LEADS Community Action Agency

What LEADS Community Action Agency does

LEADS Community Action Agency (legal entity LEADS, Inc.) is a private nonprofit community action agency founded in 1965 as the Licking Economic Action Development Study and incorporated in 1966 under the federal Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Headquartered at 159 Wilson Street in Newark, Ohio, the organization delivers antipoverty social services across an 18-county Ohio footprint, with particular concentration in Licking County. Its service portfolio spans four core program areas: (1) early childhood education through Head Start and Early Head Start (center-based and home-based) serving children ages 3-5, infants, toddlers, and pregnant women in Delaware, Licking, and Union Counties; (2) affordable housing through a Housing Division organized in 1995 that owns 30 properties comprising 1,092 units for seniors and families, operated via six third-party property management companies; (3) housing condition improvements via the Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP), Essential Home Repair, and the WarmChoice / Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partnership with Columbia Gas of Ohio/NiSource; and (4) emergency services including HEAP, Summer Crisis, Winter Crisis, PIPP utility assistance, and food pantries distributed through Neighborhood Service Centers in Newark, Buckeye Lake, Utica, and Pataskala.

The underlying technology stack is modest: a web-based service-delivery platform, cookies, web-server log analytics, and a client portal. Revenue is derived from federal grants (CSBG, HEAP, Head Start/Early Head Start via the Administration for Children and Families), state pass-through funding, tax-deductible donations, and housing operations. Services are delivered at no cost or reduced cost to income-eligible households (typically at or below 175-200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines). The go-to-market motion is community-led: Neighborhood Service Centers, word-of-mouth referrals, partnerships with government and community organizations, and active parent/family engagement through Head Start policy councils. LEADS is governed by an 18-member Board of Trustees and led by CEO Nathan Keirns, with an eight-person director-level leadership team covering HR, Asset Management, Head Start, Fiscal, Community Services, Emergency Services, and executive support functions.

Name

LEADS Community Action Agency

Legal name

LEADS, Inc.

Website

https://leadscaa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LEADS Community Action Agency is a private nonprofit founded in 1965 in Newark, Ohio that delivers federally funded antipoverty services—including Head Start early childhood education, 1,092 units of affordable housing across 18 counties, home weatherization, utility assistance, and food pantries—to income-eligible Ohio households through Neighborhood Service Centers and partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Action / Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Affordable housing
• Head start preschool
• Home weatherization
• Utility assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal and State Grants: LEADS receives funding through federal programs including the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG), Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), and Head Start/Early Head Start programs funded by the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible contributions from donors to support low-income households with utility assistance and additional services for families throughout Licking County.
3. Housing Operations: LEADS Housing Division operates 30 affordable housing properties with 1,092 units in Ohio, managed through third-party contracted management companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LEADS Community Action Agency is a nonprofit social services organization that delivers a portfolio of poverty-alleviation programs to income-eligible Ohioans, including Head Start/Early Head Start preschool education, affordable senior and family housing across 18 Ohio counties, home weatherization and essential home repair, utility bill assistance (HEAP, Summer/Winter Crisis, PIPP), and food pantries distributed through Neighborhood Service Centers.

Product overview

LEADS Community Action Agency operates as a community action agency providing a comprehensive portfolio of social services programs. The organization offers Head Start/Early Head Start preschool education services for children ages 3-5 and support for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women; a Housing Division managing 30 affordable housing properties with 1,092 units across 18 Ohio counties; home weatherization and repair services; and emergency services including utility assistance programs (HEAP, Summer Crisis Program, Winter Crisis Program, PIPP) and food pantries. These programs are delivered through Neighborhood Service Centers in Newark, Buckeye Lake, Utica, and Pataskala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Head Start / Early Head Start Center-based and home-based early childhood education and family support services for children ages 3-5 (Head Start) and infants, toddlers, and pregnant women (Early Head Start) in Delaware, Licking, and Union Counties, Ohio.
• Housing Division Affordable housing program operating 30 properties with 1,092 units across 18 Ohio counties for seniors and families, managed through third-party contracted property management companies.
• Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) Energy efficiency improvements including attic, wall and basement insulation, heating system repairs/replacements, and air-leakage reduction to make homes safer, healthier, and more affordable for income-eligible Licking County residents.
• Essential Home Repair Home repair assistance for seniors (60+) and households receiving Weatherization Services, covering minor electrical, plumbing, ADA modifications, heating, hot water tank, and minor structural repairs.
• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Federally funded program helping income-eligible Ohioans at or below 175% of Federal Poverty Guidelines with home energy bills through direct credits to heating accounts.
• Summer Crisis Program Cooling season benefit for income-eligible Ohioans at or below 175% FPG with household members over 60 or with documented medical conditions, covering electric bills and fans/air conditioners.
• Winter Crisis Program Heating season benefit (November 1 - March 31) for income-eligible Ohioans at or below 175% FPG who are disconnected or have pending disconnection notices.
• Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) Year-round energy bill management program allowing income-eligible Ohioans to pay based on a percentage of income, for households receiving electric or gas from PUCO-regulated companies.
• Food Pantries Food pantry services at Neighborhood Service Centers in Utica, Pataskala, and Buckeye Lake, serving qualifying Licking County residents at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines, operated in partnership with the Food Pantry Network.
• Neighborhood Service Centers Physical service center locations in Newark, Buckeye Lake, Utica, and Pataskala providing wide-spread accessibility to LEADS programs and serving as cornerstones of community support and involvement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Home weatherization can result in savings of 30% or more on energy bills
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• RLJ Management, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party property management company responsible for pre-leasing, day-to-day operations, compliance monitoring and oversight for multiple affordable housing properties. Manages properties including Cardington Place, Windsor Heights, Owensville Manor, Mulberry Garden, Carnes Senior, and others.
• The Woda Cooper Companies, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperty management company handling affordable housing properties including Norwood Greene in Marietta and Lockwood properties in Ashland/Morrow counties.
• Millennia Housing ManagementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party management company for LEADS housing properties including Trail West Apartments in Newark.
• Provident CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManagement company for Provident Companies properties including Homestead Estates in Norwalk, Huron County.
• Wallick CommunitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party property management company for Griggs Village in Columbus, Franklin County.
• Fairfield HomescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManagement company for Ontario Village in Richland County.
• Ohio Association of Community Action AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association that LEADS is proud to be a part of, representing community action agencies in Ohio.
• Community Action PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational association representing the interests of nearly 1,000 Community Action Agencies across the country, all devoted to ending poverty and empowering people to better their lives.
• Food Pantry NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEADS works with the Food Pantry Network to provide food pantries at LEADS Neighborhood Service Centers in Utica, Pataskala, and Buckeye Lake.
• Administration for Children and FamiliescoreOthersDivision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that funds Head Start programs. This website is supported by grants from this organization.
• WarmChoice Program (Columbia Gas of Ohio/NiSource)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome Performance with ENERGY STAR program that works with HWAP to help offset costs for eligible Columbia Gas of Ohio/NiSource customers and help more customers save energy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IMPACT Community Action: Federally designated Ohio Community Action Agency serving multiple counties in Central Ohio with a similar mix of Head Start, housing, weatherization, and emergency services — the closest operational analog to LEADS in the same state.
• Hocking Athens Perry Community Action (HAPCAP): Multi-county Ohio CAA operating Head Start, weatherization, housing, and emergency services across rural southeast Ohio counties that overlap with LEADS' 18-county service area.
• Community Action Committee of Pike County: Southern Ohio Community Action Agency delivering the same combination of CSBG, HEAP, Head Start, and housing programs to a comparable rural county footprint.
• Ohio Heartland Community Action: Multi-county Ohio CAA serving Marion, Morrow, and surrounding counties with the same portfolio of federal antipoverty programs (CSBG, Head Start, weatherization, housing), operating in adjacent geography to LEADS.
• Community Action Organization of Scioto County: Southern Ohio Community Action Agency providing Head Start, housing, weatherization, and emergency services — a near-identical operating model in a comparable Appalachian Ohio service area.
• Community Action Wayne County: Northeast Ohio CAA delivering the same federal antipoverty program mix (CSBG, Head Start, HEAP, housing) to multiple counties, structurally and operationally aligned with LEADS.
• Action for Children: Central Ohio nonprofit focused on early childhood education advocacy and direct services, including Head Start programming across multiple counties — directly comparable to LEADS' Head Start/Early Head Start operations.
• LifeCare Alliance: Central Ohio nonprofit providing Meals-on-Wheels, senior services, and emergency assistance programs with a similar community-action mission and Ohio-only geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• National Church Residences: Ohio-based nonprofit providing affordable senior housing and supportive services across many states. Operates at a much larger scale than LEADS but shares the affordable housing mission and similar service-bundling model for low-income seniors.

Others

• Community Action Partnership: National association of nearly 1,000 Community Action Agencies including LEADS — not a direct competitor but a peer ecosystem / advocacy body that shapes funding and policy for CAAs like LEADS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leadscaa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leads-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEADS Community Action Agency