The Bureau of Community Services administers three anti-poverty programs: Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Grant program (FaDSS), and the Community Food and Nutrition Grant Program (CFNP).

The CSBG funds are distributed to Iowa's 18 community action agencies. The Iowa agencies create, coordinate, and deliver many programs and services to low-income Iowans. The CSBG funds the central management and core activities of these agencies. The impact of these funds is felt throughout the community. The agencies use the funds to mobilize additional resources from local businesses and foundations, as well as other public sources, to combat the central causes of poverty in their communities and to assist low-income individuals achieve self-sufficiency and ensure their basic needs are met.

In partnership with the Iowa Department of Human Services, the bureau administers the FaDSS Grant program. FaDSS provides services to Family Investment Program families facing multiple barriers to self-sufficiency. The FaDSS program provides comprehensive in-home services through certified Family Development Specialists. The FaDSS program is a nationally recognized model which has demonstrated that it pays off, both in social and economic terms, to invest in high quality intensive services by partnering with families at risk of long term welfare dependency. (Additional information can be found on the FaDSS website: www.iowafadss.org )

The Bureau of Community Services also administers the Community Food and Nutrition Grant Program. Funds from this grant are expended for a statewide community food and nutrition project that impacts all of Iowa's counties.