Lutheran Services

What Lutheran Services does

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is a faith-based nonprofit human services agency founded in 1947 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Operating across all 99 Iowa counties through more than 20 physical locations and statewide home-based and telehealth services, LSI delivers a diversified portfolio of programs spanning children and youth services (HOPES home visiting, Behavioral Health Intervention Services, community/youth programs), mental health therapy, services for people with disabilities (daily and hourly supported community living, respite care, host homes), immigrant and refugee community services (resettlement, education, family reunification, mental health and wellness, senior services, trafficking victim assistance, Global Greens farming/CSA/market), foster care and adoption, and economic empowerment (Evelyn K. Davis Center, Financial Empowerment Center, Careers & Employability, Small Business Solutions Center, VITA tax assistance).

The organization's underlying delivery model is a human-relationship platform built on multilingual clinical and casework staff, evidence-based program models (Healthy Families America, Parents as Teachers, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative's Opportunity Passport), and a dense network of community, faith, government, and corporate partners (Global Refuge, Heartland Alliance, USCRI, SBA, ELCA, Lutheran Services in America, Wells Fargo, United Way, Polk County). Revenue mechanics are predominantly grant- and contract-driven: most services are free to eligible participants and funded through Medicaid reimbursements (Title 19 and managed care plans), federal grants (USDA, SBA), county contracts (Polk County Financial Empowerment Center), philanthropy (United Way, Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, Wells Fargo, church contributions), and individual/corporate donations. A small fee-based layer exists, including Global Greens CSA subscriptions ($675 weekly share, $365 bi-weekly, $185 fall share, plus $10 home delivery), a $20 citizenship class, and insurance-billed therapy services. LSI holds no proprietary technology product; its platform is operational and programmatic rather than software-defined.

Name

Lutheran Services

Legal name

Lutheran Services in Iowa

Website

https://lsiowa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Lutheran Services in Iowa is a faith-based nonprofit human services agency delivering child welfare, behavioral health, disability, refugee resettlement, and economic empowerment programs across all 99 Iowa counties through 20+ offices and statewide home-based and telehealth services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human and Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Specialized Student Support (Foster/Homeless/Migrant/McKinney-Vento) (EDAJAIAJ)

Keywords

• Human services nonprofit
• Refugee resettlement services
• Behavioral health services
• Disability support services
• Early childhood services

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is a faith-based nonprofit human services organization that delivers a broad portfolio of programs across all 99 Iowa counties. Its core offerings include services for children and youth (early childhood, behavioral health intervention, community programs), mental health and therapy services, supports for people with disabilities (daily and hourly supported community living, respite, host homes), immigrant and refugee community services (resettlement, citizenship, senior programs, anti-trafficking, family reunification), foster care and adoption, and the Evelyn K. Davis Center workforce and entrepreneurship programs.

Product overview

Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) is a nonprofit human services organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of social service programs across Iowa's 99 counties. Rather than a unified software product, LSI operates multiple interconnected service lines: Children and Youth Services (early childhood HOPES programs, behavioral health intervention, community programs), Mental Health and Therapy Services, Services for People with Disabilities (daily/hourly supported community living, respite care, host homes), Immigrant and Refugee Community Services (including Global Greens farming/CSA/market programs, education classes, financial empowerment, resettlement), Foster Care and Adoption, and the Evelyn K. Davis Center hub for financial empowerment, careers, and small business development. These programs work together to provide wraparound support from birth through senior years, with most services available regardless of ability to pay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Greens: A program that reconnects former refugee farmers with the land as they build their new life in the U.S. Through Global Greens, farmers access space to grow food, learn more about U.S. agriculture, and start their own business by selling produce at the Global Greens International Market and in CSA programs.
• Evelyn K. Davis Center
• Polk County Financial Empowerment Center

Products and services

• Services for Children and Youth
• Mental Health Therapy Services
• Services for People with Disabilities
• Immigrant and Refugee Community Services
• Foster Care and Adoption Services
• Evelyn K. Davis Center Programs
• Global Greens Refugee Farming Program
• VITA Free Tax Assistance
• Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolee Services
• Trafficking Victims Assistance Program
• Refugee Senior Services
• Refugee Family Reunification Services
• Host Homes for Adults with Disabilities

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of refugees were self-sufficient after 6 months
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global RefugecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSI partners with Global Refuge as an officially designated resettlement agency to provide refugee resettlement services in Iowa. This partnership involves coordinating the placement of refugees, case management, and post-resettlement support services.
• Heartland AlliancecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for family reunification services including Home Studies and Post-Release Services. LSI caseworkers work with Heartland Alliance to ensure immigrant children are safely reunited with guardians and provided ongoing support.
• United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership to provide services for foreign-born survivors of human trafficking, including certification assistance and comprehensive case management services.
• Corteva AgriscienceminorOthersCorteva Agriscience Carver Center serves as a CSA produce pickup location, enabling employees and community members to access Global Greens produce.
• Lutheran Church of Hope AnkenyminorOthersChurch serves as a CSA produce pickup location for the Global Greens program, supporting the refugee farming initiative.
• Small Business Administration (SBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for business workshops providing educational sessions on starting or growing small businesses. SBA supports the delivery of business development content to immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs.
• Jim Casey Youth Opportunities InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational initiative that designed the Opportunity Passport program specifically for young people ages 14-26 who have been in foster care. Provides framework for financial education and matched savings programs.
• Valley Community CentercoreOthersPartnership for Global Greens Farm - an 8.5 acre incubator farm located at Valley Community Center in West Des Moines, providing land access for refugee farmers.
• Healthy Families AmericacoreOthersHOPES programs are modeled after Healthy Families America evidence-based home visiting model for early childhood services.
• Parents as TeacherscoreOthersHOPES programs are modeled after Parents as Teachers evidence-based early childhood education model.
• ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA, providing faith-based values foundation for service delivery.
• Lutheran Services in AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLSI is a member of Lutheran Services in America, a national network of Lutheran social ministry organizations.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lutheran Services Florida: A direct peer of LSI, operating as a statewide Florida nonprofit human services organization delivering children, family, behavioral health, refugee, and disability services under the same Lutheran Services in America network — comparable service mix, governance, and faith-based model in a different geography.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Dubuque: Iowa-based faith-affiliated nonprofit providing human services including refugee resettlement, mental health, and family support; directly comparable target population, service mix, and Iowa geography.
• World Relief: A leading national refugee resettlement agency with similar full-spectrum refugee services (resettlement, employment, ESL, case management) and an Iowa office; directly comparable on refugee program design and federal funding dependencies.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-rooted, multi-state nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, foster care, adoption, and family services; directly comparable in faith-based model and child welfare plus refugee program mix.
• Four Oaks (Iowa): Iowa-based nonprofit partner of LSI for foster care and adoption, providing comparable child welfare, family preservation, and behavioral health services statewide — directly comparable in Iowa geography and child welfare program scope.
• Heartland Alliance: National anti-poverty organization providing refugee and immigrant services, including the family-reunification partnership with LSI; comparable on refugee case management, anti-trafficking, and human-trafficking-survivor services.

Broad incumbents

• Lutheran Services in America: National network and advocacy body of which LSI is a member; comparable because it convenes and supports LSI's peer set, coordinates policy work, and operates similar cross-state programs at a national scale.
• Salvation Army of Iowa: Faith-based, multi-service Iowa operation providing shelter, food, case management, and disaster relief — comparable in mission scope and free/discounted services model, though more focused on emergency relief than refugee resettlement.
• Catholic Charities USA: National Catholic human-services umbrella; comparable as a faith-rooted multi-service nonprofit network serving similar vulnerable populations (children, refugees, low-income families) at national scale, though with different theology.

Regional players

• Tanager Place: Iowa-based nonprofit providing children's mental health, early childhood, and behavioral health services; comparable on BHIS/early-childhood services overlap with LSI's HOPES and BHIS programs within the same Iowa regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LutheranServicesIA
• Facebookfacebook.com/LSI.iowa
• Instagraminstagram.com/lsi_iowa
• Xx.com/lsiowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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