CAPLAW is a nonprofit membership organization, established in 1989, dedicated to providing the legal resources necessary to sustain and strengthen the national Community Action Agency (CAA) network. For over 40 years, since they were first created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, CAAs have been fighting poverty, helping individuals become self sufficient, building communities, and changing lives. Nationwide, over 1,000 CAAs use their core Community Services Block Grant funding to leverage almost $10 billion in total funding, and provide a multitude of services, including job training, Head Start, economic development, energy assistance, housing, and advocacy on behalf of low- income individuals and families.
Through its in-house legal staff and a network of private attorneys, CAPLAW provides legal consultation, training, and publications on a wide variety of legal and management topics. This assistance enables CAAs to operate legally sound organizations and to promote the effective participation of low-income people in the planning and delivery of CAA programs and services, thereby enhancing CAAs' ability to provide the nation's poor with opportunities to improve their quality of life and achieve their full potential.
