Missouri Community Action Network

Missouri Community Action Network Helping People & Changing Lives in all 114 Missouri counties. Missouri CAN is a nonpartisan, nongovernmental, nonprofit organization.

Community Action serves more than 250,000 low-income Missourians annually in each county through local, community-based solutions. As the statewide association, Missouri CAN strengthens the Community Action Network through education, training and advocacy for low-income families they serve. (Missouri CAN is formerly known as Missouri Association for Community Action or MACA.)

Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN) has released the 2026 Training and Technical Assistance Survey!We are a...
06/01/2026

Missouri Community Action Network (Missouri CAN) has released the 2026 Training and Technical Assistance Survey!

We are asking you to take 5 minutes to complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5XGZJJY

Your input will help us ensure training offerings meet the needs of our Network. Please provide your response by June 19. If you have any questions, please contact Charlie Parker, Missouri CAN’s Training and Capacity Building Coordinator, at [email protected].

Thank you to all who attended this year!Our last day at conference wrapped up today, and we’re grateful for the conversa...
05/22/2026

Thank you to all who attended this year!

Our last day at conference wrapped up today, and we’re grateful for the conversations, connections, and ideas shared throughout the week.

We’re heading home with new insights and practical takeaways that will help strengthen our programs, support our staff, and better serve our communities.

We leave this conference feeling motivated, energized, and reminded that when passionate people come together with a shared purpose, incredible things can happen. The work doesn’t stop here, this is just the beginning of bringing these ideas back home and turning them into action.

More photos to come!

05/21/2026

As the golden lights fade on another incredible Missouri CAN Conference, the future of Community Action in Missouri shines even brighter. ✨

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, connected, learned, and inspired bold futures for the communities we serve. In this special farewell message, Missouri CAN Executive Director Megan Bania sends her appreciation and excitement for what’s ahead.

Here’s to carrying these golden moments forward and continuing to build bold futures together. We can’t wait to see everyone again next year! 💙

Stay tuned for more highlights from this week’s conference! 🎥✨

05/21/2026

Tina Bernskoetter, Director of Executive Services for the Missouri Head Start Association and a Missouri Community Action Network board member, stopped by to share what attendees can expect from her session and to highlight the importance of the partnership between Head Start and Community Action agencies.

Stay tuned for more highlights from this year’s Annual Conference!

Day 2 of the MCAN Annual Conference is officially wrapped up! We had an incredible day filled with inspiring workshops, ...
05/21/2026

Day 2 of the MCAN Annual Conference is officially wrapped up! We had an incredible day filled with inspiring workshops, amazing speakers, and meaningful opportunities to connect and collaborate across the network.

We’re grateful for everyone who shared their knowledge, ideas, and energy throughout the day. More photos to come — see you tomorrow!

05/20/2026

We caught up with CMCA Executive Director and MCAN Board Member Darin Preis during this year’s Annual Conference to hear what’s excited him most so far.

Check it out!

05/20/2026

Our Executive Director, Megan Bania, wanted to take a moment during the 2026 Missouri CAN Annual Conference to drop in, say hello, and share how excited she is for everything we are getting to do while hosting this year’s conference!

We are honored to welcome our members, exhibitors, and sponsors together as we learn, connect, and work toward stronger communities across Missouri. Check out her message below! 👇

Day one of the 2026 Missouri Community Action Network Annual Conference was an incredible start to the week! Today, we c...
05/20/2026

Day one of the 2026 Missouri Community Action Network Annual Conference was an incredible start to the week!

Today, we celebrated the strength of our network through important updates, recognition of our outstanding members, and an engaging first round of workshops focused on strengthening our communities across Missouri.

We are also proud to recognize this year’s Legislative Champions:
- Representative Sharpe
- Representative Wright
- Senator McCreery

Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to supporting Community Action agencies and the communities we serve throughout the state!

Additionally, we were honored to celebrate this year’s Charles Braithwaite Award recipient, Darin Preis, for his impact and leadership within the Community Action network.

What a fantastic beginning to our conference week — we look forward to sharing more highlights and updates in the days ahead!

One more day left until our 2026 Annual Conference! 🎉For our final Speaker Spotlight:Alicia Brewer Curran and Tina Berns...
05/18/2026

One more day left until our 2026 Annual Conference! 🎉

For our final Speaker Spotlight:

Alicia Brewer Curran and Tina Bernskoetter each bring extensive experience in early childhood education, family support, and collaborative community leadership across Missouri. Through their work with healthcare providers, educators, Head Start programs, and nonprofit organizations, they have focused on strengthening systems that better support children, families, and local service providers.

In their session, “Head Start ECHO: Strengthening Local Capacity of Early Childhood Programs,” Alicia and Tina will explore how the Show-Me ECHO model connects Head Start and early childhood professionals with experts and peer networks through virtual learning communities. Attendees will learn how this collaborative approach helps providers address real-world challenges, build local capacity, and improve outcomes for young children and families across Missouri.

One more day left until our 2026 Annual Conference! 🎉Up next for our Speaker Spotlight:Courtney Kohler is a Manager on W...
05/18/2026

One more day left until our 2026 Annual Conference! 🎉

Up next for our Speaker Spotlight:

Courtney Kohler is a Manager on Wipfli’s strategy advisory services team, specializing in nonprofit, government, and education organizations. With more than 15 years of nonprofit experience, she focuses on strategic planning, training, coaching, and organizational assessments for Community Action Agencies and Head Start programs. Courtney is also a CCAP, Nationally Certified ROMA Advocate, and Executive Coach.

At the conference, Courtney will present “Stronger Governance for Stronger CAAs” and “Not Your Typical Strategic Planning,” sharing practical, engaging approaches to strengthen board leadership, improve accountability, and build effective, actionable strategic plans that drive real organizational impact. Participants will explore topics such as role clarity, strategic oversight, informed decision-making, and sustainable governance within a tripartite board structure.

Address

3337 Emerald Lane
Jefferson City, MO
65109

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5:30pm

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