Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation

Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation, doing business as Jefferson Franklin Community Action, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Hillsboro, Missouri that serves as a federal grant recipient delivering community development, housing assistance, and workforce services to low-income populations across rural Missouri. The organization operates exclusively as a prime grant recipient (61% of recent awards) and sub-recipient on federal grant programs; it holds no federal contracts and does not compete in federal procurement vehicles.

Jefferson Franklin's grant portfolio concentrates on three federal agencies. The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office leads with eleven awards funding Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programming under CFDA 14.896, where the organization staffs FSS Program Coordinators to enroll and serve low-income families in public housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and project-based rental assistance programs, maintaining minimum participant thresholds of 25 families per coordinator. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families holds eight awards. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and HHS Administration for Children and Families each carry three awards. HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control has funded two major initiatives: a $1 million Healthy Homes Weatherization Cooperation Demonstration grant (CFDA 14.901) running through April 2028, which integrates HUD's Healthy Homes Production program with the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program to identify and mitigate residential health and safety hazards while improving energy efficiency; and an Older Adult Home Modification Program cooperative agreement (CFDA 14.902) running through March 2028, where the organization delivers low-cost, high-impact modifications such as grab bars, railings, and adaptive equipment to low-income elderly homeowners with support from licensed occupational therapists.

Recent prime grant work includes a $100,646 FSS coordinator award for the 2026 calendar year from HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office, and a $1 million SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program grant (CFDA 59.077) completed in late 2023, under which the organization and its subrecipients delivered pandemic relief counseling and technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs from underserved groups including minorities, veterans, women, and rural entrepreneurs. The organization also holds a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cooperative agreement for Insurance Assistance Program (IAP) health navigator services targeting individuals disproportionately lacking insurance coverage or care. In its sub-recipient role, Jefferson Franklin receives pass-through funding from the Missouri Department of Social Services for Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program services and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) delivery, and from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for Women, Infant, and Child (WIC) nutrition services. Award activity has been steady — three to five awards per year over the past five years — with four awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months.