This study tried to isolate some of the characteristics that account for the variation in community receptivity to federal aid programs. The communities selected for the study had a population of 25,000 or more and had been in existence prior to 1950. Community participation in the programs was measured by the absence or presence of communities in the program, the per capita dollar value of the programs, and number of courses and curriculums being used in the community. The analytical scheme of the study could not be applied to community receptivity to Job Corps and Community Action Programs, but it was applied to poverty programs, urban renewal, and low cost housing. Data showed that communities with diffused power structures were far more likely to participate in federal aid programs than communities with concentrated power structures. (BC)