Alternative Family Services
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersSanta Rosa, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Alternative Family Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Alternative Family Services
- Legal name
- Alternative Family Services
- Website
- https://afs4kids.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Alternative Family Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)
Keywords
Where Alternative Family Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Rosa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Alternative Family Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Government Contracts: County and state government contracts for foster care, adoption, and mental health services. Services funded through California Department of Social Services, county Child Protective Services contracts, and San Francisco Human Services Agency partnerships. Medi-Cal reimbursements for mental health services.
- Donations and Philanthropy: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Accepts donations of goods, gifts, and monetary contributions through online donation portal. Partnership with corporate donors like California Closets providing in-kind contributions.
- Training Services: Free comprehensive training provided to public and private agencies, resource parents, and individuals on foster care, mental health, and family support topics. Training is funded through agency operations rather than direct client fees.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Alternative Family Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Alternative Family Services is a nonprofit foster family agency and mental health organization that recruits, trains, and certifies resource parents to provide out-of-home care for children and youth in Northern California. It delivers foster care placement, adoption facilitation, and a range of mental health services (therapy, psychiatric evaluation, medication management, therapeutic visitation, telepsychiatry, and community-based support) at no cost to clients, funded primarily through county and state government contracts and donations.
Product overview
Alternative Family Services is a nonprofit foster care, adoption, and mental health agency serving Northern California since 1978. The organization offers a coordinated portfolio of services organized around three core pillars: foster care services (including resource family recruitment, training, and placement), adoption services (fost-adopt and adult adoption), and mental health services (therapy, psychiatric care, and community-based support). Key supplementary programs include Transition Age Youth services for youth aging out of care, The Gathering Place therapeutic visitation centers, telepsychiatry, Intensive Family Preservation Services for prevention, and Parenting for Permanency College training. The organization operates multiple office locations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento region, delivering services through community-based, office-based, and telehealth modalities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Foster Care Services Recruits, trains, and certifies resource parents (formerly foster parents) to provide temporary and long-term out-of-home care for children and youth in Northern California's child welfare system.
- Adoption Services Facilitates the adoption of children from foster care, supporting families through the fost-adopt process including home studies, placement, and finalization.
- Mental Health Services Comprehensive mental health services including individual therapy, family therapy, psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and support services delivered through community-based, office-based, and telehealth modalities for children, youth, and families in the child welfare system.
- Transition Age Youth (TAY) Services Specialized programs for youth ages 16-21 transitioning out of foster care, offering life skills training, educational support, job assistance, and transitional housing (THP+).
- The Gathering Place A therapeutic visitation center providing supervised visitation services for biological families and foster families, with locations in Pleasanton and San Leandro, California.
- Therapeutic Visitation Supervised family visitation services designed to support reunification efforts through structured, therapeutic visits at The Gathering Place locations.
- Telepsychiatry Services Remote psychiatric care delivered via HIPAA-compliant video conferencing, providing mental health evaluation, medication assessment, and follow-up care to youth and families in Alameda County, with bilingual Spanish and English services.
- Parenting for Permanency College (PPC)
Quantifiable outcome
- 653 youth served in FY 2024-2025
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Alternative Family Services
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Alternative Family Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Alternative Family Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- California ClosetsminorCalifornia Closets began working with AFS in July 2022, providing custom storage solutions for resource families to help create more functional and organized homes for foster youth. Projects include closet and cabinet installations for resource families in San Francisco, Daly City, and other Northern California locations. California Closets aims to complete multiple projects annually for AFS resource families.
- San Francisco Human Services Agency (HSA), Family and Children Services (FCS)coreAFS partners with San Francisco HSA/FCS to operate the Parenting for Permanency College (PPC) program, promoting safety, health and wellbeing of children in foster care through training, support and recruitment for care providers. Annually serves approximately 350 care provider households and 300 prospective approved care providers.
- California Department of Social Services (CDSS)coreCDSS is the state agency overseeing implementation of the Tiered Foster Care Rate Structure and Wraparound Immediate Needs (WIN) Program. AFS serves as a provider organization working with CDSS guidance on new funding models and service delivery approaches effective July 1, 2027.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Alternative Family Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seneca Family of Agencies: California-based nonprofit providing Wraparound, intensive services, mental health, and foster care/adoption supports. Directly comparable to AFS in service portfolio, county-contract model, and Wraparound delivery.
- Aspiranet: California nonprofit foster family agency offering adoption, foster care, mental health, and TAY programs across multiple regions — a direct competitor for county contracts and resource families.
- Fred Finch Youth & Family Services: California nonprofit providing mental health, Wraparound, and foster care/TAY services — overlaps with AFS on clinical service lines and county-contracted delivery in Northern/Central California.
- Stanford Sierra Youth & Families: California-based nonprofit serving foster youth, TAY, and families through Wraparound and mental health programs — directly competes with AFS for county Wraparound and intensive services contracts.
- Caminar (formerly Uplift Family Services): Bay Area-rooted nonprofit mental health and child welfare provider; overlaps with AFS on county-contracted mental health and family support services following the Uplift/Caminar merger.
- Children's Home Society of California: California nonprofit focused on adoption and post-adoption services, including foster-to-adopt pathways — directly comparable to AFS's adoption and fost-adopt service line.
Broad incumbents
- Olive Crest: Multi-state nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, mental health, and family preservation services across the West Coast, including California — broader geographic reach than AFS but comparable service mix.
- Pacific Clinics: Large California behavioral health nonprofit offering mental health, Wraparound, and intensive services — overlaps with AFS's clinical offerings and competes for county mental health contracts.
- Casey Family Programs: National foundation operating child welfare programs, providing direct services, consulting, and contracting — a much larger incumbent shaping the same California foster care policy and funding environment AFS depends on.
Regional players
- Easterseals Bay Area: Northern California disability and family services nonprofit; partial overlap with AFS on family support and behavioral health services for children and youth with disabilities in shared Bay Area counties.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Alternative Family Services social profiles
Digital presenceAlternative Family Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Alternative Family Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Alternative Family Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Alternative Family Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Alternative Family Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Alternative Family Services
What does Alternative Family Services do?
Alternative Family Services is a nonprofit foster family agency and mental health organization that recruits, trains, and certifies resource parents to provide out-of-home care for children and youth in Northern California. It delivers foster care placement, adoption facilitation, and a range of mental health services (therapy, psychiatric evaluation, medication management, therapeutic visitation, telepsychiatry, and community-based support) at no cost to clients, funded primarily through county and state government contracts and donations.
Is Alternative Family Services a public or private company?
Alternative Family Services is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Alternative Family Services founded?
Alternative Family Services was founded in 1978. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Alternative Family Services based?
Alternative Family Services is headquartered in Santa Rosa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Alternative Family Services make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Contracts are the primary driver. The others are donations and Philanthropy and training Services.
Who are Alternative Family Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seneca Family of Agencies, Aspiranet, Fred Finch Youth & Family Services, Stanford Sierra Youth & Families, Caminar (formerly Uplift Family Services) and Children's Home Society of California. Broad incumbents are Olive Crest, Pacific Clinics and Casey Family Programs. Easterseals Bay Area is listed as a regional player.
Does Alternative Family Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Alternative Family Services.
What industry is Alternative Family Services in?
Alternative Family Services's product category is Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services, with a secondary code of EDACALAH, Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services. Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.