The Organizational Standards Center of Excellence was launched in 2012 by the National Community Action Partnership with support from the Office of Community Service, at the Department of Health and Human Services. As a part of a broader effort to enhance the accountability and organizational performance of CSBG funded programs, the Organizational Standards Center of Excellence, under the direction of the National Community Action Partnership, led a network-wide effort to develop high-quality performance standards for Community Action Agencies.

With continued leadership from the National Community Action Partnership, the Organizational Standards Center of Excellence sustains its mission to ensure all Community Action Agencies have the capacity to provide high-quality services to low-income individual and communities. Towards this end, the Center of Excellence provides ongoing training and technical assistance to equip Community Action Agencies with the ability to meet the Organizational Standards.

The CSBG Organizational Standards are a comprehensive set of standards developed with input from the entire CSBG Network through a three year-multi phase process led by the Center of Excellence. The Organizational Standards were announced in January 2015 with the OCS release of IM 138, State Establishment of Organizational Standards for CSBG Eligible Entities, directing States to establish organizational standards by fiscal year 2016. The Organizational Standards are organized in three thematic groups comprising nine categories and totals of 58 standards for private, nonprofit entities and 50 for public entities.The purpose of the organizational standards is to ensure that all agencies have appropriate organizational capacity, in both critical financial and administrative areas, as well as areas of unique importance to the mission of the Community Action network.

IM 138, State Establishment of Organizational Standards for CSBG Eligible Entities under 678B of the CSBG Act, 42 U.S.C. § 9914