Horizons Family Services

What Horizons Family Services does

Horizons Family Services, operating legally as Horizons – A Family Service Alliance, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN #42-1135083) founded in 1959 and headquartered at 819 5th St SE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with a satellite office in Coralville. It delivers a portfolio of community services targeted at older adults, persons with disabilities, and financially underserved individuals across Linn, Johnson, and Washington Counties in Iowa. The core programs are Meals on Wheels East Central Iowa (home delivery of hot, frozen, and breakfast meals, plus an AniMeals pet-food adjunct), two evening/weekend transportation services — Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS) in Linn County and TripConnect Johnson County — and a Financial Wellness Center providing budget, credit, and housing counseling. The organization also runs Catering for a Cause, an earned-income program whose profits are reinvested in Meals on Wheels.

The underlying technology stack is modest and predominantly third-party: ride scheduling is powered by Via's platform via a dedicated subdomain (horizons.app.ridewithvia.com) and dedicated iOS/Android apps (the NTS app and the TripConnect Johnson County app); the marketing and donor-acquisition layer consists of a WordPress website (horizonsfamily.org), Google Analytics, Google AdWords remarketing, and organic social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Instagram). No proprietary software, API, or developer product exists; PCI-DSS-compliant payment processing handles catering and donation transactions.

The business model mixes earned income with donations and public funding. Earned-income streams are small and unit-priced: $3.00 per ride in Linn County, $2.00 per ride in Johnson County, and catering with a $200 delivery minimum and 48-hour advance notice. The majority of operating support comes from individual and institutional donations, United Way allocations, and government grants — exemplified by a $5.5M capital campaign for the planned 13,000-square-foot 'Our Place' senior center ($3.9M, or 71%, raised as of March 2026, including a $2M anonymous gift, $200,000 in Linn County ARPA funds, and a proposed up to $500,000 from the City of Cedar Rapids). Construction began February 2026, with a ceremonial groundbreaking on March 13, 2026, and a planned spring 2027 opening, restoring a senior-center capability absent since the Witwer Senior Center was destroyed in the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood.

Name

Horizons Family Services

Legal name

Horizons, A Family Service Alliance

Website

https://horizonsfamily.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Horizons Family Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1959 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, delivering Meals on Wheels, evening/weekend transportation (NTS and TripConnect Johnson County via the Via platform), and financial counseling to older adults, persons with disabilities, and financially underserved individuals across Linn, Johnson, and Washington Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services (Nonprofit)

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Errands (Non-Emergency) (HLADAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Senior/Accessibility Concierge & Companion Errands (HSACAIAO), Transportation-Integrated Adult Day Programs (Day Program + Non-Emergency Transport) (HLADAIAK), Special Needs Adult Day Programs (Developmental/Physical Disabilities, Seniors) (HLADAIAI)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Meals on wheels delivery
• Non-emergency transportation
• Financial counseling services
• Senior services nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that relies on donations from individuals, organizations, and government grants to fund operations. An anonymous $2 million donor contributed to the senior center construction.
2. Transportation Services: Single ride fees charged to passengers: $3.00 per ride in Linn County (NTS) and $2.00 per ride in Johnson County (TripConnect). Rides can be pre-purchased as ride credits.
3. Catering for a Cause: Catering services for events and meetings with $200 minimum for deliveries and 48-hour advance notice required. 100% of profits from catering goes back to the Meals on Wheels program.
4. Government Grants and Public Funding: Government funding from Linn County ($200,000 in ARPA funds) and city budget contributions for senior center construction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Horizons Family Services is a community-based nonprofit that delivers Meals on Wheels (hot meals, frozen meals, and breakfast bags) to older adults and persons with disabilities, provides after-hours accessible transportation via the NTS and TripConnect programs, and offers budget, credit, and housing counseling through its Financial Wellness Center. It also runs Catering for a Cause (with 100% of profits funding Meals on Wheels) and is building the Our Place senior center facility in Cedar Rapids to reopen senior center services lost in the 2008 flood.

Product overview

Horizons Family Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social services organization offering a portfolio of community support programs. The core programs include Meals on Wheels East Central Iowa (meal delivery to seniors), the Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS) for Linn County, and Trip Connect for Johnson County (both using Via ride-sharing technology for evening/weekend transportation), plus a Financial Wellness Center for counseling. Additional programs include AniMeals (pet food assistance), MOW Johnson County, and Catering for a Cause. The organization is developing the 'Our Place' senior center facility. The portfolio operates as standalone programs under one non-profit umbrella, not as a unified software platform. There is no API or developer product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS): Transportation service providing safe and affordable rides to work, school and training at night and on weekends when public transportation is not available.
• Trip Connect Johnson County
• AniMeals
• Financial Wellness Center
• Catering for a Cause
• Our Place

Products and services

• Meals on Wheels East Central Iowa Home-delivered meal program providing hot, fresh, ready-to-eat meals, frozen meals, and breakfast bags to older adults and persons with disabilities across Linn, Johnson, and Washington Counties in Iowa.
• AniMeals Pet food assistance program that delivers food for companion animals to seniors already receiving Meals on Wheels deliveries.
• MOW Johnson County Meals on Wheels program tailored for Johnson County residents, delivering meals to older adults in the Iowa City/Coralville service area.
• Neighborhood Transportation Service (NTS) - Linn County Accessible transportation service providing safe and affordable rides to work, school, and training at night and on weekends for residents of Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Hiawatha when public transportation is unavailable. Single ride cost is $3.00, with rides bookable 1 hour to 7 days in advance and pre-purchased ride credits available.
• TripConnect Johnson County Accessible transportation service for Johnson County providing rides to work, school, and training during evening hours and weekends. Uses Via technology platform; single ride cost is $2.00, bookable 1 hour to 7 days in advance. Serves Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and Johnson County north of I-80.
• Financial Wellness Center Financial counseling service offering budget, credit, and housing counseling to empower independence and raise financial stability in the community.
• Catering for a Cause Catering service delivering professionally prepared meals for meetings, events, staff appreciation, and group lunches. Requires $200 minimum for delivery and 48-hour advance notice. 100% of catering profits support the Meals on Wheels program.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Meals on Wheels AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizons' Meals on Wheels program has been co-branded with Meals on Wheels America, strengthening connection to a national network while continuing to serve Linn, Johnson, and Washington Counties. This affiliation provides national network credibility and resources.
• United Way of East Central IowacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner supporting Horizons Family Services through referral and visibility.
• United Way of Johnson & Washington CountiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner supporting Horizons Family Services in Johnson and Washington Counties.
• Via TransportationcoreTechnology or IntegrationVia provides the technology platform for NTS ride scheduling via their rideshare platform at horizons.app.ridewithvia.com, powering the mobile app and web-based ride booking system.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HorizonsIowa
• Facebookfacebook.com/HorizonsIowa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/235797
• Instagraminstagram.com/horizonsiowa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 Horizons Family Services