Resource Library
All of CAPLAW’s resources and publications are now available in CAPLAW’s new Resource Library. Use the search filters below to find the resource you need.
Featured Resources
Spotlight on Immigrant Eligibility for Public Benefits
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) working with immigrant communities often struggle to provide effective assistance due to the complexities of immigration and public benefits laws…
Open Meetings Law State-by-State Guide
Open meetings laws typically apply to federal, state, and local governmental bodies. However, some states expand applicability to non-governmental entities, such as recipients of government grants and certain nonprofit organizations…
Responding to Data Incidents
With cybercrime increasing, this question arises more and more often. Many CAAs have moved away from paper records toward electronic systems which contain significant amounts of data, and it isn’t always clear what obligations a CAA has when data within its care is compromised…
All a-Board! Series: Duty of Loyalty (Purpose)
Understand the great responsibility of being a board member through the lens of the duty of loyalty: each board member's obligation to place the interests of the CAA before their personal interests. Learn how to identify and address conflicts of interest, whether they be good, bad, or ugly.Whether...
All a-Board! Series: Engage & Retain Board Members (People)
Join late-night talk show host Carlton Caplaw and renowned band leader Carmen Alto as they discuss five practices that CAPLAW has found to be the hallmarks of engaged and committed boards: educating board members, communicating openly, requiring participation, continually enforcing policies, and...
All a-Board! Series: Board Meeting Ecosystem (Process)
Discover the wonder of the CAA board meeting ecosystem and how board members navigate survival in a world of compliance and governance responsibilities. Follow one group's use of a consent agenda to save time and resources at a board meeting, and allow for in-depth analysis and discussion of...
New FASB Reporting Rules: CAA Management
Now that the new FASB accounting standards for nonprofit organizations have taken effect, it’s time to step back and evaluate whether your CAA’s board and senior staff are familiar with the new presentation of financial statements, and how each is effectively using the information to inform its...
New FASB Reporting Rules: CAA Boards
Now that the new FASB accounting standards for nonprofit organizations have taken effect, it’s time to step back and evaluate whether your CAA’s board and senior staff are familiar with the new presentation of financial statements, and how each is effectively using the information to inform its...
Updates to the Head Start Designation Renewal System
The Office of Head Start recently issued its much-anticipated revisions to the Designation Renewal System (DRS) rule, which include changes to three key areas affecting recompetition: CLASS reviews, monitoring deficiencies, and audit findings. In this webinar, we outlined the specific changes in...
Sample Record Retention Policy
This sample policy can help CAAs to build their own record retention and destruction policy in compliance with federal and state laws, including the CSBG Organizational Standards, the Uniform Guidance, Form 990, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. CAPLAW’s Policies in Practice: Record...
Policies in Practice: Record Retention
In this webinar, we discuss CAPLAW's updated Sample Record Retention Policy and the types of organizational documents that it covers, how to choose appropriate record retention periods, and how the policy promotes good governance practices. An effective record retention policy helps staff, board...
Policies in Practice: Conflicts of Interest
In this webinar, we discuss CAPLAW’s Sample Conflict of Interest Policy for Boards and Senior Staff of both CAAs with Head Start and CAAs without Head Start, including managing potential gray areas. An effective conflict of interest policy helps CAA board members and staff navigate conflicts that...