce Commission

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development - committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. Financial programs support public facilities and services as water and sewer systems, housing, health clinics, emergency service facilities and electric and telephone service. Promotes economic development by supporting loans to businesses through banks and community-managed lending pools. Offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural and other cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their member services. Provides technical assistance to help communities undertake community empowerment programs. Business and Cooperative Programs, Housing and Community Facility Programs, Utility Programs, Community Development & Empowerment Programs.

W. K. Kellogg Collection of Rural Community Development Resources - The Collection contains high quality rural community development materials funded by the Kellogg Foundation and other selected sponsors of recognized rural programs. Guidebooks, manuals, workshop materials, reports, books, and videos are included. A major benefit of this collection is having a central repository for such materials to discourage new programs from spending time and money to develop resource materials that may already exist.