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

Complying with the New Head Start Performance Standards
On August 21, 2024, the federal Office of Head Start (OHS) released extensive regulatory changes to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) in Supporting the Head Start Workforce and Consistent Quality Programming (the Final Rule)…

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…

2020 Uniform Guidance Updates: Indirect Costs
The Uniform Guidance, 2 C.F.R. Part 200, has been substantially revised for the first time since it was issued, and the final revisions took effect on November 12, 2020. Though most of the revisions will not apply to federal awards issued before November 12, CAAs should begin to plan now for their...

Joining Forces: Evaluating Merger Opportunities
Now more than ever, CAAs are thinking about innovative ways to maximize their impact while conserving resources. One method for doing so is a merger with another CAA or nonprofit organization. CAPLAW recently issued a new merger decision-making tool that helps CAA leaders understand critical...

FQHC Opportunities: Designation to Collaboration
Reductions in funding and reimbursement have made it increasingly challenging for Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to furnish critical outpatient health care services to their high need and often medically underserved communities. For many CAAs, structuring certain health care lines of business to...

Leadership Lessons: Pro Action of Steuben and Yates
When the board of directors of Pro Action of Steuben and Yates, Inc. gathered for their monthly meeting at the organization’s offices in Bath, New York on February 18, 2020, they had no idea that it would be the last time they would sit in the same room for over half a year. Fortunately, CEO Laura...

Leadership Lessons: Northern KY Community Action Commission
Catrena Bowman-Thomas picked up her office phone and called Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission’s (NKCAC) board chair, J.C. Morgan. She had just left an early March 2020 executive leadership team meeting at NKCAC headquarters in Covington, Kentucky, and had a lot to report. The team had...

Combining Forces: A Merger Manual for CAAs
Now more than ever, CAAs are exploring mergers as a strategy to improve their sustainability and enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. This new tool and the accompanying webinar can help CAA leaders understand the risks and benefits associated with merging, identify and evaluate potential...

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...

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...