CAP(Community Action Programs)

Every family should have an opportunity for success.

Community Action Programs Cayuga/Seneca (CAP) is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1965 through the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight the war against poverty locally. The Agency’s mission is to cultivate a community where all people are respectfully supported and empowered to embrace opportunities for learning, growth and economic security.

CAP currently employs over 165 people serving more than 7,000 individuals annually in Cayuga and Seneca Counties through over 40 programs designed to alleviate hunger and homelessness, help domestic violence victims, prepare individuals for the workforce, provide early childhood development, improve health outcomes, lower energy costs and consumption, strengthen families and mitigate crisis.

The Agency is governed by a 15-member tripartite Board of Directors with representatives from the public, private, and low-income community sectors. This structure ensures that the Agency’s customers have a voice in the decisions that affect them. CAP is audited annually by an independent auditor. The Agency has an excellent record of audits and program monitoring, as well as fiscal control.

Our Mission

The mission of CAP is to cultivate a community where all people are respectfully supported and empowered to embrace opportunities for learning, growth and economic security.

Our vision is to be recognized for its:

Commitment to empowering those seeking assistance to achieve and sustain economic security.

Organizational excellence and continued improvement working with employees, community, and partners.

Respect

CAP creates a welcoming atmosphere where people seeking support are respected, valued and treated with the utmost dignity. This is a place of non-judgment.

Sincerity

CAP cares about the impact of its work on the lives of customers and on the well-being of the communities we serve. Our service activities are sincere efforts to meaningfully support customers as they advance their personal goals.

Trust

CAP protects and respects all confidential information. We can be counted on to use the utmost discretion.

Quality

CAP works to the highest professional standards of quality in its service disciplines. We prioritize ongoing learning and improvement.

Resourcefulness

At CAP, we are efficient stewards of the resources entrusted to our agency. To provide comprehensive, effective service to our customers, we carefully manage every dollar and connect customers with other sources of support.

Adaptability

CAP regularly monitors conditions in the service area so we can design programmatic responses to the community’s most pressing needs.

Collaborative Leadership

CAP fosters strong relationships and partnerships as the foundation of its community-building efforts.