Prairie Five Community Action Council

What Prairie Five Community Action Council does

Prairie Five Community Action Council (legal entity Prairie Five CAC, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community action agency headquartered in Montevideo, Minnesota, serving residents of Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties. The organization operates as a coordinated platform of essential community services rather than a single product, with ten+ distinct program lines spanning public transportation (Prairie Five RIDES — city bus service in 8 cities plus regional demand-responsive service), senior nutrition (Prairie Five Meals serving 34 communities via congregate dining and home-delivered frozen meals at $5 per meal for participants age 60+), early childhood education (Head Start / Early Head Start with 26 classes in 13 communities serving 271 children), Child Care Aware resource and referral, Energy Assistance and federally funded Weatherization, the in-development Food Hub central kitchen and food shelf, free Tax Clinic services, Community Solar Garden Program access via US Solar, the new Prairie Five Mobile Community Center for telehealth and senior services, and four thrift stores. Service delivery is channeled through five county outreach offices plus satellite food shelves, meal sites, transit routes, and Head Start classrooms.

The underlying technology stack is modest: a web-based service delivery platform at prairiefive.org supporting online donations, transportation scheduling, program enrollment (including a multi-step Head Start online application), and a Transportation Provider Finder filter tool. The organization does not disclose AI/ML capabilities, proprietary data assets, or API/s SDK offerings, and its competitive differentiation is built on physical distribution, regulatory designation, and ecosystem coordination rather than technology.

The business model is a hybrid of public-sector grants, program fees, and donations. Primary revenue derives from government grants — Minnesota Community Action Grant and Community Services Block Grant (Office of Economic Opportunity), federal Head Start funding, Weatherization Assistance Program funds (Minnesota Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Energy, HHS), and Child Care Aware statewide network funding (Minnesota Department of Children, Youth & Families). Secondary revenue comes from program fees (transit passes and fares; frozen meals; school-year youth transit passes at $220-$400) and individual/organizational donations earmarked to specific programs. Customer segments include seniors age 60+, families with young children, low-income households, and the general public needing rural transportation — all served free at point of use or on a sliding fee basis. The only disclosed revenue figure is a Head Start federal allocation of $1,462,800 for Fiscal Year 2015; total organizational revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Prairie Five Community Action Council

Legal name

Prairie Five CAC, Inc.

Website

https://prairiefive.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Prairie Five Community Action Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Community Action Agency delivering coordinated food, energy, transportation, senior nutrition, and early childhood education programs across five western Minnesota counties from its Montevideo headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Child Care Services (6244), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Senior nutrition programs
• Early childhood education
• Energy assistance programs
• Public transit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montevideo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Primary revenue source from federal and state grants including Minnesota Community Action Grant, Community Services Block Grant funds, Federal Head Start funding, and Weatherization Assistance Program funds from Minnesota Department of Commerce.
2. Public Donations: Donations from individuals and organizations supporting various programs including food shelves, Head Start, transportation, meals, and general programming.
3. Program Fees: Fees for services including transportation passes, meals, and other program services. Includes punch cards, monthly passes, and school year passes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prairie Five Community Action Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers coordinated community services across five western Minnesota counties (Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, and Yellow Medicine). The organization provides food shelves, senior meals (congregate dining, home-delivered, and frozen meals), public transit (Prairie Five RIDES), Head Start/Early Head Start early childhood education, Child Care Aware referral services, energy assistance and weatherization, free tax clinics, a community solar program, and thrift stores through a network of outreach offices and satellite locations.

Product overview

Prairie Five Community Action Council operates as a nonprofit social services agency offering a coordinated portfolio of community assistance programs across five counties in western Minnesota. The organization functions as a platform of interconnected services rather than a unified technology product. Core programs include Prairie Five RIDES (public transit with city bus and regional services), Prairie Five Meals (senior nutrition with congregate dining and home delivery), Head Start/Early Head Start (early childhood education), Child Care Aware (child care resource and referral), Energy Assistance and Weatherization (home energy programs), and The Food Hub (central kitchen and food shelf). Additional services encompass Transportation Provider Finder (online transit matching tool), Head Start Online Application (enrollment portal), Community Solar Program (utility cost reduction), Tax Clinic (free tax preparation), Prairie Five Mobile Community Center (mobile senior services), and thrift stores/clothing rooms. These programs are funded through federal grants, state funding, and charitable donations, serving residents of Big Stone, Chippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift, and Yellow Medicine counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prairie Five RIDES Transportation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of eligible children served in five-county area
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• US SolarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Minneapolis-based US Solar to offer the Community Solar Garden Program to income-eligible households in Xcel Energy territory. The program enables eligible homeowners and renters to save money on electric bills through community solar subscriptions without installing panels.
• Second HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood bank partner contributing to the Food Hub project and food rescue programs for the Prairie Five food shelves.
• PrimeWest HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner involved in the Food Hub development project to support community nutrition initiatives.
• City of MontevideominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner collaborating on the Food Hub project development.
• Friendship HomesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner contributing to Food Hub development.
• CCMHealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner collaborating on the Food Hub project.
• Centerpoint EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility company partner in Conservation Improvement Programs for energy efficiency improvements.
• Great Plains Natural GasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility company partner in Conservation Improvement Programs for energy efficiency improvements.
• Minnesota Energy Resources (MERC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility company partner in Conservation Improvement Programs for energy efficiency improvements.
• Otter Tail PowerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility company partner in Conservation Improvement Programs for energy efficiency improvements.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mahube-Otwa Community Action Partnership: Multi-county Minnesota Community Action Agency providing Head Start, energy assistance, weatherization, housing, and senior services across central and west-central Minnesota — directly comparable mission, funding mix, and rural service model.
• SEMCAC (Southeastern Minnesota Community Action Council): Minnesota Community Action Agency operating Head Start, food shelves, energy assistance, weatherization, and senior services across southeastern counties — same federal designation, funding streams, and service mix as Prairie Five.
• Tri-Valley Opportunity Council: Adjacent Community Action Agency serving a multi-county rural region in northwestern Minnesota with an integrated portfolio of Head Start, food shelves, energy assistance, weatherization, and transportation — the closest structural analog to Prairie Five and a peer in MN's CAA funding ecosystem.
• Western Community Action (WCA) / Western Minnesota CAA consortium: Adjacent rural Minnesota CAA network coordinating community services across western counties with overlapping program lines (Head Start, energy, weatherization, transportation) — closely comparable organizational form and rural delivery footprint.
• Minnesota Valley Action Council: South-central Minnesota Community Action Agency delivering multi-county community services including Head Start, food assistance, transportation, and energy programs — directly comparable CAA structure and rural delivery model.
• Lakes & Pines Community Action Council: East-central Minnesota Community Action Agency delivering an integrated suite of community services (food, energy, Head Start, transportation) across multiple rural counties — directly comparable organizational structure and program portfolio.

Others

• Second Harvest Heartland: Major regional food bank that partners with Prairie Five's Food Hub and food shelves as a supply source — adjacent ecosystem player providing upstream food rescue and distribution that enables Prairie Five's last-mile delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Northern Minnesota: Regional arm of a national nonprofit providing food, housing, energy, and emergency assistance in rural Minnesota — broader scale and brand, but overlapping service lines (food shelves, energy assistance, senior support) for similar low-income populations.
• Community Action Partnership of Ramsey & Washington Counties: Larger Minnesota Community Action Agency serving the Twin Cities metro area with a broader urban portfolio but overlapping Head Start, energy assistance, and weatherization programs — comparable structure, larger scale, different geography.

Regional players

• United Way of West Central Minnesota: Regional nonprofit covering overlapping west-central Minnesota counties with fundraising and grantmaking for community services, including some of the same populations Prairie Five serves — comparable geography and donor base, different operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CCAWestCentral
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prairie-five-community-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Prairie Five Community Action Council