Safe Families for Children

What Safe Families for Children does

Safe Families for Children is a Chicago-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by Dr. David Anderson that operates a community-driven, volunteer-based family preservation model designed to prevent foster care placement through temporary child hosting and wraparound support. Its core services include the Host Family Program (temporary in-home care for children ages 0-18), Family Coach Program (case coordination), Family Friend Program (peer support), Resource Friend Program (tangible goods provision), and Prayer Partner Program, all delivered through 97 chapters across 26 states and 410 counties in the US, plus 18 countries globally. The organization mobilizes faith-based communities, particularly churches, to recruit vetted unpaid volunteers who support isolated parents facing crises including homelessness, unemployment, domestic violence, mental health challenges, and poverty.

The organization's value proposition rests on a validated voluntary prevention model that achieves a 98% family preservation rate and an 78% foster care deflection rate compared to 47% for standard prevention services, validated through a Randomized Controlled Trial initiated in 2013 and concluded in 2018 by Dr. Mark F. Testa of UNC Chapel Hill, with peer-reviewed publication in November 2023. Technology infrastructure consists of a volunteer management database, a Moodle-based training platform called Mission Central, online referral forms, and a donation processing platform. The model operates entirely free of charge to families, with all volunteer time unpaid.

Revenue derives from a diversified base of individual and church donations, foundation grants (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Stand Together), corporate contributions ($250,000 from Ent Credit Union in April 2024), and emerging Title IV-E reimbursement following the Family First Prevention Services Act approval in July 2025, which made SFFC one of only 29 nationally recognized evidence-based programs eligible for federal reimbursement. The go-to-market operates through a hybrid community-led and event-driven model with church mobilization as the primary distribution channel, supported by affiliate partnerships (Bethany Christian Services, Olive Crest) and international licensing structures.

Name

Safe Families for Children

Legal name

Safe Families for Children

Website

https://safe-families.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Safe Families for Children is a faith-based nonprofit founded in 2003 that mobilizes volunteer host families through 97 chapters to provide temporary child hosting and wraparound support, preventing foster care placement for vulnerable families across 26 US states and 18 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Preservation and Child Welfare Prevention Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Child welfare prevention
• Family preservation services
• Volunteer host families
• Foster care deflection
• Faith-based nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization, Safe Families for Children relies primarily on donations from individuals, churches, and corporations. The organization encourages financial partnerships and disruptive generosity from supporters.
2. Government Grants and Title IV-E Reimbursement: Following Family First IV-E approval in July 2025, states may now include SFFC in their IV-E plans and request federal reimbursement for services provided. This opens doors to sustainable government funding.
3. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Partnerships with foundations such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Stand Together provide grant funding to support operations and chapter expansion.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Safe Families for Children is a faith-based nonprofit that mobilizes volunteer host families to provide temporary, voluntary out-of-home care for children while parents work through crises such as homelessness, unemployment, illness, or domestic violence. The organization delivers a Circle of Support model—including Host Families, Family Coaches, Family Friends, Resource Friends, and Prayer Partners—across 97 U.S. chapters and 18 countries, with services provided completely free of charge to families in need.

Product overview

Safe Families for Children is a faith-based nonprofit organization that operates a community-driven volunteer movement focused on family preservation and child welfare deflection. Rather than a technology platform, the organization offers a portfolio of volunteer-based service programs including the Host Family Program (temporary child hosting), Family Friend Program (parent support and friendship), Family Coach Program (case coordination), Resource Friend Program (tangible goods provision), Prayer Partner Program, and Safe Families Schools (church-school partnerships). These services are delivered through a network of local chapters and affiliate partners across the United States and internationally, supported by internal operational tools including a database system, Mission Central training platform, and help desk services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Host Family Program
• Family Friend Program
• Family Coach Program
• Resource Friend Program
• Safe Families Schools
• Chapter Launch/Affiliate Partner Program
• Request Support Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% family preservation rate - families who engage with Safe Families remain safely together
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bethany Christian ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly affiliate partner that helped expand the Safe Families model nationally. One of the founding affiliates that began implementation in 2008 alongside Olive Crest.
• Olive CrestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly affiliate partner that helped expand the Safe Families model nationally. One of the founding affiliates that began implementation in 2008 alongside Bethany Christian Services.
• Stand TogethermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as a national partner supporting the Safe Families movement. Stand Together is a foundation that invests in innovative solutions to social problems.
• ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited member of ECFA, demonstrating financial accountability and transparency standards expected of Christian nonprofits.
• Chapin HallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolicy research organization partnering to support evidence-based program development and evaluation for child welfare prevention services.
• Safe Families CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate implementing the Safe Families model in Canada. Part of global expansion with shared values and mission alignment.
• Safe Families UK (merged with Home for Good)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational affiliate in the United Kingdom that merged with Home for Good to expand reach. Part of global movement serving families across borders.
• Home for Good (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based Christian charity focused on children in care that merged with Safe Families UK to create unified outreach.
• Mother's Choice (Hong Kong)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHong Kong-based organization implementing Safe Families model to support families in the region.
• Ark (Australia)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian organization implementing Safe Families model as part of global expansion.
• Legacy of Hope (Canada)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian affiliate partner implementing the Safe Families model.
• Global Child AdvocatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization supporting global expansion of Safe Families movement.
• Avail (CAFÓ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian organization supporting church-based family support initiatives.
• CareSourceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare managed care organization partnering to support family health and stability.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Boys Town: National nonprofit providing family-preservation and child welfare services including in-home support, foster care, and family counseling. Operates comparable prevention and wraparound models and shares the faith-rooted origin story of SFFC.
• KVC Health Systems: Multi-state child welfare nonprofit delivering foster care, family preservation, behavioral health, and in-home services. Directly comparable in evidence-based service delivery to at-risk families across a comparable geographic footprint.
• Bethany Christian Services: One of SFFC's two founding affiliates (since 2008) that implements the Safe Families model nationally. Bethany provides a directly comparable portfolio of child welfare, foster care, and family preservation services across multiple U.S. states, sharing both the faith-based DNA and the wraparound support model.
• Children's Home & Aid: Midwest-based nonprofit (Illinois roots) delivering foster care, adoption, family preservation, and home visiting programs. Directly comparable service mix and regional overlap with SFFC's strongest chapter footprint.
• Home for Good: UK-based Christian charity that merged with Safe Families UK to consolidate SFFC delivery in Britain. Operates a directly analogous model of volunteer-hosted temporary child placements and Circle of Support to prevent family breakdown.
• Lutheran Services in America: National network of 300+ Lutheran human-service organizations providing child welfare, foster care, and family preservation services. Comparable faith-based delivery infrastructure for child welfare prevention across multiple states.
• Olive Crest (now Brightpoint): Co-founding affiliate of SFFC (since 2008) implementing the Safe Families model. Olive Crest directly operates comparable faith-rooted family preservation, foster care, and prevention programs across the western U.S., with overlapping service populations and volunteer mobilization approaches.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National faith-based social services network providing child welfare, family support, and crisis intervention. Operates overlapping programming at substantially larger scale and broader geographic footprint, representing indirect competition for government child welfare funding.
• Casey Family Programs: Large established national foundation focused on safely reducing the number of children in foster care. Operates overlapping mission territory (child welfare prevention and family preservation) at significantly greater scale and with a research/policy orientation.
• Prevent Child Abuse America: National advocacy and chapter-based organization focused on preventing child abuse and neglect through education and community programs. Overlapping mission domain (prevention rather than post-removal services) makes it an adjacent incumbent in the same upstream family-preservation category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sffcnational
• Facebookfacebook.com/SFFCnational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/758419
• Instagraminstagram.com/safefamiliesforchildren

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safe Families for Children