Midwest Special Services

What Midwest Special Services does

Midwest Special Services (MSS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1949 and headquartered at 900 Ocean Street in St. Paul, Minnesota. The organization delivers disability services to adults with disabilities in the Twin Cities metro area, operating from seven physical locations spanning St. Paul, Eagan, Apple Valley, Oakdale, Brooklyn Park, Minneapolis, and Shoreview. Its program portfolio includes Day Services, Individual Employment Services, Business Workforce Solutions, the Fresh Eye Arts creative arts program, and Artist Career Support. MSS serves a diversified stakeholder base comprising individuals with disabilities, families and caregivers, employer partners, charitable donors, volunteers, and artists with disabilities represented through the Fresh Eye Gallery.

MSS's technology stack is operational rather than transformative: a Squarespace-hosted website, the Bloomerang donation platform, MailChimp for email communications, VolunteerMatch for volunteer recruitment, and eTrac, MSS's own registered online learning management system used for program delivery and outcomes tracking. The proprietary eTrac platform represents the organization's main technology investment and is positioned as a differentiated program-management tool within the Minnesota disability services sector.

Revenue mechanics blend traditional nonprofit funding streams with smaller commercial and affiliate components. Charitable contributions flow through one-time donations, planned giving/legacy gifts via the Legacy Society, and an annual "Celebrate!" gala. Fee-for-service program delivery (employment services, day services, community programs) likely draws on government funding and individual payer arrangements, though pricing is not publicly disclosed. Ancillary revenue includes an e-commerce art commission channel (with works priced at $150–$250 per piece) and the RaiseRight gift card fundraising program, which yields up to 20% commission on purchases from 750+ brands. With 51–100 employees, MSS is a mid-sized, mature service organization whose differentiation rests on regulatory credentials (11 consecutive CARF three-year accreditations), a 76-year operating history, and a community-integrated program model rather than technology or scale advantages.

Name

Midwest Special Services

Legal name

Midwest Special Services, Inc.

Website

https://mssmn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Midwest Special Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1949 in St. Paul, Minnesota, providing day services, employment support, creative arts programs, and workforce solutions for adults with disabilities across seven Twin Cities locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Services and Vocational Rehabilitation

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs Adult Day Programs (Developmental/Physical Disabilities, Seniors) (HLADAIAI), Interagency Coordination & Case Management (VR, DD, Medicaid Waivers) (EDAKANAM)

Keywords

• Disability services
• Vocational training
• Supported employment
• Creative arts programs
• Community-based day services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monetary Donations: MSS receives charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to support programs and services for people with disabilities. Donations are processed through Bloomerang online donation platform.
2. Planned Giving/Legacy Society: MSS accepts planned gifts through wills, estate plans, and IRA beneficiary designations as part of their Legacy Society program.
3. Gift Card Fundraising (RaiseRight): MSS participates in RaiseRight gift card fundraising program where supporters purchase gift cards from 750+ brands and MSS earns up to 20% commission on each purchase.
4. Art Commissions and Sales: MSS sells commissioned artwork from artists with disabilities through its online shop. Artwork includes paintings, portraits, and custom commissions in various sizes at different price points.
5. Program Services Revenue: MSS provides disability services including employment services, day services, and community-based programs. Revenue likely includes government funding and fee-for-service arrangements for program delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midwest Special Services (MSS) is a nonprofit organization that delivers disability services programs—including day services, individual employment support, creative arts programming (Fresh Eye Arts), and business workforce solutions—for adults with disabilities in the Twin Cities metro area. The organization also facilitates artist career development and sells commissioned artwork by artists with disabilities through its online Fresh Eye Gallery shop.

Product overview

Midwest Special Services (MSS) is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of disability services programs, including Day Services, Fresh Eye Arts (creative arts program), Artist Career Support, Individual Employment Services, and Business Workforce Solutions. The organization also sells artist commissions through its online shop, featuring commissioned artwork from three artists: Soon-Wai Wong (portrait commissions), Dan Stallsworth (colorscape paintings), and Paul Macharia (nature paintings). These products are available in various sizes with framing options. MSS is not a technology platform but rather a service provider in the disability services sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fresh Eye Arts: Creative arts program showcasing artwork by artists with disabilities
• eTrac

Products and services

• Day Services Daytime support services providing educational, social, and recreational opportunities for adults with disabilities to encourage community inclusion. Delivered Monday-Friday 9am-2pm across MSS locations.
• Fresh Eye Arts Creative Arts Program Award-winning creative arts program offering pottery, screen printing, painting, woodworking, textiles, and art facilitation for people with disabilities, including an art gallery and art commissions.
• Artist Career Support Program supporting artists with disabilities in developing their artistic careers, including commissions and sales of artwork through the Fresh Eye Gallery.
• Individual Employment Services Employment support services helping people with disabilities find and maintain meaningful employment through job placement, coaching, and retention support.
• Business Workforce Solutions Services connecting businesses with qualified candidates from the disability community to meet workforce needs, including supported employment partnerships and disability inclusion support.
• Artist Commissions (Paul Macharia) Fine art paintings by Paul Macharia featuring masterful lighting and sharp detail capturing natural world subjects. Available in 9x12 ($150), 11x14 ($200), and 16x20 ($250) sizes, framed in black or white wooden frames.
• Artist Commissions (Dan Stallsworth) Custom colorscape paintings by Dan Stallsworth, created by painting with an adapted paintbrush worn on the head. Available in 16x20 size at $250, with custom color requests or photo references accepted.
• Artist Commissions (Soon-Wai Wong) Custom artwork commissions by Soon-Wai Wong featuring portraits of places, vacation photos, landscapes, and buildings rendered in energetic gestural paintings or drawings. Works come framed in black or white wooden frames, with custom pricing based on size and complexity.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RaiseRightcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRaiseRight gift card fundraising partnership allows MSS supporters to purchase gift cards from 750+ brands and earn up to 20% commission for the organization. Orders processed first Friday of each month with pickup available at St. Paul office or home delivery. MSS enrollment code: 8F2648B466373.
• VolunteerMatchcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline volunteer recruitment platform used by MSS to post volunteer opportunities including Art in the Community, Bingo and Board Games, Social Butterfly, and Adaptive Fitness/Movement at Brooklyn Park and other locations.
• Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)coreOthersInternational accrediting body for rehabilitation facilities. Awarded MSS its 11th consecutive Three-Year Accreditation in 2014 with multiple exemplary ratings for Creative Arts, Autism, and eTrac programs.
• Candid (GuideStar)minorOthersNonprofit transparency platform providing Gold Seal certification for MSS.
• Charities Review CouncilminorOthersCharities Review Council standards certification indicating MSS meets accountability standards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dungarvin: Minnesota-founded nationwide provider of residential, day, and employment services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operates a similar CARF-aligned compliance model and overlapping Twin Cities footprint, making it the closest analog to MSS.
• Living Well Disability Services: Twin Cities nonprofit serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day, and in-home support. Overlaps with MSS on day services and community-inclusion outcomes.
• Rise, Inc. Minnesota-headquartered nonprofit offering employment, community, and housing supports for people with disabilities, including vocational rehabilitation programs that directly overlap with MSS's service lines.
• Opportunity Partners: Minnesota-based nonprofit offering employment, day, and community services for people with disabilities. Closely mirrors MSS's portfolio across vocational training, supported employment, and creative arts programming.
• ProAct: Minnesota-based nonprofit that supports people with disabilities through employment, training, and community programs — directly comparable employment-services model to MSS's Individual Employment Services.
• Merrick, Inc. Minnesota nonprofit providing vocational, day, and community-based services for adults with disabilities. Competes for the same funding streams and employer partnerships in the Twin Cities.
• Sevita Health (formerly The MENTOR Network / REM Minnesota): One of the largest U.S. providers of home- and community-based disability services, including REM Minnesota, which delivers day services and supported employment in the same Twin Cities market as MSS.

Broad incumbents

• BrightSpring Health Services: Large diversified national provider of home- and community-based health and human services, including disability support. Operates at a vastly greater scale than MSS but competes for similar state contracts and employer relationships.
• The Arc: National disability advocacy and direct-service network operating local chapters that deliver day, employment, and family-support programs comparable to MSS's portfolio.

Regional players

• Imagine!: Colorado-based nonprofit providing adult day, employment, and residential supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — a useful non-MN benchmark for service mix and CARF-aligned delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mwsservices
• Facebookfacebook.com/seepossibility
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwest-special-services-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Midwest Special Services