Mission and Vision

Rocket IconACAAA’s mission is to provide education, advocacy, and a unified voice for Community Action Agencies to reduce poverty and promote thriving communities in Arkansas.

Photo of children in Head StartThe Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association serves as the hub for a historic network of 14 community-based private, nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to low- to moderate-income individuals across the state.

Community Action Agencies give people the chance to bring stability back into their lives while taking crucial steps towards self-sufficiency. CAAs enable participants to become engaged members of their community; clients are encouraged to embrace more fulfilling, productive, and enriching paths.

The role of ACAAA is to offer support to the state’s agencies, support which includes continuing education through training and technical assistance to comply with state and national regulations. Because a crucial element in the mission of community action is achieving substantive and measurable results, ACAAA’s efforts are fundamentally informed by a performance-based initiative known as “ROMA”—a.k.a. Results Oriented Management and Accountability.

Equally important is ACAAA’s role as a statewide advocate for the agencies’ efforts and for the interests of those Arkansans that they serve. Community Action Agencies were created specifically to be tailored to the individual needs of their respective communities, but the collective voice of their shared mission to assist those in need speaks through the association as one.