What Productive Living Board does

Productive Living Board (PLB) is a public taxing entity established by St. Louis County, Missouri voters in 1979 under Missouri Senate Bill 40 (RSMo 205.968–205.972). It levies a property tax of 8.8 cents per $100 of assessed value, generating approximately $25 million annually, and uses these funds to contract with a network of 36+ (and in FY'26, 37) nonprofit partner agencies that deliver services to roughly 4,100–4,600 individuals with developmental disabilities across the county. PLB's "product" is funded service access across categories including community integration, employment and employment training, community and independent living, advocacy, family support, assistive technology, transportation, and recreation, organized by life stage (school age, transition age, adult, older adult, family support).

The organization's core operating model is fund-allocation and oversight: ninety-one cents of every dollar is disbursed directly to services, with the remainder covering administrative overhead. Distribution happens through annual RFP/letter-of-intent processes (foragencies.org) and a Quality Enhancement/Service Excellence system implemented in 2001. PLB operates a small central staff (11–50 employees) housed at 121 Hunter Avenue, Suite 200, St. Louis. There is no proprietary technology platform; the supporting infrastructure is a website (plboard.org), the IDD Gateway Resource Guide portal, and an online board-meetings application.

Revenue is exclusively tax-based — there is no commercial pricing, no per-service fees, and no enterprise customers. PLB supplements its tax base through strategic partnerships: the Partnership for Hope Waiver (since 2016, with the Missouri Department of Mental Health) reduces PLB's per-service cost share to 20% by leveraging state and federal Medicaid funds; the Eastern Region Alliance (since 2018) coordinates PLB with three other SB40 boards (City of St. Louis, Jefferson County, St. Charles County) for a combined $45 million annual pool serving 80 agencies and 7,000+ individuals. Recent operational expansion includes a 2021 assistive technology initiative adding three new programs and an Adaptive Equipment Lending Library. The entity is governed by a nine-member volunteer Board of Directors appointed by the St. Louis County Executive and confirmed by the County Council, with Becky Herschbach serving as Executive Director.

Name

Productive Living Board

Legal name

Productive Living Board for St. Louis County Citizens with Developmental Disabilities

Website

https://plboard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Productive Living Board is a 1979 public taxing entity under Missouri Senate Bill 40 that levies a St. Louis County property tax (8.8 cents per $100 assessed value, ~$25 million annually) to fund developmental disability services through 36+ nonprofit partner agencies serving roughly 4,100 county residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Developmental Disability Services Funding

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Developmental disability services
• Community support funding
• Employment support programs
• Government disability board
• Nonprofit partner agency funding

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: PLB generates revenue through a property tax levy of 8.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value in St. Louis County, which produces approximately $25 million annually. This public funding is used to contract with agencies providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Productive Living Board (PLB) is a public taxing entity (Senate Bill 40 Board) established in 1979 that collects a property tax levy (8.8 cents per $100 of assessed property value) in St. Louis County, Missouri, and distributes the resulting ~$25 million annually through contracts and grants to a network of 36+ nonprofit partner agencies delivering services to approximately 4,100 individuals with developmental disabilities. Core funded service categories include community integration, community living, employment services and training, family support, assistive technology, advocacy, and the Partnership for Hope Waiver collaboration.

Product overview

Productive Living Board (PLB) is a public taxing entity established in 1979 that funds developmental disability services across St. Louis County, Missouri. Rather than operating a traditional product platform, PLB serves as a funding organization that invests tax dollars in a network of 36+ nonprofit partner agencies. Services are organized by age group (School Age, Transition Age, Adult, Older Adult, Family Support) and by service category (Community Integration, Community Living, Employment Services, Employment Training, Professional Services, Support Systems). Key initiatives include the Partnership for Hope Waiver program (collaboration with Missouri Department of Mental Health), an Adaptive Equipment Lending Library operated with the Center for Specialized Services, and an Assistive Technology program providing devices from low-tech equipment to smart technology. PLB also powers the IDD Gateway Resource Guide, a regional information portal for disability resources in the St. Louis area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partner Agency Funding Program Annual contracts and grants distributed to 36+ nonprofit partner agencies that directly provide developmental disability services to St. Louis County residents. In FY'26, PLB approved 125 funding requests totaling $31,080,918 to 37 partner agencies.
• Partnership for Hope Waiver Collaboration with the Missouri Department of Mental Health and federal Medicaid program under which PLB pays 20% of costs (instead of 100%) to leverage state and federal funds, saving an average of $140,000 annually. The first program of its kind in the nation.
• Adaptive Equipment Lending Library Lending library established with the Center for Specialized Services that provides adaptive equipment and sensory items on loan to individuals and families.
• Assistive Technology and Adaptive Equipment Program Initiative providing assistive technology and adaptive equipment to St. Louis County residents, ranging from low-tech equipment such as ramps and grab bars to advanced smart technology. Expanded through a 2021 Request for Expansion that added three new programs.
• IDD Gateway Resource Guide Online regional resource portal (iddresourceguide.org) for individuals, families, and service providers searching for developmental disability resources across the St. Louis region.
• Capacity-Building One-Time Grants One-time grants awarded to current and non-partner agencies for emergency, capital, or other one-time needs. Over FY'21 and FY'22, PLB provided $1,234,810 to current partners and $208,534 to non-partner agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ninety-one cents of every dollar purchases services, demonstrating efficient use of taxpayer funds
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Various Assistive Technology ProvidersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In 2021, PLB added three new programs that provide assistive technology and adaptive equipment to St. Louis County residents, ranging from low-tech adaptive equipment like ramps and grab bars to advanced smart technology.
• Eastern Region AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, PLB joined three other County Boards in the St. Louis area to form the Eastern Region Alliance with the Senate Bill 40 Boards of St. Louis County, The City of St. Louis, Jefferson County, and St. Charles County. Together, these boards receive $45 million in property taxes each year to invest in services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The partnership serves 80 agencies and 7,000+ individuals in the St. Louis region.
• United Way of Greater St. LouismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership to launch IDDHelp.org collaboration, a regional resource portal for individuals with developmental disabilities, along with DDR and DDRB.
• Developmental Disabilities Resource Board of St. Charles County (DDRB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaboration on IDDHelp.org resource portal and Eastern Region Alliance initiatives.
• St. Louis City Office for Developmental Disability Resources (DDR)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaboration on IDDHelp.org resource portal and Eastern Region Alliance initiatives.
• Missouri Department of Mental Health - Partnership for Hope WaivercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership for Hope is a creative program that more broadly serves and supports people in Missouri with developmental disabilities. The program is a unique collaboration between local county developmental disability boards, the Missouri Department of Mental Health, and the federal Medicaid program. It is the first of its kind in the nation. PLB entered this partnership in 2016, leveraging state and federal funds so that PLB pays 20% of costs instead of 100%, saving an average of $140,000 annually.
• Center for Specialized ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Adaptive Equipment Lending Library established with the Center for Specialized Services, providing adaptive equipment and sensory items on loan to individuals and families.
• Maryville UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Supported employment staff training project begun with Maryville University in 2012.
• Special School District (SSD)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011In 2011, a transition from school to employment project was jointly funded with SSD.
• Vocational RehabilitationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Jointly funded intensive employment training program for students in their last year of school.
• St. Louis Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988In 1988, PLB funded seminars for direct support staff in partnership with St. Louis Community College.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Paraquad: Community employment and counseling services provider funded by PLB; a long-standing partner operating disability services in St. Louis comparable in scope to PLB's funded agencies.
• Easterseals Midwest: One of PLB's funded partner agencies providing advocacy, facility-based, and family support services for individuals with IDD in the St. Louis region. Comparable in mission (disability services) and indirect competition for the same beneficiary population, though it operates programs rather than funding streams.
• United Cerebral Palsy Heartland (UCP Heartland): PLB-funded partner agency that delivers camp, family support, independent living and assistive technology services to people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in Missouri. Operates in the same service ecosystem as PLB-funded programs.
• St. Louis Arc: Provider of socialization, education, family support, and independent living services for people with IDD — a long-time PLB-funded agency serving overlapping beneficiaries in the same county.

Direct peers

• Developmental Disability Resource Board of St. Charles County (DDRB): A fellow Missouri SB40 Board that serves St. Charles County and is a co-founding member of the Eastern Region Alliance alongside PLB. Operates under the same Missouri statute, funds a similar nonprofit partner network, and participates in the Partnership for Hope Waiver.
• St. Louis City Office for Developmental Disability Resources (DDR): Another SB40 Board partner in the Eastern Region Alliance serving City of St. Louis residents with IDD. Closest functional analog to PLB given shared statutory framework, funding model, and joint participation in IDDHelp.org.
• Jefferson County Developmental Disability Board: SB40 Board serving Jefferson County, also part of the Eastern Region Alliance. Compares directly to PLB in role, function, and partnership portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Missouri Department of Mental Health - Division of Developmental Disabilities: The state-level agency that administers the Partnership for Hope Waiver alongside PLB. While much larger and a regulator/funding source, it operates the same statewide service funding system PLB plugs into.

Regional players

• Disability Rights Missouri: Statewide protection-and-advocacy organization for people with disabilities in Missouri. Operates adjacent to PLB's mission (advocacy) but does not function as a funding intermediary for service delivery.

Others

• United Way of Greater St. Louis: Co-partner with PLB in launching IDDHelp.org and the IDD Gateway Resource Guide. A complementary regional funding/coordination entity rather than a direct competitor, but addresses overlapping community needs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ProductiveLivingBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/productive-living-board

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Productive Living Board