Cayuga / Seneca Community Action Agency, Inc.

Cayuga / Seneca Community Action Agency, Inc. (doing business as Cayuga Seneca Community Action Agency Inc.) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Auburn, New York, that operates as a prime recipient of federal grants addressing homelessness, domestic violence, housing assistance, and poverty alleviation in Cayuga and Seneca Counties. The organization operates predominantly as a grant recipient (75% of recent awards) rather than as a federal contractor, with no federal contract prime or subcontract vehicle presence.

The agency's federal footprint centers on four core capability areas. Its largest customer relationship is with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development under the Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267), accounting for 31 awards across the past several years. Recent CoC grants include a $204,974 award (August 2026 to July 2027) supporting permanent housing, transitional housing, supportive services, and homeless management information systems in the two-county region, and a $173,531 award (August 2024 to July 2025) focused on scattered-site transitional housing, rental and utility assistance, case management, and job training for homeless individuals and families. The Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women funds two concurrent three-year grants: a $600,000 Justice Systems Response to Families Program award (CFDA 16.021, October 2023 to September 2026) providing supervised visitation and safe custody exchange services plus training for court-based personnel in Cayuga County, and a $550,000 Transitional Housing Assistance Grant (CFDA 16.736, October 2023 to September 2026) delivering 20 scattered-site transitional housing units and comprehensive survivor services including case management, safety planning, career counseling, and job training. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families provides grants for Head Start and Early Head Start programming (August 2025 to July 2030) and child welfare services; the agency also receives pass-through sub-awards from New York State Department of State for Community Services Block Grant poverty-alleviation work, from New York State Office of Victim Services for victim assistance, and from New York State Office of Children and Family Services for related social services.

Across nine distinct federal funding agencies, Cayuga Seneca has obligated $103.4 million across 60 total awards (prime and sub combined) since 2007. Activity trajectory shows volatility — three awards in 2022, nine in 2023, declining to four each in 2024 and 2025, and three in 2026 — reflecting the cyclical nature of federal grant cycles rather than sustained growth. The agency faces minimal recompete exposure, with only one award scheduled for ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months. Sub-award activity (25% of recent awards) flows through New York State grant programs, positioning the agency as a sub-recipient of state pass-through funding from federal appropriations.