Central Nonprofit Agencies

The Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act directs the Commission to designate "a central nonprofit agency or agencies (CNA or CNAs) to facilitate the distribution" of government orders of Procurement List products and services among nonprofit agencies employing people who are blind or have significant disabilities. The Commission has designated National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and SourceAmerica^® (serving people with a range of disabilities) as the national nonprofit organizations that perform this function and otherwise assist nonprofit agencies with participation in the AbilityOne Program. NIB and SourceAmerica work closely with contracting activities and nonprofit agencies to match government requirements with nonprofit agency capabilities.

One of NIB's and SourceAmerica's key activities is visiting government contracting activities to jointly explore, with government personnel, products and services that may be suitable for provision by local nonprofit agencies. Once a potential Procurement List addition is identified, NIB or SourceAmerica works closely with the contracting activity to obtain the data needed by the Commission to determine its suitability for the AbilityOne Program.

At least 75 percent of an agency's total direct labor hours must be performed by people who are blind or have significant disabilities. The work on Federal contracts may be facility-based, such as the contract to manufacture the U.S. Army Combat Uniform, or community-based, such as the contract to handle calls and inquiries for the State Department’s National Passport Information Center.

NIB Nonprofit Agencies

NIB-associated agencies provide people who are blind with employment and rehabilitative services such as early childhood intervention, adult literacy, low vision examinations and aids, Braille literacy, nutritional/health services, occupational/physical therapy, personal and career counseling, recreation, transportation, mobility, daily living skills, employment training, and more. For more information about how to become an NIB-associated agency, go to the NIB website or call 1-877-438-5963.

SourceAmerica Nonprofit Agencies

SourceAmerica is a national nonprofit agency whose mission is to create employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities by securing Federal contracts through the AbilityOne Program for its network of community-based nonprofit agencies.For more information please visit the SourceAmerica website or call 571-226-4660. To schedule a briefing about products or services, call 1-888-411-8424.

Lists of NPAs affiliated with the CNAs are available on the Commission's Nonprofit Agencies webpage.