Resource Library
All of CAPLAW’s resources and publications are now available in CAPLAW’s new Resource Library. Use the search filters below to find the resource you need.
Featured Resources
LIHWAP Primer for CAAs
The Low-Income Home Water Assistance Program, or LIHWAP, is a new emergency program administered by the Office of Community Services (OCS) that helps low-income households pay water and sewer bills to maintain access to drinking water and wastewater services. CAPLAW created this online guide to help the network navigate the program and better understand the role that CAAs may play in facilitating the funding.
COVID-19 Vaccines: Step-by-Step Guide for Community Action
This step-by-step compliance guide is intended to help the Community Action network navigate the employee vaccination mandates announced by OSHA, Head Start, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We describe the planning process your CAA should consider as you develop and update your policies to reflect the new requirements.
Building Readiness: Plan, Prevent, Respond, and Protect
As organizations across the Community Action network resume operations and services disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, it is critical to thoughtfully consider issues that are likely to arise and plan carefully to adjust to the new normal. This FAQ attempts to anticipate and address many of the questions on the forefront of CAAs’ planning efforts.
Reviewing and Negotiating Cloud Services Agreements
If your CAA wasn’t already using cloud-based services before the COVID-19 pandemic, chances are that has changed. But do you understand the terms governing your use of those services and the rights that the service provider has to the information your CAA stores in the cloud? Do your agreements...
Building Readiness: Plan, Prevent, Respond, and Protect
As organizations across the Community Action network resume operations and services disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, it is critical to thoughtfully consider issues that are likely to arise and plan carefully to adjust to the new normal. This FAQ attempts to anticipate and address many of the questions on the forefront of CAAs’ planning efforts.
Privacy Rights of Employees
Despite social distancing measures and remote work arrangements, it sometimes feels like employees are sharing more of their lives than ever with their employers. From glimpses into their homes on video conferences to symptom questionnaires and temperature checks at the office, COVID-19 has...
Privacy Rights of Clients
In dealing with the pandemic over the past year, CAAs have discovered resourceful and creative ways to connect with their communities via their websites, social media, videoconferencing software, and other forms of remote interaction and outreach. While these measures have helped to safely...
Cybersecurity and Data Protection
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a massive proliferation of cyber-attacks, with the transition to remote work leaving employers more vulnerable than ever to malware, phishing scams, and ransomware. Grant-funded nonprofits are attractive targets, since they maintain a trove of personal information...
Coronavirus Updates
CAPLAW continues to monitor the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Community Action network. Our COVID-19 website, which is regularly updated, contains the latest guidance and analysis relevant to the network.
Shared Services between Two Minnesota CAAs
This case study presents an example of a collaboration between two nonprofit Community Action Agencies to share administrative services, which has since grown to include shared program staff. The case study is based on CAPLAW's interviews with Paul Carlson and Harlan Tardy, the current and former...
Sample Board Composition Matrix
A CAA board may use this excel spreadsheet to reflect its current recruitment strategies and help the board focus on its most pressing board member composition needs. It is important to note, when using a board matrix, a CAA must be caredul to not focus on who people are to the extent that it...
Sample Confidentiality Agreement
Organizations that are possibly merging or sharing services may choose to enter into an agreement to protect any confidential information shared or exposed before and throughout the transaction. Organizations should review this sample confidentiality agreement thoughtfully and modify it as needed...