About NCCAA

The North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) is the statewide association of North Carolina's 36 Community Action Agencies and six single-purpose agencies. These organizations are largely federally funded nonprofits with a common mission: to help low-income people become self-sufficient.

NCCAA seeks to give voice to the needs, concerns and stories of the state's disadvantaged and low-income citizens. Our aim is to broaden economic and social horizons for the unemployed, underemployed, those who lack education or job skills, those who suffer mental or physical handicaps and those who are disenfranchised due to age.

What are Community Action Agencies?

Community Action Agencies are nonprofit organizations created by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This Act embodies the philosophy that low-income individuals can best identify the problems their communities face and also develop solutions to help resolve the issues.

Currently, 1,100 community action agencies in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Trust Territories provide direct human services to 95 percent of the nation’s counties.

Through local community action and limited purpose agencies, eligible low-income individuals and the elderly in all 100 counties in North Carolina may benefit from services offered.

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Our History

NCCAA was organized in November of 1966 shortly after the passage of legislation chartering and funding Community Action Agencies in North Carolina and many other states.

Recognizing the need for a statewide organization representing Community Action Agencies, leaders of several of these agencies in North Carolina met in Chapel Hill and formed NCCAA. Officials at NCCAA quickly pledged cooperation with all statewide groups interested in improving opportunities for North Carolina's most vulnerable residents. It received its charter in January of 1967. Today, NCCAA's membership is open to agencies, employees of these agencies and interested citizens.