Children's Home Society of South Dakota

What Children's Home Society of South Dakota does

Children's Home Society of South Dakota (CHS) is a private nonprofit social services organization founded in 1893 as South Dakota's first human services nonprofit and headquartered in Sioux Falls. The organization delivers a trauma-informed continuum of care for children (primarily ages 4-14) and families, including a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) at two campuses with on-site K-8 schools, therapeutic foster care, adoption services through the Dave Thomas Foundation's Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, a domestic violence Shelter for Family Safety, outpatient mental health clinics, a Child Advocacy Center providing forensic interviewing, and statewide Prevention, Training & Education programs including ACEs Interface training and the CDC-recognized Enough Abuse curriculum. CHS's clinical methodology is grounded in Dr. Bruce Perry's Six Core Strengths framework and trauma-informed care principles.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: programmatic services are primarily funded through contracts with the South Dakota Department of Social Services and Medicaid (the organization is Medicaid-certified with zero citations and holds Joint Commission and COA accreditations), while a parallel philanthropic and event-driven revenue stream supports capital projects, endowment, and unrestricted operations. Major philanthropic support has historically come from T. Denny Sanford (over $73M cumulatively since 1995, including a transformational $55M gift in 2021), with recent capital campaign pledges from Sanford Health ($2M), Seed for Success ($5M), and the Rotary Club of Rapid City Rushmore ($500K) supporting a new Rapid City campus opening in 2026. Distribution is direct-service only: referrals come from SD DSS, tribal social services, schools, healthcare providers, and direct family inquiries, with services delivered at owned facilities in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. There are no disclosed technology products, software platforms, or AI/ML capabilities; the organization's "technology" is its proprietary clinical model, evidence-based curricula, and accredited service delivery framework.

Name

Children's Home Society of South Dakota

Legal name

Children's Home Society of South Dakota

Website

https://chssd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Children's Home Society of South Dakota is a 130-year-old nonprofit founded in 1893 that delivers trauma-informed residential treatment, foster care, adoption, domestic violence shelter, outpatient mental health, and prevention training programs to children ages 4-14 and families across South Dakota.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Grants: Primary funding from South Dakota Department of Social Services and Medicaid for residential treatment, foster care, adoption, and other services. Services are provided under government contracts with the SD DSS.
2. Charitable Donations: Major donations from individual philanthropists and corporate sponsors including T. Denny Sanford's historic $55 million gift and ongoing corporate sponsorships from First PREMIER Bank.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Legacy of Hope Gala, Jon Crane Benefit Auction, Caring for the Kids celebration, and gift wrap booth sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Children's Home Society of South Dakota is a nonprofit social services organization providing a continuum of trauma-informed care programs for children and families across South Dakota. Its core offerings include Psychiatric Residential Treatment (PRTF) for children ages 4-14, emergency domestic violence shelter, therapeutic foster care and adoption services (including the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program), outpatient mental health counseling, Child Advocacy Center forensic interviewing, the Nurse Family Partnership home visiting program, and statewide prevention and training curricula such as Enough Abuse and ACEs Interface Training.

Product overview

Children's Home Society of South Dakota is a social services organization offering a continuum of trauma-informed care programs. The portfolio consists of residential treatment (PRTF) for children ages 4-14 at two campuses with on-site schools; emergency shelter and domestic violence services through Shelter for Family Safety; adoption and therapeutic foster care services including the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program; outpatient mental health services; a Child Advocacy Center with forensic interviewing; and Prevention, Training & Education programs including ACEs, trauma, and Enough Abuse curriculum. The organization also operates the Nurse Family Partnership home visiting program. All programs are coordinated to provide wraparound services supporting children and families across South Dakota.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Treatment & Schools Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) program serving children ages 4-14 at two locations (Sioux Falls and Black Hills campuses), including K-8 school services and day school programs. Provides trauma-focused therapeutic inpatient treatment with individual, group, and family therapy.
• Shelter for Family Safety Emergency shelter and comprehensive domestic violence services including counseling, support groups, outreach, advocacy, prevention education, and resources for victims of domestic violence and their children.
• Adoption Services Facilitates adoption of children from foster care, including therapeutic foster care to adoption pathways.
• Outpatient Mental Health Services Mental health counseling services available in Rapid City and Sioux Falls locations.
• Child Advocacy Center Provides forensic interviewing and coordinated response services for child abuse investigations, including multidisciplinary team approach.
• Prevention, Training & Education Statewide child abuse and domestic violence prevention training covering ACEs education, trauma awareness, Enough Abuse curriculum, and community education programs reaching thousands annually.
• Nurse Family Partnership Evidence-based home visiting program supporting first-time parents through nursing visits during pregnancy and first two years of child's life.
• Therapeutic Foster Care Specialized foster care program for children with higher behavioral, developmental, or medical needs, providing enhanced support, training, and 24/7 case manager access.
• Wendy's Wonderful Kids Signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption partnering with CHS to find permanent adoptive homes for children in foster care, using evidence-based child-focused recruitment model. Offices in Rapid City and Sioux Falls.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94 adoption finalizations since 2009 through Wendy's Wonderful Kids partnership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dave Thomas Foundation for AdoptioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009CHS is the South Dakota partner agency for Wendy's Wonderful Kids, the signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model is up to three times more effective at serving children who have been in foster care the longest. Since 2009, 94 adoptions have been finalized through this partnership.
• Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CPCM at University of South Dakota for distribution and training of the Enough Abuse Campaign throughout South Dakota. CPCM's advisory board was chaired by Sen. Deb Soholt from inception in 2017 to 2020.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Childhelp: National nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention, treatment, and advocacy. Comparable mission in child abuse prevention and trauma-informed services.
• National Children's Alliance: National network supporting Child Advocacy Centers, the same model CHS operates. Directly comparable given CHS's Child Advocacy Center in Rapid City.
• Children's Home Society of California: California counterpart to CHS South Dakota; provides adoption, foster care, and child welfare services across California. Direct structural peer given shared organizational mission and service mix.
• Children's Home Society of Washington: Washington state child welfare nonprofit providing adoption, foster care, and family support services. Direct peer in name, mission, and service portfolio.
• Nurse-Family Partnership: National organization supporting evidence-based home visiting for first-time parents. CHS operates the Nurse Family Partnership program in South Dakota as a direct service provider.
• Children's Home Society of Minnesota: Minnesota-based child welfare nonprofit offering adoption, foster care, and family services. Closest comparable in scope and operating model to CHS South Dakota.

Others

• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: National foundation operating Wendy's Wonderful Kids program in partnership with CHS. Strategic funder/partner rather than competitor; operates similar adoption recruitment model through other agencies.

Broad incumbents

• Boys Town: National child and family services organization providing residential treatment, foster care, and family support. Broader incumbent operating nationally with overlapping services including residential care for at-risk youth.
• Lutheran Social Services: Faith-based national social services organization offering foster care, adoption, and child welfare programs in multiple states. Comparable operating model and service mix.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network providing foster care, adoption, and family services through affiliated agencies. Comparable in scope and service delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/chssdorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/chssd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children's-home-society-of-south-dakota
• Instagraminstagram.com/chssdorg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children's Home Society of South Dakota