Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development

What Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development does

The Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development (COAD) is a 54-year-old nonprofit headquartered in Athens, Ohio, that operates as the administrative and advocacy hub for a 17-member Community Action Network spanning 30 counties and 14,781 square miles in Appalachian Ohio. Its program portfolio is delivered through sub-brands: COAD4kids (child care resource and referral, CDA credentialing, foster family support, parent education), Senior Programs (AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions), the Ohio Weatherization Training Center and Energy Services, the Ohio Center for Lead Abatement, the Pathways Community Hub for healthcare coordination, and the David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship Fund. Three regional area offices (New Philadelphia, Marietta, Piketon) and 17 county-level member agencies execute last-mile service delivery, while COAD provides coordination, training, centralized grant administration, and regional advocacy.

COAD's underlying technology is a standard nonprofit SaaS stack: WordPress CMS for the public site, Paylocity for HR/payroll, SDInsite for timeclock, WorkLifeSystems for child care search and referral, the Ohio Professional Registry (OCCRRA) for early childhood training tracking, Microsoft Forms for referrals, Salesforce and Adobe Acrobat for toolkits, and a public-facing COAD Data Hub that aggregates per-agency demographics, economics, health, education, and childcare cost-burden data across the 30-county region. Proprietary features are procedural rather than technological: the Pathways Community Hub Institute methodology, an online Child Development Associate credential program (9 courses, 135 Ohio-approved hours), and the COAD Data Hub regional dashboard.

COAD generates no commercial revenue. All direct services (child care search, family education, parenting classes, senior volunteer placement, weatherization, Pathways coordination) are provided free of charge, funded by federal and state government grants and contracts (AmeriCorps Seniors, DOE weatherization, ARC, Ohio Department of Children and Youth, ODH lead poisoning prevention), supplemented by tax-deductible donations and endowment payouts from the Stivison Scholarship Fund. The go-to-market model is community-led: distribution is channeled through 17 county-level partner agencies and three regional offices, with grassroots referrals, an annual conference, listening sessions, and online volunteer sign-up funnels as the primary demand-generation mechanisms. Pricing is non-existent; services are free to eligible households, and the scholarship is income-capped at 200% of federal poverty guidelines.

Name

Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development

Legal name

Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development

Website

https://coadinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

COAD is a 54-year-old Ohio nonprofit that administers early childhood education, AmeriCorps Seniors, weatherization, healthcare coordination, and scholarship programs for low-income Appalachian Ohio residents across 30 counties via a 17-member Community Action Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Action and Human Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Home & Community-Based Services (HCBS) Coordination & Case Management (HSABAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Child care referral
• Weatherization training
• Senior volunteer programs
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government grants and contracts: Primary funding source. COAD receives federal, state, and local government grants (e.g., AmeriCorps Seniors grants from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, Ohio Department of Children and Youth funding for child care, Home Weatherization Assistance Program / DOE weatherization funds, ODH lead poisoning prevention grants). The board policy caps indirect cost recovery on consulting at 26%.
2. Donations and contributions: Tax-deductible donations to the Community Action Network Fund and to The David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship Fund (P.O. Box 787, Athens, OH 45701).
3. Endowment and scholarship payouts: Cumulative scholarship fund has awarded $521,400 to 629 students since inception; funded by donations to the Stivison fund and used each year to disburse individual awards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

COAD delivers free direct services to Appalachian Ohio residents across early childcare and education resource/referral (COAD4kids), AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer placement (RSVP, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions), home weatherization and energy efficiency, Pathways Community Hub healthcare coordination, and the David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship. It also operates the statewide Ohio Weatherization Training Center (OWTC) and acts as the administrative and advocacy hub for a 17-member Community Action Network spanning 30 counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COAD4kids: Child care resource and referral program with 4 regional offices; offers quality childcare resources, parent education, family support, and provider training across Appalachian Ohio.
• Ohio Weatherization Training Center (OWTC)
• COAD Energy Services
• Pathways
• Ohio Center for Lead Abatement (OCLA)
• David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship Fund

Products and services

• COAD4kids Child Care Resource and Referral Free child care resource and referral service for families in 30 Appalachian Ohio counties, including parent education, foster family recruitment, child care provider technical assistance, and Step Up to Quality support, delivered through four regional offices.
• AmeriCorps Seniors Programs (RSVP, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions) Volunteer placement and stipended service programs for adults 55+, including the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents Program (FGP), and Senior Companion Program (SCP), deploying volunteers at schools, Head Start programs, daycare centers, and in homes throughout 30 counties.
• Energy Services / Home Weatherization Free home weatherization and energy efficiency services for eligible low-income Appalachian Ohio households, funded through the federal Home Weatherization Assistance Program and utility programs, delivered by member Community Action Agencies.
• Ohio Weatherization Training Center (OWTC) Statewide accredited training center delivering courses and certifications in home weatherization, energy efficiency, and lead abatement (including the Ohio Center for Lead Abatement) for professionals across Ohio.
• David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship Annual scholarship awards for students from low-income households (at or below 200% of federal poverty) residing in the 30-county COAD service area who are accepted at accredited 2- or 4-year institutions of higher education.
• Pathways Community Hub Healthcare Coordination Healthcare coordination service using the Pathways Community Hub Institute model, connecting credentialed community health workers with clients in need across the 30-county Appalachian Ohio service area.
• Online Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential Program Online CDA credential program offering 9 courses totaling 135 Ohio-approved professional development hours, with portfolio support and Verification Visit assistance, delivered to early childhood professionals across the region.

Quantifiable outcome

• $521,400 in scholarships awarded to 629 students since the Stivison Fund's inception
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner in the David V. Stivison Appalachian Community Action Scholarship. OACHE is a consortium of ten institutions of higher education located within the Appalachian Ohio region that collaborates with COAD on scholarship administration. Inquiries about OACHE and the scholarship are routed to Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio.
• 17-member Community Action Network (county agencies)flagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOAD serves as the administrative and advocacy hub for the 17-member Community Action Network, providing coordination, funding, training, advocacy, and data. Member agencies deliver direct services in their counties: Kno-Ho-Co Ashland CAC, HARCATUS Tri-County CAO, C.A.A. of Columbiana County, Jefferson County CAC, Muskingum E.O.A.G., G.M.N. Tri-County CAC, C.A.C. of Belmont County, HAPCAP, C.A.P.C. of Washington-Morgan, Ross County CAC, Highland County CAO, C.A.C. of Pike County, Jackson-Vinton CAA, Gallia-Meigs CAA, Adams-Brown Counties Economic Opportunities (ABCAP), C.A.O. of Scioto County, Ironton-Lawrence County Area CAO.
• Goodwill of South Central OhiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOAD provided significant support in opening Goodwill of South Central Ohio's child care center in Chillicothe: data and information for board approval, handbook and disaster plan, staff training and background checks, CDA course enrollment, purchase of supplies (cots, cribs, toys), room arrangement, food license, license application, and ongoing Step Up to Quality and Publicly Funded Child Care agreement support. Goodwill plans to expand this model across its eight-county region.
• Ohio Department of Health (ODH) - Lead Poisoning Prevention ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCOAD partners with ODH to raise awareness on lead poisoning in Appalachian Ohio. Joint digital toolkit deployment; referrals to the ODH Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (1-877-LEAD-SAFE), the National Lead Information Center, and the EPA.
• Council for Professional Recognition (CDA)coreTechnology or IntegrationCOAD4kids delivers the Council for Professional Recognition's Child Development Associate (CDA) credential program as an approved training agency, including 9 courses totaling 135 hours, portfolio support, Verification Visit assistance, and scholarship administration.
• Ohio Child Care Resource & Referral Association (OCCRRA)coreTechnology or IntegrationCOAD4kids uses the Ohio Professional Registry (hosted by OCCRRA) for early childhood professional registration and training tracking, and references T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood OHIO and the OCCRRA TEACH Scholarship for CDA funding support.
• Groundwork Ohio and Ohio Children's Alliance (Voices)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferral partners for child care advocacy events in Ohio; COAD4kids directs volunteers and child advocates to www.groundworkohio.org and www.ohiochildrensalliance.org/voices.
• AmeriCorps (Corporation for National and Community Service)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partnership enabling COAD to operate AmeriCorps Seniors programs (RSVP, Foster Grandparents Program, Senior Companion Program) for adults 55+ across the 30-county region.
• 46 Foster Grandparent placement sites (non-profit, government, faith-based)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCOAD Foster Grandparent Program places volunteers in 46 sites including schools, Head Start programs, and daycare centers across the region.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Community Action Kentucky (CAK): State association of Kentucky's Community Action Agencies serving Appalachian and other distressed counties. Direct functional peer to COAD: coordinates a multi-county CAA network, runs weatherization, early childhood, and senior programs, and acts as administrative/funding pass-through for federal anti-poverty programs in the Appalachian region.
• Pennsylvania Association of Community Action Agencies: Statewide CAA association serving Pennsylvania, including Appalachian counties bordering Ohio. Comparable in network coordination, advocacy, and weatherization/early-childhood program delivery across a similar rural distressed-region footprint.
• West Virginia Community Action Partnerships (WVCAP): State association of West Virginia's Community Action Agencies. Closest geographic peer to COAD given the contiguous Appalachian footprint; performs parallel functions in member-agency coordination, weatherization training, and CSBG-funded anti-poverty programming.

Others

• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC): Federal-state economic development partnership for the 13-state Appalachian region. Not a service-delivery peer but the primary federal funder that channels discretionary grants (including COAD's 2022 $1.386M award) into regional community action infrastructure, and shapes the funding landscape COAD operates within.
• National Association for Community Action Partnerships (NACP): National membership body representing the 1,100+ Community Action Agencies across the U.S. Not a direct peer but the federal advocacy and standards-setting counterpart to COAD's state-level role, and the conduit through which COAD engages CSBG policy at the federal level.

Broad incumbents

• Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACA): Statewide trade and capacity-building association for Ohio's 48 Community Action Agencies. Directly comparable as a peer umbrella/coordinating entity in the same geography, though OACA focuses on training, advocacy, and standards rather than direct service delivery.
• Child Care Aware of America: National child care resource & referral network coordinating state and regional CCR&R agencies. Comparable to COAD4kids in the child-care search, parent education, and provider training functions, but operating at national scope rather than a single multi-county region.
• AARP Foundation: National nonprofit focused on older-adult services including volunteer mobilization, nutrition, and economic security. Overlaps with COAD's Senior Programs division (RSVP, Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions) at a much larger national scale.
• National Council on Aging (NCOA): National nonprofit advocating for aging services, benefits access, and community-based supports for older adults. Comparable to COAD's AmeriCorps Seniors portfolio and Pathways-style benefits navigation for the 55+ population.

Regional players

• South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships: Statewide association of South Carolina's Community Action Agencies. Comparable in scope and function to COAD at a smaller multi-county scale, but operating in a different (non-Appalachian) geography and serving a less rural footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/coadinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/COAD.OHIO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coadinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/coad.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development