Lutheran Services Florida

What Lutheran Services Florida does

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization founded in 1982 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The organization operates three core service lines through distinct subsidiaries: LSF Head Start (early childhood education for low-income children ages 0-5 across Duval, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Palm Beach, and Okaloosa counties), LSF Family Focus (child welfare, foster care and adoption, refugee services, community counseling, and youth shelters), and LSF Health Systems (behavioral health Managing Entity contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families, managing mental health and substance abuse treatment across 23 counties in Northeast and North Central Florida). Supporting these service lines are youth residential facilities (Grace Place, Dream Center, Miami Bridge, Hands of Mercy) and seasonal donation programs including Baskets of Love, Back to School Drive, Christmas Angels, Refugee Hope Kits, and the Circle of Hope recurring giving program. The organization serves approximately 1 in 50 Floridians annually through 65+ programs and 1,600 employees.

LSF is funded through a hybrid model of government contracts (federal Head Start funding, Florida DCF Managing Entity contracts, child welfare case management contracts), foundation grants (PNC Bank, Community Foundations), individual donations, and emergency federal relief funding. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, but historical context indicates the organization grew from a $30 million annual budget in 2007 to $400+ million under former CEO Samuel Sipes, with current operations most plausibly in the $250M-$500M operating budget range. The underlying technology stack is a social services delivery platform with case management capabilities, no public API or AI/ML systems, and no commercial product surface. The organization has no parent company, no private equity ownership, and is governed by an independent Board of Directors chaired by Lorenzo Cobiella. Mike Carroll has served as President and CEO since 2018, succeeding Sipes.

Name

Lutheran Services Florida

Legal name

Lutheran Services Florida, Inc.

Website

https://lsfnet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lutheran Services Florida is a Tampa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating Head Start, child welfare, and behavioral health programs across Florida through 65+ sites, serving 1 in 50 Floridians annually with government contracts and donations as primary funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Support Services (6117), Child and Youth Services (62411), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAE), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Social services nonprofit
• Early childhood education
• Behavioral health services
• Child welfare services
• Refugee resettlement

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: LSF receives funding through federal, state, and local government grants and contracts. This includes Head Start/Early Head Start programs funded by the federal government, behavioral health Managing Entity contracts with Florida DCF, and child welfare case management contracts.
2. Private Donations and Foundation Grants: Individual donations, monthly Circle of Hope recurring donations, corporate grants from foundations like PNC Bank and Community Foundations, and philanthropy from businesses and organizations.
3. American Rescue Plan and Federal Relief Funding: Emergency pandemic relief funding such as the $6.1 million American Rescue Plan grant for Head Start programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lutheran Services Florida is a statewide nonprofit social services organization that delivers early childhood education (Head Start and Early Head Start), child welfare and family services (foster care, adoption, refugee resettlement, youth shelters, community counseling), and behavioral health care management (as a state-contracted Managing Entity across 23 Florida counties). All services are provided at no charge to clients through 65+ program sites and are funded by federal, state, and local government grants and contracts supplemented by private donations and foundation grants.

Product overview

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is a statewide nonprofit social services organization operating as a platform of multiple distinct programs. The organization is structured around three core service lines: LSF Head Start (early childhood education), LSF Family Focus (child welfare and family services), and LSF Health Systems (behavioral health services). Supporting these core programs are youth shelter services, donation drives including Baskets of Love, Christmas Angels, and Back to School initiatives, and the Circle of Hope recurring donation program. The organization manages over 65 programs throughout Florida and approximately 1,600 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LSF Head Start: Early childhood education programs including Head Start and Early Head Start serving children ages 0-5, with locations in Duval, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Palm Beach, and Okaloosa counties.
• LSF Family Focus
• LSF Health Systems

Products and services

• LSF Head Start and Early Head Start Federally funded early childhood education program providing comprehensive school-readiness, health, nutrition, and family support services to children ages 0-5 from low-income households. Operates across Duval, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Palm Beach, and Okaloosa counties serving approximately 5,800 children and families with over 750 employees.
• LSF Family Focus Social services program providing child welfare case management, foster care and adoption, refugee services, family support, community counseling, and adult advocacy services to strengthen families across Florida. Operates as a Community-Based Care subcontractor in counties including Lake and Sumter.
• LSF Health Systems Behavioral health Managing Entity contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families to manage the state-funded system of mental health and substance abuse care for individuals facing poverty without insurance across 23 counties in Northeast and North Central Florida.
• Youth Shelters and Group Homes Emergency and residential shelter services for youth ages 10-17 across multiple Florida locations including Hope House, Miami Bridge, Grace Place (Broward), Dream Center (Sarasota), and Hands of Mercy. Provides safe housing, counseling, and family reunification support; achieves a 98% success rate of youth returning home to families from shelters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed from worst performing CMO in Circuit to second place in Lake and Sumter counties
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kids Central, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKids Central, Inc. is the Community-Based Care (CBC) lead agency that partnered with LSF during the Lake and Sumter CMO turnaround. They offered support at every level as LSF worked to transform the child welfare program from worst performing to second place in the Circuit.
• Florida Department of Children and FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSF Health Systems is one of seven behavioral health Managing Entities (ME) contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families to manage the state-funded system of behavioral health care for people who face poverty and are without insurance across 23 counties.
• Kristi House Child Advocacy CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Toshiba L. Mitchell previously served as Director, Prevention Education and Outreach at Kristi House Child Advocacy Center before joining LSF Miami Bridge. Kristi House focuses on combatting child exploitation and trauma in Miami-Dade County.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lutheran Services in America: National umbrella network of Lutheran social service organizations of which LSF is a member. Directly comparable as a faith-based, multi-program (child welfare, behavioral health, refugee, senior services) nonprofit operating under the same Lutheran mission framework across the U.S.
• Lutheran Social Services of the South (LSSS): Former employer of LSF CEO Emeritus Samuel Sipes and a sister Lutheran social services agency serving Texas and surrounding states. Comparable as a faith-based, multi-program human services nonprofit delivering child welfare, behavioral health, refugee, and senior services.
• Catholic Charities USA: National federation of faith-based Catholic social service agencies providing adoption, foster care, refugee resettlement, behavioral health, and family services. Closely comparable model to LSF as a faith-affiliated, government-contracted multi-service nonprofit platform.
• Children's Home Society of Florida: Florida-focused child welfare, adoption, and family services nonprofit where LSF CFO Bob Wydra previously served 15 years. Directly comparable in operating model, Florida geographic footprint, and core services (foster care, adoption, family preservation).
• Eckerd Connects: Florida-headquartered nonprofit providing child welfare, workforce development, and family services; former employer of LSF Chief of Staff Terri Durdaller. Closely comparable in program mix (youth residential, family services) and reliance on Florida DCF contracts.
• Kids Central, Inc. Community-Based Care lead agency in Central Florida, current strategic partner with LSF on the Lake/Sumter CMO turnaround. Comparable as a Florida child welfare case management organization operating under the same CBC contracting framework.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based nonprofit specializing in adoption, foster care, and refugee services nationally. Comparable to LSF's Family Focus program, particularly in faith-affiliated child welfare and refugee resettlement.
• Southwest Key Programs: Nonprofit operating residential programs for unaccompanied immigrant children and at-risk youth, overlapping with LSF Miami Bridge and Grace Place youth shelters. Comparable in residential youth services and government-contract dependence.

Regional players

• JAFCO (Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options): Florida-based faith-affiliated nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, disabilities services, and at-risk youth programming. Comparable in faith-based, Florida-geographic scope and child welfare focus.

Others

• Florida Department of Children and Families: State agency that contracts with LSF as Managing Entity, child welfare lead, and Head Start counterpart. Comparable as a funder/regulator that defines the procurement environment in which LSF competes, though not a competitive peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lutheran-services-florida
• Xx.com/LutheranServFla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Lutheran Services Florida