Lincoln Child Center

What Lincoln Child Center does

Lincoln Families (operating name of Lincoln Child Center, rebranded in 2023) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1883 in Oakland, California, delivering 13 mental health and family support programs across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The organization serves more than 41,000 children and families annually through two distribution channels: school-based programs embedded in Oakland Unified, Hayward Unified, and Pittsburg Unified school districts (including NEST, EXCEL, HOPE, Oakland Freedom Schools, West Oakland Initiative, and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation), and community-based programs operating from family resource centers and home-based services (Intensive Home-Based Services, Kinship Support Services, Project Permanence, Therapeutic Behavioral Services, Multidimensional Family Therapy, Mandela Family Resource Center, and East County First 5 Center). The core methodology combines trauma-informed care, evidence-based therapeutic modalities such as MDFT and TBS, and a 'whatever it takes' individualized service philosophy delivered with cultural humility. A CAMFT-approved Training Institute and Clinician's Training Program provide continuing education and clinical supervision pipelines.

The organization's business model is non-commercial: all direct services are provided free of charge to eligible families, primarily youth and families enrolled in full-scope Medi-Cal or referred through county child welfare, juvenile justice, and school district partners. Revenue is assembled from three streams: Medi-Cal contracts with Alameda and Contra Costa county Behavioral Health agencies, foundation and corporate grants (Zellerbach Family Foundation, Sierra Health Foundation, Hellman Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Blue Shield of California, among others), and individual donations and fundraising events such as the annual Emerald Ball, which has raised $190,000-$205,000 in recent years. The go-to-market motion is community-led, with referrals flowing through county agencies, school districts, and community partners rather than direct consumer marketing.

Lincoln Families is led by President & CEO Allison Staulcup Becwar (since March 1, 2019) and operates with 501-1000 employees. It opened a new headquarters at 150 Linden Street in Oakland on October 16, 2025 and launched a 2024-2029 Strategic Plan articulating growth across innovation, workforce, community engagement, and operational excellence. The organization has received six consecutive Top Workplace awards (2021-2026) and a 2018 Commitments Award for Educational Success from the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.

Name

Lincoln Child Center

Legal name

Lincoln Families

Website

https://lincolnfamilies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Lincoln Families (formerly Lincoln Child Center) is a 141-year-old Oakland-based nonprofit operating 13 mental health and family support programs that serve more than 41,000 children and families annually across Alameda and Contra Costa counties through school-based and community-based delivery, funded by Medi-Cal contracts, foundation grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts (Medi-Cal): Mental health services funded through Medi-Cal contracts with Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Services are provided to youth and families who are beneficiaries of full-scope Medi-Cal.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations and corporations including Sierra Health Foundation, Hellman Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, and others to support specific programs and initiatives.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate giving, and fundraising events including the annual Emerald Ball. Tax ID: 94-1156501.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lincoln Families operates 13 mental health, youth, and family support programs delivered through school-based and community-based channels across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Services include school-embedded mental health, intensive home-based behavioral supports, kinship caregiver services, substance use treatment, early childhood programs, and family resource centers, all provided free of charge to eligible families and funded through Medi-Cal contracts, foundation grants, and individual donations.

Product overview

Lincoln Families operates as a nonprofit social services organization offering 13 mental health and family support programs across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The organization delivers services through two main delivery channels: School-Based programs (NEST, EXCEL, HOPE, Highland Family Resource Center, Oakland Freedom Schools, School Engagement Program, West Oakland Initiative, and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation) serving pre-K through high school students; and Community-Based programs (Intensive Home-Based Services, Kinship Support Services, Project Permanence, Therapeutic Behavioral Services, Multidimensional Family Therapy, Mandela Family Resource Center, and East County First 5 Center) providing family stability, health and recovery, and community resource services. Additionally, the Training Institute and Clinician's Training Program provide professional development and continuing education for mental health practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEST (Nurture, Educate, Support, Thrive) Early childhood program providing supports for children, families, and educators to build school readiness and social emotional skills for preschool children.
• EXCEL (Excellence through Counseling, Education and Learning) Behavioral supports for students, families, and schools to develop tools and learning environments for academic success, serving children with unique learning needs.
• HOPE (Helping Open Pathways to Education) Integrated behavioral supports for students, families, and schools to develop tools and learning environments for academic success, focused on healing in schools. Delivered through Pittsburg Unified School District.
• Highland Family Resource Center School-based family resource center engaging families and providing access to information, connections to neighborhood resources, and opportunities to develop new skills at Highland Community School in East Oakland.
• Oakland Freedom Schools (OFS) Culturally relevant summer literacy programming that builds strong, literate, and empowered scholars and youth, leveling the playing field for students from low socio-economic backgrounds.
• School Engagement Program (SEP) Support and assistance to youth and families to reduce chronic truancy and improve attendance, helping students stay engaged with school.
• West Oakland Initiative (WOI) Culturally responsive academic intervention and wellness program integrating in-class supports, social-emotional development, and parent engagement for students attending West Oakland public middle and high schools.
• Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Preventative, relationship-based, and culturally responsive mental health services for young children ages 3-5, focusing on early identification and building resiliency within families and school communities.
• Intensive Home-Based Services (IHBS) Intensive supports in the home, school, and community for system-involved youth to live healthier and more productive lives, with supports for families to stabilize and stay together.
• Kinship Support Services Supports for kin caregivers including family coaching, education and skill building, youth engagement, and support groups to help relative caregivers raise their relative children, serving Hayward, Fremont, San Leandro, and surrounding areas.
• Project Permanence Intensive home-based supports for youth who have been in foster care or juvenile justice system to stay in their community with their families and prevent out-of-home placement.
• Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) Supports for youth at risk of losing their home placement due to behaviors, working with entire families to find solutions, ensure stability, and reduce challenging behaviors.
• Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) Short-term intensive therapy for youth struggling with mental health and substance use issues, providing youth therapy, caregiver supports, family coaching, and system navigation.
• Mandela Family Resource Center Community hub in West Oakland providing individualized services including early childhood programs, parent leadership, health and wellness, resource navigation, and community action.
• East County First 5 Center Community hub in partnership with First 5 Contra Costa providing programs for children ages 0-5 and families, including child development classes, parenting support groups, and community resources.
• Training Institute High-quality, relevant, interactive trainings on mental health topics offering continuing education credits for LPCCs, LCSWs, and MFTs, approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
• Clinician's Training Program Practicum program integrating graduate students into existing teams within community and school settings, providing clinical services and supervision for future mental health professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of TBS youth had no mental health hospitalizations; 100% stayed in home placement
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• First 5 Contra CostacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to operate East County First 5 Center serving children ages 0-5 and families in Contra Costa County. Provides comprehensive early childhood programs and resources.
• Prescott-Joseph Center for Community EnhancementkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partner in W.O.Z.E. (West Oakland Zone of Excellence) and for Mandela Family Resource Center. Organized drive-by food giveaways, distributed groceries to Mandela Gateway Apartments residents, and provided diapers and educational materials during pandemic.
• Mandela Grocery CooperativekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorker-owned grocery store in West Oakland. Partnered with First 5 on 'Basic Food Bag' pilot project serving 20 West Oakland families with children ages 0-5 each month with $90 retail value bags of food and hygiene items.
• Roots Community Health CenterkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 2008 with mission to improve health status of East Bay residents. Essential referral partner for Lincoln staff and families, provided COVID-19 testing and vaccines to the community.
• Oakland Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner for school-based mental health and educational programs serving Oakland students.
• Pittsburg Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner in East Contra Costa for HOPE program and other school-based services.
• Hayward Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partner for school-based mental health and educational support programs.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Seneca Family of Agencies: A larger Bay Area nonprofit providing intensive home-based, school-based, and community-based mental health and wraparound services to children, youth, and families, including kinship, foster care, and juvenile justice populations. Closest direct competitor to Lincoln in Alameda/Contra Costa Medi-Cal and Wraparound contracts.
• Fred Finch Youth & Family Services: Bay Area-based nonprofit offering mental health, therapeutic, and wraparound services for children, youth, and families, with strong school-based and community-based programs comparable to Lincoln's NEST, EXCEL, and HOPE offerings.
• Hillsides (formerly Hillsides Children's Center): Los Angeles-based nonprofit serving children, youth, and families through mental-health, foster-care, Wraparound, and intensive-services programs, sharing Lincoln's trauma-informed, family-driven service model.
• Catalyst Kids: Northern California early-childhood and family-services nonprofit providing early-intervention programs, parenting support, and community-based family services comparable to Lincoln's NEST and First 5 programs.
• Aspiranet: California-wide nonprofit operating Wraparound, Intensive Home-Based Services, TBS, kinship support, and adoption/foster-care programs. Directly competes with Lincoln for county Wraparound and behavioral-health contracts in Northern California.
• Edgewood Center for Children and Families: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing mental health, behavioral, educational, and family support services for children and youth, with overlapping programs in early childhood mental-health consultation and trauma-informed care.
• Children's Home Society of California: California nonprofit providing adoption, foster care, Wraparound, and behavioral health services to children and families statewide. Operates similar intensive home-based and Wraparound programs in Northern California counties.
• StarView Behavioral Health (Stars Behavioral Health Group): California behavioral-health nonprofit operating Wraparound, TBS, and intensive home-based services programs across multiple counties. Directly competes with Lincoln for the same county Medi-Cal and behavioral-health contracts.

Regional players

• Mental Health Association of Alameda County: Alameda County-based peer mental-health and family-services nonprofit providing advocacy, family support, and community mental-health programs that overlap with Lincoln's kinship, IHBS, and Wraparound offerings in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Kaiser Permanente School of Mental Health & Community Programs: A major healthcare system that funds and operates school-based mental health, ACEs screening, and behavioral-health programs in partnership with community organizations like Lincoln, representing both a peer provider and a key funder.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9i-LuHy5kVoAmYmI2ctwZg
• Facebookfacebook.com/lincoln1883
• Instagraminstagram.com/mandelafrc
• Xx.com/lincoln1883
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lincoln-families

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Lincoln Child Center