Cornerstone Community Action Agency Inc.

Cornerstone Community Action Agency Inc., a tax-exempt nonprofit headquartered in Coleman, Texas, operates as a federal grant recipient delivering community development and human services to low-income populations across Texas, with 83 percent of recent awards structured as sub-recipient pass-throughs from state and federal prime grantees rather than direct federal prime grants.

The organization's federal footprint concentrates heavily on social safety-net programming. Cornerstone receives prime grants directly from the Internal Revenue Service for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program (CFDA 21.009), which funds free tax return preparation and electronic filing services targeting low- to moderate-income households, persons with disabilities, limited-English-proficiency individuals, Native Americans, rural residents, military members and their families, and elderly taxpayers. Recent prime VITA awards include a $150,000 project grant effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, a prior-year $150,000 award (October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025), and a $150,000 award for October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. Each award requires Cornerstone to provide non-federal matching funds equal to the federal amount obligated and to ensure at least 90 percent of prepared returns serve individuals whose earned income does not exceed Earned Income Tax Credit thresholds. The organization also holds a prime grant from the Office of Head Start for Head Start and Early Head Start programming (awarded April 1, 2024, running through March 31, 2029) and a prime grant from the Office of Grants Management for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), awarded July 1, 2023 with ultimate completion March 31, 2026.

The majority of Cornerstone's federal activity flows through sub-recipient awards, predominantly pass-throughs from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. These sub-awards fund rental assistance for up to 24 months to eligible low-income households (the largest category by volume), utility assistance through the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), and community services block grant (CSBG) programs for poverty reduction, community revitalization, and family economic self-sufficiency. The recent sub-award activity has accelerated markedly: two sub-awards in 2022, five in 2023, 34 in 2024, 29 in 2025, and 20 through early June 2026. This growth trajectory reflects Cornerstone's role as a delivery agent for state-administered federal antipoverty and housing assistance programs in its service region. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families represents the largest customer agency across the fund sources, anchoring the Head Start prime grant and numerous rental-assistance sub-awards; the Internal Revenue Service accounts for direct VITA prime funding; and the Corporation for National and Community Service funds the RSVP program. Combined obligations across all 101 awards total $129.4 million, with only one award scheduled to complete within the next twenty-four months, indicating limited near-term recompete exposure.