As educators have come to realize that problems as complex as undereducation, illiteracy, lack of minority educational success, and poverty are too overwhelming for any single institution to address on its own, they have formed inter-institutional educational alliances. In the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), a community college-university alliance marked the first inter-institutional wave. The second wave began in 1983 after the Arizona state legislature mandated coordination of high school and community college employment preparation programs, resulting in course credit articulation, occupational credential acceptance, and resource coordination. The latest wave of inter-institutional cooperation has produced the Think Tank project, an alliance spanning all levels of education, ranging from kindergarten through postsecondary education. The goal of Think Tank is to use the collective resources of member elementary, high school, and community colleges within the greater Phoenix urban area to insure that students enter, re-enter, and remain in school until their maximum learning potential and goals are realized. Achieving a College Education (ACE) programs are the hallmark of the Think Tank project. ACE alliances are multifaceted, involving the following key elements: early recruitment, scholarships, student assessment and placement, parental involvement, summer institutes for high school students, a sense of family between students and staff, financial aid, and problem-free transfer. In addition to the ACE programs, Think Tank has established a number of other cooperative programs, including on-line and on-site registration, on-line library access, parenting literacy, and an urban teacher corps. A list of inter-institutional educational alliances coordinated by the MCCCD is attached. (JMC)