Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency

Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, operates as a federal grant recipient and sub-recipient delivering housing, weatherization, food assistance, and community services programs to low-income populations across southwest Michigan. The organization participates almost exclusively in sub-recipient roles (91% of recent awards) through state pass-through grants routed primarily from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Education, with direct HUD prime grants representing a small prime footprint (9% of awards).

The agency's customer concentration is split across multiple federal sources. The top four funding agencies account for 96% of recent awards by count: the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (15 awards), the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (15 awards), the Department of Energy (11 awards), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development (10 awards). HUD's community planning division represents the organization's prime grant relationship, anchored by four consecutive annual awards under the Continuum of Care Program (CFDA 14.267) — most recently $144,012 awarded August 1, 2026, for a performance period running through July 31, 2027, supporting permanent housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) operations.

The sub-recipient work flows through state intermediaries carrying weatherization assistance (DOE Weatherization Assistance Program funding through Michigan Department of Health and Human Services), Community Services Block Grants, rapid rehousing, Commodity Supplemental Food Program administration, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) administrative functions, and USDA program support. Recent sub-grants include October 2025 awards from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for Community Services Block Grant delivery, Weatherization Assistance under both standard DOE and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorities, and Consolidated Rapid Re-Housing; February and June 2026 sub-awards from Michigan Department of Education for USDA program support; and a July 2025 sub-award executing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) home rehabilitation loan intake and procurement oversight for the City of Benton Harbor. The agency also holds a Housing Assessment and Resource Agency (HARA) role administering Coordinated Entry grant funds for the Van Buren County Local Planning Body under the Balance of State Continuum of Care, with prior awards from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority in 2021 and 2022.

Total obligated funding across all awards in the source is $12.7 million across 54 awards dating to 2006. Award volume peaked in 2024 (16 awards) and has moderated to 4 awards in 2026 year to date. Only one award carries an ultimate completion date within the next twenty-four months, indicating low recompete exposure in the immediate window. The organization's operating profile centers on regional antipoverty, housing stabilization, and utility assistance delivery as a Community Action Agency, with federal funding flowing through state administrative intermediaries rather than direct federal contracting relationships.