Community Action Association of Pennsylvania

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Community Action Association of Pennsylvania Community Action's ultimate goal is to help low-income individuals and their families reach and maintain self-sufficiency.

CAAP is a statewide membership organization representing 42 Community Action Agencies in the Commonwealth that help low-income individuals and families reach and maintain self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency is a measure of how much income is needed for a family to adequately meet its basic needs - without public or private assistance. The Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) is a statewide membership organization representing 42 Community Action Agencies in the Commonwealth. CAAP acts as a statewide voice for local Community Action Agencies and low-income citizens. It is the primary source of advocacy, education, technical assistance, news and networking for the Community Action network of Pennsylvania. Asociación de Acción Comunitaria de Pensilvania | CAAP in Harrisburg, PA: Las 42 agencias miembros de CAAP ayudan a las personas con bajos ingresos a alcanzar y mantener la autosuficiencia a través de programas, servicios, asistencia de emergencia y servicios de DV en 66 condados. Visite www.thecaap.org
para encontrar su agencia de acción comunitaria local, que lo ayudará a postularse a todos los programas, incluido ERAP, para los que es elegible. For over 40 years, CAAP has served the needs of its member Agencies by helping to identify and sponsor professional training in anti-poverty areas, facilitating regular meetings of Community Action Agency leadership staff and board members, serving as the conduit for resource development, advocating for public policy conducive to locally-developed goals of its membership, and promoting legislation and regulations which support economic opportunity efforts, community development and locally-designed strategies. CAAP is a private non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors comprised of representatives from member Agencies. An Advisory Council consisting of representatives from public and private organizations, statewide interest groups and low-income individuals, provides guidance and perspective related to the diverse needs of low-income people. Core funding for CAAP is provided through member agency dues. Program and training funds are provided in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Services; and the Corporation for National Community Service.

Process mapping can sound technical until Mel Luckenbaugh gets a room working on it.CAAP’s Director of Strategic Initiat...
10/20/2026

Process mapping can sound technical until Mel Luckenbaugh gets a room working on it.

CAAP’s Director of Strategic Initiatives recently facilitated “Improve How Work Gets Done: An Introductory Workshop on Process Mapping” at the Community Opportunity Alliance Summit, where participants moved beyond theory and practiced the process together.

Mel guided attendees step-by-step through process mapping and helped them build a SIPOC diagram around delivering grant outcomes. The hands-on format gave participants room to ask questions, work through mistakes, make adjustments, and connect the tools directly to challenges they encounter in their own organizations.

The session earned an average participant rating of 4.8 out of 5, with feedback consistently highlighting Mel’s practical approach, engaging facilitation, and ability to make the topic accessible. One of the clearest themes in the evaluations was that attendees simply wanted more time.

We love seeing CAAP staff share their expertise, create useful learning experiences, and help organizations find practical ways to improve how work gets done.

What does it really take to build healthier communities?It goes far beyond what happens in a doctor’s office.On this epi...
10/19/2026

What does it really take to build healthier communities?

It goes far beyond what happens in a doctor’s office.

On this episode of Thinking CAAP, Beck Moore sits down with Dr. Craig Butler of PA Health & Wellness to talk about the non-medical factors that shape our health from transportation and food to housing and the ability to live independently.

They also explore why partnerships between healthcare organizations and Community Action matter, and how combining resources with local knowledge can help connect people to benefits and support they may not even realize are available.

🎧 Tune in to hear how healthcare and Community Action can work together to build healthier, stronger communities.

https://zurl.co/CHIMt

Thank you to PA Health & Wellness for sponsoring the 2026 CAAP Conference.

Mission-driven work asks a lot of the people who lead, serve, support teams, and show up for their communities every day...
10/16/2026

Mission-driven work asks a lot of the people who lead, serve, support teams, and show up for their communities every day. During the 2026 CAAP Conference, Hattie B. and Dr. Amber Sessoms will create space for an honest conversation about carrying that responsibility while also caring for ourselves.

“Mission Possible: The Mirror, the Weight & the Work” will explore purpose, boundaries, resilience, self-compassion, and the importance of extending some of the same grace and humanity to ourselves that we offer so freely to others.

Through reflection and practical strategies, Hattie and Dr. Sessoms will invite attendees to think about how they can reconnect with what brought them to mission-driven work while building habits that help make the work more sustainable.

Thursday, October 29
8:30–9:30 AM

Learn more about the 2026 CAAP Conference:
https://zurl.co/LKAYT

District office staff are often among the first people community members contact when they need help finding housing, fo...
10/15/2026

District office staff are often among the first people community members contact when they need help finding housing, food, utility assistance, or other local resources. CAAP recently had an opportunity to bring PA Navigate directly into that setting.

CAAP’s Kat Royer and Matthew Moser joined Jen Wintermyer, CEO of Tri County Community Action for an in-person session with legislative district office staff in Harrisburg. Together, they demonstrated how PA Navigate can help staff search for local programs and identify resources that are claimed, recently updated, and actively accepting referrals.

The conversation also explored how PA Navigate’s search data can offer insight into the needs people are bringing forward in their communities, while Tri County Community Action shared firsthand experience using the platform in its day-to-day work.

CAAP hopes this will be the beginning of more opportunities to bring PA Navigate and our member agencies into conversations with offices across Pennsylvania, helping strengthen the connections between community needs and the organizations ready to respond.

Read more: https://zurl.co/1ZPvw

💡 Could a different approach to health benefits give your organization more budget predictability while offering employe...
10/15/2026

💡 Could a different approach to health benefits give your organization more budget predictability while offering employees more choice?

At day 2 of the 2026 CAAP Pre-Conference, join Charlotte Smith, Senior Director of Partnerships, and Zane Horne, Consultant Relations, from Take Command for a conversation about ICHRA/CHOICE programs and how they can support an organization’s health benefits strategy.

This session will explore how this approach can help fiscal teams plan and manage benefits budgets while giving employees greater choice in their health coverage.

Attendees will also learn about important considerations for implementation and opportunities to build a benefits strategy that supports the organization and its team as a whole.

If your organization is thinking about the future of employee benefits, budgeting, or ways to provide employees with more flexibility, add this session to your 2026 CAAP Pre-Conference agenda!

📅 Day 2: October 27

Leadership CAAP is officially underway!Our inaugural class brings together 23 fellows representing 16 organizations from...
10/15/2026

Leadership CAAP is officially underway!

Our inaugural class brings together 23 fellows representing 16 organizations from across Pennsylvania’s Community Action network. During their first gathering, fellows met the CAAP team, talked through what they can expect from the program, and began getting to know the people they’ll be learning alongside in the months ahead.

Our keynote speaker for our conference, Marie Conley, also led an engaging CliftonStrengths session that helped participants better understand their individual strengths and how those strengths shape communication, collaboration, and leadership. Interactive activities, thoughtful conversations, and plenty of laughter helped the group begin building connections while giving fellows practical insight they can take back to their own teams.

Leadership CAAP was created to invest in emerging leaders and help strengthen the leadership pipeline across Pennsylvania’s Community Action network. Fellows will continue meeting virtually and in person, learning from experienced professionals, receiving individualized coaching, and developing relationships with peers from across the Commonwealth.

We’re excited to see where this first Leadership CAAP class goes from here.

Sometimes better service starts with something as simple as having the right technology in the right place.Across Pennsy...
10/14/2026

Sometimes better service starts with something as simple as having the right technology in the right place.

Across Pennsylvania, ARPA funding is helping Community Action Agencies modernize the systems behind their work, from laptops and tablets that make services more accessible in community settings to stronger data systems, referral processes, cybersecurity, and PA Navigate integration.

Through CAAP, $2.1 million in ARPA funding supported 19 projects across the Community Action network, including distribution of 200 laptops, 50 tablets, and 113 docking stations and adapters. It also supported software upgrades, workflow redesigns, training and so much more that has been or will be deployed as part of this project.

Those investments are already helping agencies reduce duplicate work, reach people outside traditional office settings, and give staff more time and capacity to focus on the people they serve.

Our latest LinkedIn article takes a closer look at what that investment is making possible across Pennsylvania.

Read the full article here: https://zurl.co/Txk2O

For those joining us for pre-conference programming, Fiscal Boot Camp will offer two full days of practical learning foc...
10/09/2026

For those joining us for pre-conference programming, Fiscal Boot Camp will offer two full days of practical learning focused on the financial work that helps nonprofit organizations remain strong, accountable, and prepared for what comes next.

On Monday, October 26, the team from McKonly & Asbury, LLP will lead attendees through topics including financial storytelling, reporting and regulatory requirements, audit preparation, internal controls, organizational risk, and emerging uses of AI and automation in budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and analytics.

Day 2 continues Tuesday, October 27 with RKL exploring adaptive budgeting and strategies for responding to changing financial conditions. In the afternoon, Brandi Fleming, Executive Director of Indiana County Community Action Program, Inc., will focus on strengthening communication and collaboration between program and fiscal teams.

Both days run from 9:30 AM–4 PM and are designed to give attendees ideas and tools they can bring back to their organizations.

We’re looking forward to kicking off Conference week with two days of conversation, learning, and practical application.

Session 5 at the 2026 CAAP Conference will also highlight practical ways agencies can strengthen service delivery, impro...
10/08/2026

Session 5 at the 2026 CAAP Conference will also highlight practical ways agencies can strengthen service delivery, improve coordination, and connect with CAAP’s resources.

On Thursday, October 29, attendees can explore:

Coordinating Home Repair and Weatherization: Piloting a Streamlined Delivery Method
Moderated by Pat Coleman
With Panelists: Tom Heckman, Jamie Graham and Katie Vorce

Connect with CAAP: Resources, Services & Support
Presented by CAAP Staff

These sessions speak directly to the everyday work of Community Action: improving systems, connecting services, supporting staff, and helping communities access resources more effectively.

Learn more about the 2026 CAAP Conference:
https://zurl.co/E7aMr

Today is the final day to register for the 2026 CAAP Conference.We’ve spent the past several weeks introducing the speak...
10/07/2026

Today is the final day to register for the 2026 CAAP Conference.

We’ve spent the past several weeks introducing the speakers, sessions, pre-conference learning opportunities, and conversations that will bring Pennsylvania’s Community Action network together later this month. Now, we’re officially at the registration deadline.

If you’ve been planning to attend and haven’t completed your registration yet, please do so today. Registration will not be accepted after October 7.

CAAP Member Registration:
https://zurl.co/iq60o

Non-Member Registration:
https://zurl.co/WSiNl

We’re looking forward to learning, connecting, and spending time together in just a few weeks!

Address

PO Box 63
Palmyra, PA
17078

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+17172331075

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Community Action Association of Pennsylvania posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Community Action Association of Pennsylvania:

Shortcuts

Share