Community Action Coalition For South Central Wisconsin, Inc.

Community Action Coalition For South Central Wisconsin, Inc., doing business as CAC, is a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Madison, Wisconsin, that operates as a federal grant recipient focused on homelessness prevention, housing assistance, and supportive services for vulnerable populations in south central Wisconsin. CAC acts primarily as a direct grant recipient (75% of recent awards) with supplemental work as a sub-recipient (25%) under state and federal pass-through programs. The organization competes in unrestricted federal grant programs rather than set-aside categories.

CAC's federal footprint centers on two primary grant programs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267) dominates the portfolio, accounting for 47 of 78 awards in the source data and spanning permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS). Representative recent CoC awards include $435,098 (September 2026), $283,308 (September 2026), and $175,193 (May 2026), all operating under twelve-month performance periods in Madison. The Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program (CFDA 64.033) represents the second major funding stream with 13 awards, including a $625,344 grant effective September 30, 2025, through September 30, 2026, providing outreach, case management, VA benefits assistance, and temporary financial assistance (rental, utilities, moving costs, child care, emergency housing) to very low-income veteran families. CAC also receives sub-recipient funding from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families under Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Contracts and from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services under food assistance programs including the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP).

Customer concentration sits heavily with HUD's Community Planning and Development office, which issues the vast majority of prime awards (47 of 84 total), followed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (15 awards combined across two sub-offices), the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (9 awards), and the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (7 awards). These four customer agencies account for 93% of recent award volume. HUD and VA funding dominates both award count and dollar value; the organization received over $20.2 million in combined obligated dollars across all awards in the source data.

Activity has remained relatively flat in recent years—eight awards in 2022, declining to six in 2026 year-to-date—with only three awards reaching ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, presenting limited recompete exposure. CAC's sub-recipient work flows through Wisconsin state agencies as pass-through grantors rather than direct federal relationships, positioning the organization as a service-delivery hub for federal homelessness and veteran family support programming within its regional footprint.