Let It Be Us

What Let It Be Us does

Let It Be Us is an Illinois-licensed 501(c)(3) child welfare agency headquartered in Barrington, Illinois, founded in 2014. The organization recruits, trains, and supports foster and adoptive families statewide and operates the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois under a $750,000 contract with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) awarded in 2025. Its core technology is a proprietary matching system that connects DCFS caseworkers with prospective foster and adoptive families using a data-driven approach intended to improve placement success rates and reduce placement disruptions, supplemented by a photography- and storytelling-driven Heart Gallery platform that gives visibility to waiting children and teens.

The organization's product portfolio includes the Adoption Listing Service, the Heart Gallery of Illinois, the Foster Home Recruitment Program, the Therapeutic Foster Care Program (serving youth ages 6–14 with elevated emotional and behavioral needs), the Emergency Placement Referral Program, the Special Needs Placement & Recruitment Program, the Foster Achievement Network (FAN), a Licensing Support Program with one-on-one coaching, Direct Support Services, the Let It Be Us Podcast, and On-Demand Foster Care Events. All foster parent licensing and training is free to families in Illinois, and adoption from foster care is provided at no cost to families.

Let It Be Us generates revenue through a mix of government contracts (notably the DCFS managed services contract), individual donations, and corporate sponsorships — anchored by major family foundations such as the Foglia Family Foundation, Canning Foundation, and Hower Family Charitable Trust. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-family digital content (website, webinars, podcast, social media, newsletter) with in-person signature events (the Annual Adoption Symposium and the 'Be Mine' Gala) and B2B channel partnerships with private child welfare agencies including Lutheran Child & Family Services, Shelter Youth & Family Services, Children's Home, One Hope United, and The Bridge Youth & Family Services. The organization reports serving a market of 16,610 Illinois children in foster care, with 6,248+ achieving permanency in FY25 at a 38.4% permanency rate — a 6-year high.

Name

Let It Be Us

Legal name

Let It Be Us

Website

https://letitbeus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Let It Be Us is an Illinois-licensed 501(c)(3) child welfare agency that recruits and supports foster and adoptive families statewide. It operates the state's Adoption Listing Service and Heart Gallery of Illinois under a $750,000 DCFS contract, using proprietary matching technology to place children in permanent homes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care & Adoption Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child Care Services (6244), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG), Therapy-Integrated Childcare Support (coordination with OT/PT/SLP/ABA) (HSAAAIAM)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Child welfare
• Family recruitment
• Placement matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Let It Be Us operates under a statewide contract with Illinois DCFS to manage the Adoption Listing Service and Heart Gallery of Illinois. The organization received a $750,000 contract in 2025 for these services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The organization relies on charitable donations from individuals and corporations. The 2026 'Be Mine' Gala raised over $800,000. Donations are tax-deductible as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support the organization through event sponsorships at galas and symposiums. Notable sponsors include Foglia Family Foundation, Canning Foundation, and Hower Family Charitable Trust.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Let It Be Us is an Illinois-licensed 501(c)(3) child welfare agency that recruits, trains, and licenses foster and adoptive families and operates the statewide Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and Heart Gallery of Illinois under a contract with Illinois DCFS. The organization uses proprietary technology-driven matching to connect caseworkers with prospective families, delivering placement, post-placement, and direct support services for children in Illinois foster care.

Product overview

Let It Be Us is an Illinois-licensed 501(c)(3) child welfare agency providing collaborative, innovative solutions for effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. The organization operates two core state-contracted programs: the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois, which serve as the state's primary matching platforms connecting waiting children with adoptive families. Supporting these core offerings are specialized programs including the Foster Home Recruitment Program, Therapeutic Foster Care Program, Emergency Placement Referral Program, and Special Needs Placement & Recruitment Program. Additional support services include Foster Care Licensing Support with dedicated Licensing Coaches, Direct Support providing material assistance, the Foster Achievement Network, the Let It Be Us Podcast, and On-Demand Foster Care Events offering educational webinars. The organization uses proprietary matching technology to improve placement success rates and reduce disruptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Adoption Listing Service of Illinois: Statewide program connecting prospective adoptive families with children available for adoption through Illinois DCFS
• Heart Gallery of Illinois
• Therapeutic Foster Care Program
• Foster Achievement Network (FAN)
• Emergency Placement Referral Program
• Special Needs Placement & Recruitment Program

Products and services

• Adoption Listing Service of Illinois
• Heart Gallery of Illinois
• Foster Home Recruitment Program
• Therapeutic Foster Care Program Specialized level of foster care for youth ages 6 to 14 requiring higher emotional and behavioral support, including specialized training, Parent Daily Report calls, and weekly in-person meetings with TFC team support.
• Emergency Placement Referral Program Immediate placement referral services for children requiring urgent foster care placement, with a licensed home database for rapid matching.
• Special Needs Placement & Recruitment Program Recruitment and placement services specifically for children with special needs, helping match them with families equipped to provide specialized care.
• Foster Achievement Network (FAN) Program supporting foster youth achievement and educational outcomes for children in the Illinois child welfare system.
• Foster Care Licensing Support Program One-on-one guidance with experienced Licensing Coaches to help families navigate the foster parent licensing process in Illinois, including PRIDE training and home study completion.
• Direct Support Services Private funding providing for needs of children in foster care including chromebooks, tutoring, online training classes, educational materials, and basic necessities, with the goal of supporting family wellbeing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 54% of collaborative cases receive appropriate adoptive family referrals
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Chapin Hall at the University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Research collaboration partner bringing child welfare policy expertise to the Annual Adoption Symposium and ongoing quality improvement initiatives.
• Illinois CASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Statewide collaboration with Court Appointed Special Advocates who represent children's best interests in court proceedings.
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Let It Be Us holds a $750,000 statewide contract with DCFS to manage the Illinois Adoption Listing Service and Heart Gallery of Illinois. This is the organization's primary government partnership and core operational mandate.
• Lutheran Child & Family ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnership for foster home recruitment - one of several contracted agencies recruiting and licensing foster families throughout Illinois.
• Shelter Youth & Family ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnership for foster home recruitment - contracted to recruit and license foster families in their service areas.
• Children's HomecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnership for foster home recruitment - contracted to recruit and license foster families throughout Illinois.
• One Hope UnitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnership for foster home recruitment - contracted to recruit and license foster families in their service areas.
• The Bridge Youth & Family ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency partnership for foster home recruitment - contracted to recruit and license foster families in their service areas.
• Center on HalstedminorOthersVenue partner for the 2nd Annual Adoption Symposium held in Chicago.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Together We Care (Heart Gallery): Operates the Heart Gallery of California and adoption recruitment programs using professional photography and storytelling to find families for waiting children. Closely mirrors the Heart Gallery model and matching-photography approach used by Let It Be Us.
• Raise the Future: Re-branded from Children Awaiting Parents, focuses on finding adoptive families for waiting children, especially those with special needs and older youth. Closely mirrors Let It Be Us's Special Needs Placement & Recruitment Program and Adoption Listing Service scope.
• AdoptUSKids: Federally funded national photolisting and adoption recruitment program operated through the Children's Bureau. Operates the country's largest public adoption matching database, conceptually identical to Let It Be Us's Adoption Listing Service and Heart Gallery, but at federal scale.
• National Adoption Center: National nonprofit operating a photo-driven adoption matching service (Heart gallery model) and recruitment programs for waiting children in foster care. Directly comparable model to Let It Be Us's Adoption Listing Service and Heart Gallery of Illinois, scaled nationwide instead of statewide.
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: Runs Wendy's Wonderful Kids, a national program that places adoption recruiters inside child welfare agencies to find permanent families for children in foster care. Highly comparable in mission, recruitment focus, and partnership-with-public-agencies model.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: One of the largest private child welfare foundations in the U.S., funding systemic reform and direct services to reduce the need for foster care. Comparable broad-incumbent peer in foster care reform, with substantially larger resources and a different funding model (endowment vs. donations + state contract).

Regional players

• Children's Home Society of California: California-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and child welfare services through recruitment, training, and matching. Comparable service mix (recruitment, training, placement), focused on a different state.
• One Hope United: Midwest-based child welfare agency operating foster care, adoption, and family preservation programs; an active recruitment partner of Let It Be Us in Illinois. Comparable service offering at larger scale within overlapping Illinois geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/letitbeusorg
• Xx.com/letitbeusil

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Let It Be Us