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The Community Action
Partnership is the nonprofit,
national membership organization representing the interests of the 1,100
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) across the country that annually help 17
million low-income Americans achieve economic security. Whether it's a Head Start program,
Weatherization, job training, housing, food bank, energy assistance, financial
education, or any of the other 40+ distinct programs, CAAs work to make America
a better place to live.
The Partnership's current
initiatives include the Office of Community Services (HHS)-sponsored initiative
on Exemplary Practices in Community Economic Development (CED), Rooting Out Poverty: A Campaign by America's
Community Action Network and
a two-year Ford Foundation project on Racial Equity and Economic Security. The CED project is identifying, disseminating and
implementing successful best practices for CAAs and related organizations. Visit
our new project website: www.PartnershipCED.org. Rooting Out Poverty-which initiated with the National Symposium on
Poverty and Economic Security held
in May 2007-is a campaign to promote economic security for all Americans,
especially those who are poor. It
offers themes and specific recommendations and strategies to help children,
families, senior citizens, and other individuals who are vulnerable to poverty,
economic deprivation, and other significant barriers to economic
self-sufficiency. The Racial
Equity and Economic Security project examines whether strategies to reduce
poverty and enhance economic security are more effective when they take into
account racial inequalities.
Through this project, the Partnership is developing tools and materials
that help the Community Action network improve their programs and services.
In order to help CAAs meet
ever-changing community needs, the Partnership sponsors an annual convention,
publishes a quarterly magazine, provides training and technical assistance
opportunities, and a weekly electronic newsletter. The Partnership sponsors a national certification program
for individual CAAs ("Pathways to Excellence," based on the Baldrige standards)
and a rigorous training program for individual Community Action leaders
("Certified Community Action Professional," CCAP). Most recently the federal Office of Community Services in
the Department of Health & Human Services designated the Partnership as the
lead national non-profit for two working groups: Jobs & Job Creation and Community Economic Development.
The Partnership handles information requests from the news media and the general public. Our staff can be reached via phone, 202-265-7546, or e-mail .
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