Register Now: Annual Report 3.0 Transition Webinar

January 28 | 2:00 PM

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Annual Report is changing—and now is the time to prepare.

Join us on January 28 at 2:00 PM for the Annual Report 3.0 Transition Webinar, the first session in a planned series focused on supporting agencies through the transition to the new CSBG reporting requirements.

This introductory webinar will provide:

• An overview of Annual Report 3.0
• Key changes from the current reporting framework
• What agencies can expect during the transition process
• How future webinars will provide deeper, step-by-step guidance

This session is designed to help agencies get oriented early, reduce uncertainty, and plan for a smooth transition.

Who should attend?

Please register and send staff responsible for the CSBG reporting process, including program, data, compliance, and leadership staff involved in Annual Report preparation and submission.

Additional webinars in this series will build on this foundation with more detailed guidance and practical support.

We encourage agencies to participate early and often as we move toward Annual Report 3.0 together.

Transforming Virginia's CAA's - Goal 5

Over the course of the next several months we will be reintroducing the Transforming Virginia goals through newsletter articles, trainings and webinars.

This month we are going to focus on Goal 5: Little or no community voice → CAA's are recognized and acting as the community’s voice (advocate) for people in poverty - This shift highlights the importance of CAAs acting as advocates, ensuring that the voices of those affected by poverty are heard in decision-making processes.

For decades, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) have been trusted service providers—meeting urgent needs and stabilizing families. But today’s moment calls for something more. When community voices are absent from decision-making tables, policies risk missing the realities of poverty. The goal ahead is clear: CAAs must be recognized—and actively operate—as the community’s voice and advocate for people experiencing poverty.

This shift is not about replacing services; it’s about strengthening them. Advocacy ensures that the lived experiences of individuals and families inform policies, funding priorities, and systems that shape opportunity. When CAAs lead with community voice, they move from responding to poverty to helping prevent it.

Why Community Voice Matters

People experiencing poverty are often spoken about rather than with. Structural barriers—time, transportation, trust, language, and power dynamics—frequently prevent participation in civic and policy conversations. CAAs are uniquely positioned to bridge that gap by:

• Translating lived experience into actionable policy insight
• Creating safe, accessible avenues for participation
• Ensuring decision-makers hear directly from those most impacted

When CAAs elevate community voice, they reinforce their founding mission: maximum feasible participation of the poor.

Practical Ways CAAs Can Lead as Advocates

Advocacy doesn’t require a new department—it requires intentional practice:

• Community Advisory Councils: Compensated, representative groups that guide agency priorities and policy positions
• Story-to-Strategy Approaches: Ethical storytelling that connects lived experience to systems change
• Civic Engagement Integration: Voter education, public forums, and issue briefings embedded into programs
• Board and Leadership Inclusion: Meaningful roles for individuals with lived experience of poverty

The Opportunity Ahead

Becoming the community’s voice is not a one-time initiative—it’s a cultural commitment. It means listening deeply, sharing power, and standing alongside community members as advocates for change. When CAAs lead with community voice, they don’t just reflect the needs of people in poverty—they help shape a future where those needs are no longer ignored.

Community Action has always been about participation. Now is the time to make that participation visible, influential, and impossible to overlook.

New Performance Management Resources Available



Following the 2025 VACAP Summit performance management discussion, OEO has developed two new resources to support Community Action Agencies in strengthening performance management practices using ROMA as a guiding tool. These documents provide practical insights, a shared working definition of performance management, and clear connections to the ROMA cycle to support planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement. Agencies are encouraged to use these resources to guide internal conversations, strengthen board and leadership engagement, and enhance outcomes-focused decision-making. 

Stay in the know!

What is the CSBG State Plan?

The CSBG State Plan is the blueprint for all federal CSBG funds in our state. It is the strategic framework that:

• Sets the Vision: It outlines the state's specific goals and priorities for tackling the causes and conditions of poverty.
• Ensures Compliance: It details how the state will monitor local CAAs and provide the training and technical assistance needed to meet federal requirements (like the CSBG Organizational Standards and the Results-Oriented Management and Accountability system).
• Governs Funding: It dictates how the funds are distributed among eligible entities and how state discretionary funds will be used for statewide training and coordination.

In short, the State Plan determines how our state uses these crucial resources to support low-income families and communities. Your input is vital to ensure this plan accurately reflects local needs and maximizes our collective impact.