Acronyms

Community Action Agencies use many acronyms. The table below provides a list of some of the most common terms and their acronyms.

Acronym	Term	What is This?
ACF	Administration for Children and Families	ACF is the division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that oversees the federal administration of programs such as CSBG and Head Start.
BOD	Board of Directors	Private CAAs are overseen by a volunteer tripartite Board of Directors. Public CAAs have tripartite Advisory Boards. For CAAs with Head Start programs, the Head Start Program Performance Standards refer to the Board of Directors as a "governing board," a term interchangeable with Board of Directors.
CAA	Community Action Agency	In the early days of Community Action, local Agencies were often called "CAPs" for Community Action Programs. Community Action Agencies (CAAs) is the more common term today and refers to both private and public CAAs.
CAPLAW	Community Action Program Legal Services, Inc. (CAPLAW)	CAPLAW provides legal information to Community Action Agencies. CAPLAW can not represent you as legal counsel. Instead, they provide vital legal information that informs CAA decision-making and mitigates risk. CAPLAW dues are billed with IACAA dues.
CSBG	Community Services Block Grant	CSBG is the grant that defines an organization as a Community Action Agency (CSBG Act)
CYEFR	Consolidated Year-End Financial Report	All CAAs are required to complete a CYEFR through the GATA portal, for each fiscal year the grant agreement covers. Note that this report must be completed for a calendar year even if your CAA's fiscal year does not end on December 31.
DCEO	Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity	DCEO is the state Agency that administers the LIHEAP, IHWAP, and CSBG programs in Illinois.
DOE	Department of Energy	The U.S. Department of Energy oversees federal home weatherization funding. DOE provides a block grant to the Illinois Department of Commerce, which then subgrants funding to CAAs for IHWAP.
EHS	Early Head Start	Early Head Start provides high quality comprehensive preschool services starting from the prenatal period and continuing until a child turns three years old, at which time the child may transition to a Head Start program. Some CAAs operate Early Head Start programs. You can watch for funding opportunities at this link.
FPL	Federal Poverty Level	Most programs operated by Community Action Agencies base eligibility on a multiple of the FPL. Access a reference for income eligibility or learn about the origin of the FPL.
GATA	Grant Accountability and Transparency Act	GATA is an Illinois law that requires increased accountability and reporting for organizations that receive grant funding, including CAAs.
HHS	Health and Human Services	The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the federal department that funds Head Start, CSBG, LIHEAP, and many other federal programs. The Office of Head Start and the Office of Community Services are located within HHS.
HS	Head Start	Head Start is a federally-funded comprehensive early childhood education program serving children ages 3-5. Some CAAs operate Head Start programs. You can watch for funding opportunities at this link.
IACAA	Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies	IACAA is the member organization that represents and support the Illinois Community Action Agencies. IACAA provides training, technical support, and advocacy for the network. We also created this Wiki.
IHSA	Illinois Head Start Association	IHSA is the state association for Head Start programs. CAAs with Head Start programs belong to IHSA.
IHWAP	Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program	IHWAP weatherizes homes to improve the safety and energy conservation for qualifying families and individuals. IHWAP has a combination of state and federal funding. DCEO administers IHWAP.
ION	Index of Need	The ION refers to the Illinois administrative rule DCEO uses to determine what percentage of LIHEAP benefits each county should receive.
IPAC	Illinois Poverty Action Council	IPAC is a lobbying and research organization affiliated with the Illinois Association of Community Action Agency. IPAC publishes regular newsletters, lobbies, and conducts original research.
LIHEAP	Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program	LIHEAP helps over 330,000 Illinois households afford their home utility bills by addressing the regressive cost. The funding for LIHEAP is a combination of federal funding and a meter charge on rate-regulated utilities (the big ones). DCEO administers the Illinois LIHEAP program.
NCAF	National Community Action Foundation	NCAF is the national advocacy and lobbying firm representing CAAs in Washington, DC.
NCAP	National Community Action Partnership	NCAP is the national training and technical assistance association for CAAs.
OCA	Office of Community Assistance (within DCEO)	OCA is the office within the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) that handles LIHEAP, CSBG, and IHWAP.
OCS	Office of Community Services	OCS is an office within ACF that is in HHS (a bureaucratic nesting dolls sort of thing). OCS is the office that oversees Illinois' implementation of the CSBG program.
OHS	Office of Head Start	The office of Head Start is located within ACF (which is located in HHS). The main federal point of contact for CAAs with Head Start or Early Head Start programs is the assigned OHS office.
PC	Head Start Policy Council	Head Start programs are required to maintain an advisory body known as the Head Start Policy Council. CAAs with Head Start agree to share some governance responsibilities as federally required. Policy Councils must consist of at least 51% parents of currently enrolled children.
SMI	State Median Income	The LIHEAP program uses 60% of SMI as the income eligibility limit for households sizes 1-11. For households of 12 or more, 150% of FPL is the limit because 150% FPL is higher than 60% of SMI for larger households.