Family Service Lincoln

What Family Service Lincoln does

Family Service Lincoln is a 501(c)-style nonprofit social services organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, founded in 1891 as the city's first charitable organization. The organization operates six integrated program lines serving income-eligible families: the federal Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program; a Youth Development Program offering before/after-school care and Community Learning Centers; a school-based Behavioral Health Program providing individual and family therapy; the Child Care Food Program (CCFP), which reimburses home-based childcare providers for serving nutritious meals; Housing and Support Services including rapid rehousing and case management; and Community Crops, a community garden and food access initiative.

The organization delivers services through a distributed physical footprint: a main office at 501 S 7th St (Mill Towne), two satellite WIC locations at partner churches, 21 school-based youth development sites, and 41 Lincoln Public Schools sites for behavioral health therapy. Technology infrastructure is intentionally lightweight and standard for the nonprofit sector, consisting of web-based client portals (ClientSecure for behavioral health), DaycareWorks for Youth Development enrollment, GiveButter for online donations, and online appointment scheduling with document upload. The website supports five languages to serve Lincoln's diverse immigrant and refugee populations.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating in the commercial sense. Primary funding flows from federal and state government sources (USDA via WIC and CCFP, Nebraska DHHS, federal housing rehousing grants), supplemented by philanthropic donations processed through GiveButter and likely United Way of Lincoln support. All services are provided free of charge to income-eligible Nebraska residents. The customer base is distributed across tens of thousands of beneficiaries annually — including 3,462 WIC participants, 3,315 youth development students, and 4+ million meals served through CCFP in 2024 — but the funder side is concentrated among a small number of government agencies and institutional donors.

Name

Family Service Lincoln

Legal name

Family Service Lincoln

Website

https://familyservicelincoln.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Family Service Lincoln is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based nonprofit founded in 1891 that provides six integrated programs — WIC nutrition support, school-based behavioral health, youth development, child care food reimbursement, housing crisis services, and community gardening — to income-eligible Nebraska families at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child Care Services (6244), Child and Youth Services (624110), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Social services nonprofit
• Family support programs
• Community health services
• Youth development programs
• Behavioral health therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants & Contracts: Family Service Lincoln operates primarily as a federally and state-funded nonprofit. Major funding streams include USDA WIC program administration, USDA Child Care Food Program (CCFP) reimbursements, and rapid rehousing grants from housing and human services agencies.
2. Donations & Philanthropy: The organization accepts public donations via GiveButter platform, supporting its mission of 'Helping Families Thrive.' Donations fund programmatic gaps and direct family assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Family Service Lincoln is a nonprofit social services organization providing six integrated programs serving low-income families in Lincoln, Nebraska: WIC food benefits and nutrition education; Youth Development before/after-school programming; Behavioral Health therapy delivered in schools; Child Care Food Program reimbursing home providers; Housing and Support Services including rapid rehousing; and Community Crops urban gardening. All programs are delivered free of charge to eligible participants, funded by federal/state grants and private donations.

Product overview

Family Service Lincoln is a nonprofit social services organization offering six interconnected programs: WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) provides food benefits and nutrition support; the Youth Development Program offers before/after school care and summer programming through Community Learning Centers; the Behavioral Health Program delivers therapy and family support services in schools; the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) reimburses home child care providers for nutritious meals; Housing and Support Services prevents homelessness through rapid rehousing and case management; and Community Crops operates urban farming initiatives. The organization was founded in 1891 as the first charitable organization in Lincoln, Nebraska, and serves thousands of households annually through these coordinated programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FiftyOne Commons: A related program or initiative under Family Service Lincoln (mentioned in navigation as a separate entity at fiftyonecommons.org)
• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children)
• Youth Development Program
• Behavioral Health Program
• Child Care Food Program (CCFP)
• Housing and Support Services
• Community Crops

Products and services

• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,462 mothers and children received WIC support in 2024 — an 8% increase from 2023
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of LincolncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner of Family Service Lincoln. United Way logo is displayed on the organization's website alongside the Council on Accreditation, indicating ongoing funding and partnership support.
• Council on Accreditation (COA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Service Lincoln maintains COA accreditation, demonstrating adherence to high standards of practice in human services. COA accreditation is a mark of organizational quality and effectiveness.
• Nebraska Children and Families Community ResponsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Service Lincoln is listed as a partner in the Nebraska Children and Families Community Response initiative, a best-practice rapid rehousing and community support model for at-risk families.
• USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Service Lincoln administers the Child Care Food Program (CCFP) under USDA guidelines, receiving federal reimbursement for nutritious meals served to children in home-based care. Also coordinates with USDA WIC program standards.
• Nebraska DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHHS administers Nebraska's WIC program and sets income eligibility guidelines. Family Service Lincoln serves as an authorized WIC clinic under DHHS oversight and accepts Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF for automatic eligibility determination.
• Lincoln Public Schools (LPS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Service Lincoln operates Youth Development Programs and Behavioral Health services directly within 21 LPS schools and 41 school locations, respectively, under formal school partnership agreements.
• FiftyOne CommonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiftyOne Commons is referenced as a partner organization on the Family Service Lincoln website, indicating a collaborative relationship in community programming or shared resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Boys Town: National nonprofit headquartered in Nebraska providing child and family services, behavioral health, and youth development programming. Comparable in family-support and behavioral health offerings, but operates at much larger scale with residential programs.
• Salvation Army Lincoln: National nonprofit with Lincoln presence providing emergency assistance, housing support, and family services. Comparable in housing crisis intervention and emergency family assistance, though operating as part of a much larger national organization.

Regional players

• Heartland Big Brothers Big Sisters: Nebraska-based youth mentoring nonprofit serving at-risk children and families. Comparable in youth development mission and Nebraska geographic scope, partially overlapping with FSL's Youth Development Program.
• Food Bank of Lincoln: Lincoln-based nonprofit addressing food insecurity through direct distribution and partner agency network. Comparable in food access mission and Lincoln geographic focus, partially overlapping with FSL's WIC and Community Crops programs.
• United Way of Lincoln: Lincoln-area umbrella funder and convener for human services nonprofits. Acts as both a strategic partner and funding intermediary for FSL; comparable as a Lincoln-based social services ecosystem leader with community trust and convening power.

Direct peers

• HopeSpoke: Lincoln-based nonprofit providing children's behavioral health services, therapy, and family support. Directly comparable in school-based behavioral health therapy delivery model and Lincoln service area, competing for similar federal/state funding streams.
• CEDARS Youth Services: Lincoln-based nonprofit serving youth and families through shelter, residential, and community-based programs. Comparable in target population (at-risk youth/families) and Lincoln geographic footprint, with overlapping behavioral health and youth development offerings.
• Community Action Partnership of Lancaster & Saunders Counties: Lincoln-area Community Action Agency providing anti-poverty programs including housing assistance, nutrition, early childhood education, and family support. Comparable mission, federal funding model (CSBG, WIC partners), and Lincoln service area.
• Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska: Nebraska-based nonprofit providing behavioral health, family support, refugee resettlement, and social services across the state. Highly comparable to FSL in mission, service mix, and government-grant funding model, though operating at broader geographic scale.
• Catholic Social Services of Lincoln: Lincoln-based nonprofit providing family services, refugee resettlement, and social support programs. Directly comparable in community-rooted family services model, federal/state funding mix, and immigrant/refugee population focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/familyservicelincoln
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyservicelincoln
• TikToktiktok.com/@familyservicelincoln

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Family Service Lincoln