 ABOUT TREE
Texans for Rural Entrepreneurship and Education (TREE) is a collaborative partnership involving eight established nonprofit 501(c)(3) multi-county business and community development organizations seek to foster rural entrepreneurship in 42 counties in South Texas. Although the TREE collaborative began August 2004, progress has been limited due a lack of staff and operating resources. None of the TREE partners are part of Kellogg funded initiatives.
The mission of Texans for Rural Entrepreneurship and Education (TREE) is to bring together the talent, resources and assets of its eight member organizations to provide ongoing training, technical support and capital to assist entrepreneurs and fledgling business enterprises in its service area. In addition, TREE seeks to:
- Strengthen the three TREE partner Entrepreneurship Centers with a uniform entrepreneurship development model that includes asset building, mentoring, technology development and other business development techniques.
- Develop a comprehensive approach to program service delivery with an emphasis on money management (given the high poverty in rural South Texas).
- Increase the capacity of the partner non profits and increase their opportunities to leverage operating funds from lenders, state and federal sources committed to rural entrepreneurship.
- Continue to secure additional capital for business development loans in the South Texas targeted region.
- Create one new entrepreneurial corridors in the region.
- Actively work with federal, state and local officials in Texas and within the targeted region to raise the awareness of rural entrepreneurship and its importance to local economies.
Deliver community/economic development programs and services that provide long term economic benefit to rural Texas. |
