Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council

What Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council does

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council (NWTEDC) is a private nonprofit community action agency founded in 1965 and headquartered in Dresden, Tennessee. The organization administers federal and state anti-poverty programs across a nine-county service area in Northwest Tennessee — Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, and Weakley — with 51–100 employees and a network of dedicated county service centers plus 15+ Head Start and Early Head Start classroom locations. Its core programs are the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Head Start and Early Head Start (serving 871+ enrolled children), Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), all provided free of charge to income-eligible households.

NWTEDC's underlying technology stack is modest: a public website (nwcommunityaction.org) for service information, the Tennessee Housing Development Agency's LIHEAP Portal on the SmartSimple platform for energy-assistance applications, and the ChildPlus application system for Head Start program management. Service delivery is fundamentally in-person through the nine county service centers and Head Start classrooms, supplemented by a 1-800 hotline and social media channels. Weatherization Assistance was previously operated but has been transferred to Southwest Human Resource Agency due to funding constraints.

The revenue model is entirely grant-funded. NWTEDC receives federal awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Children and Families) through CSBG (Grant Numbers Z24 49114 and Z25 49114), Head Start (04CH01199904), and LIHEAP (24-13 and 25-13), with TEFAP commodity food value delivered in partnership with Mid-South Food Bank and Second Harvest Mid-TN. There is no fee-for-service revenue, no customer pricing, and no commercial product line. Eligibility for all services is governed by Federal Income Guidelines, family size, and priority criteria including TANF, SSI, foster children, homelessness, and disability status. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operates under the Community Action Partnership umbrella.

Name

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council

Legal name

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council

Website

https://nwcommunityaction.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council is a federally funded nonprofit community action agency founded in 1965 that delivers Head Start, energy assistance, food assistance, and case management services across nine counties in rural Northwest Tennessee, serving 871+ low-income children and families through 15+ centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Action and Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Community Development & Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG, Place-Based Initiatives) (BPAIANAE), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Early childhood education
• Energy assistance programs
• Emergency food assistance
• Anti-poverty services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dresden

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants - Community Services Block Grant (CSBG): Federal grant administered through TN Department of Human Services to provide programs, services and activities geared toward reducing and/or eliminating causes and conditions of poverty in rural communities.
2. Head Start Grant: Head Start and Early Head Start program funding from Office of Head Start within Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Grant Numbers 04CH01199904.
3. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP): Federal program funding for energy assistance to eligible households with very low income. LIHEAP Grant Numbers 24-13 and 25-13.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council is a nonprofit community action agency that administers federally funded anti-poverty programs for income-eligible households across nine counties in Northwest Tennessee. Its core offerings include Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) programs, Head Start and Early Head Start early childhood education, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). All services are provided free of charge to eligible individuals and families based on Federal Income Guidelines.

Product overview

Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council (NWTEDC) operates as a Community Action Partnership agency offering a coordinated portfolio of social services across nine counties in Northwest Tennessee. The organization administers federal and state grant programs including Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Head Start & Early Head Start (early childhood education), Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). These programs work together to address poverty, provide educational opportunities for children, assist with energy costs, and distribute food assistance to income-eligible households. The organization also previously operated Weatherization Assistance but transferred those services to Southwest Human Resource Agency due to funding constraints.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Federal grant program administered through the TN Department of Human Services that enables NWTEDC to provide a range of programs, services, and activities geared toward reducing or eliminating the causes and conditions of poverty in rural communities across nine Northwest Tennessee counties. Services are provided free to income-eligible households.
• Head Start and Early Head Start Comprehensive educational, social, and health programs for children ages 0-5, serving high-risk children from low-income families with classroom-based early childhood education services across 15+ Head Start and Early Head Start centers.
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) Federal program designed to assist eligible households with very low income who pay a high portion of household income for home energy. Program runs November 1 through September 30, with applications processed through the LIHEAP Portal.
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Program that distributes USDA commodity foods quarterly to income-eligible households in the nine-county service area, in partnership with Mid-South Food Bank and Second Harvest Mid-TN.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Southwest Human Resource AgencysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthwest Human Resource Agency provides Weatherization Assistance Program services in the NWTEDC service area counties (Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, and Weakley) due to lack of funding for that program at NWTEDC.
• Mid-South Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) distribution for individuals living in Crockett, Dyer, Lake, and Obion Counties through the food bank network.
• Second Harvest Mid-TNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) distribution for individuals living in Benton, Carroll, Gibson, Henry, and Weakley Counties through the food bank network.
• Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdministers the LIHEAP program in Tennessee. NWTEDC serves as local delivery partner for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Provides LIHEAP Portal for applications.
• Other Tennessee Community Action AgenciessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of partner organizations including Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority, Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee, Metropolitan Action Commission, Mid-East Community Action Agency, Mountain Valley Economic Opportunity/ETHRA, South Central Human Resource Agency, Southwest Human Resource Agency, Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, Upper East Tennessee Human Development Agency, and Shelby County Community Services Agency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Douglas-Cherokee Economic Authority: Tennessee CAA serving a multi-county region with the same federal grant programs; named as a partner in NWTEDC's statewide community action network.
• Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency: Tennessee CAA providing the same anti-poverty program portfolio across Upper Cumberland counties; part of the formal Tennessee CAA partner network.
• South Central Human Resource Agency: Tennessee CAA serving south-central counties with the same federal grant programs; one of NWTEDC's named partner agencies.
• Southwest Human Resource Agency: Another Tennessee Community Action Agency operating CSBG, Head Start, and related federal programs across a different multi-county service area; already partners with NWTEDC (taking over the Weatherization program).
• Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee: Tennessee CAA administering CSBG, Head Start, LIHEAP and related programs in Knox County; structurally identical to NWTEDC.
• Mid-East Community Action Agency: Tennessee CAA providing the same portfolio of federal anti-poverty programs (CSBG, Head Start, LIHEAP) to a different multi-county region; listed as a formal partner in NWTEDC's CAA network.
• Metropolitan Action Commission: Nashville-area CAA delivering CSBG, Head Start, LIHEAP, and emergency assistance; operates as a comparable urban/metro counterpart to NWTEDC's rural model.
• Shelby County Community Services Agency: Memphis-area CAA delivering the same CSBG/Head Start/LIHEAP portfolio; large urban counterpart to NWTEDC.

Broad incumbents

• Community Action Partnership (National): National membership organization representing 1,000+ CAAs including NWTEDC; provides training, advocacy, and program frameworks that NWTEDC follows.

Emerging players

• Volunteers of America Mid-States: Regional nonprofit providing Head Start, family services, and housing programs across parts of Tennessee and Kentucky; partial overlap with NWTEDC's family/youth service lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/with_replies
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100092231017157
• Instagraminstagram.com/northwesttnheadstart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-tennessee-economic-development-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Northwest Tennessee Economic Development Council