NCAF formulates and promotes federal legislative and program initiatives to strengthen the ability of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) to serve low-income clients and communities. We do this by:

• Working with members of Congress and members of the executive branches of federal and state governments to maintain funding and support for CAA programs and initiatives.
• Conducting research on national and state legislative and policy proposals affecting the poor as well as the impact of existing programs and policies.

NCAF provides training seminars on the history of the war on poverty and on the workings of Congress, providing information to federal, state and local officials, and other policy makers on CAA program operations and on the needs that CAAs have identified in their low-income communities.

Further, NCAF serves as a liaison and coalition builder with allied national organizations, coordinates the legal defense necessary to defend the interests of CAAs and convenes an annual legislative conference for CAAs as well as other issue-specific conferences.

NCAF also sponsors a political action committee to support the interests of CAAs, the Community Action Political Action Committee (CAP-PAC) and participates actively, on a bipartisan basis, in the Congressional political arena.