Arizonas Children Association

What Arizonas Children Association does

Arizona's Children Association (AzCA), founded in 1912 in Tucson, is a nonprofit child welfare agency headquartered at 7600 N. 16th St., Suite 110, Phoenix, AZ. AzCA operates in all 15 Arizona counties and is the state's largest foster care provider, serving approximately 30,000 children, youth, and families annually through programs including Foster Care & Adoption Services, Young Adult Services, Kinship Support Services, Behavioral Health & Trauma/Crisis Response, Parent Education, and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Last fiscal year, the organization facilitated 326 adoptions and placed more than 1,200 children in foster homes.

AzCA operates a hybrid nonprofit revenue model in which the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) is the de facto anchor payer. State contracts cover Kinship Support Services, Community Foster Care & Adoptive Services, Extended Foster Care Services, Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, and Successful Transition to Adulthood. Secondary funding flows from AHCCCS (Arizona's Medicaid agency) for behavioral health services, federal Mental Health Block Grants, and charitable contributions raised through online portals, fundraising events (Buck for Kids, John Boemer Golf Tournament, wine events), corporate sponsorships (Dutch Bros, KWSS), and the Arizona Charitable Organization Tax Credit program. Services are provided at no charge to clients.

Following significant financial losses in its outpatient behavioral health line since 2016, AzCA discontinued those programs at five locations effective February 10, 2024, and partnered with Spectrum Healthcare Group to transition affected clients and staff. The organization subsequently refocused on its core child welfare mission and secured new statewide DCS contracts. Technology infrastructure is peripheral to the mission: AzCA uses Blackbaud NetCommunity for donation processing, Vimeo for foster-parent training, Zoom for events, and Amazon wish lists for holiday campaigns. Tracy Thurston serves as President and CEO. The organization has not disclosed any proprietary technology platform, data flywheel, or AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Arizonas Children Association

Legal name

Arizona's Children Association

Website

https://arizonaschildren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Arizona's Children Association, founded in 1912, is a Phoenix-based nonprofit operating in all 15 Arizona counties. The state's largest foster care provider, it serves approximately 30,000 children, youth, and families annually through foster care, adoption, kinship, and clinical programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Mental Health & Emotional/Trauma-Informed Childcare (anxiety, PTSD) (HSAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Kinship support services
• Behavioral health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: AzCA operates as a contracted provider for the Arizona Department of Child Safety, receiving state funding for child welfare programs including Kinship Support Services, Community Foster Care & Adoptive Services, Extended Foster Care Services, Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, Successful Transition to Adulthood, and Fostering Sustainable Connections contracts.
2. AHCCCS (Medicaid) Payments: The organization receives payment through AHCCCS (Arizona's Medicaid program) for behavioral health services provided to eligible individuals and families.
3. Mental Health Block Grant Funding: AzCA receives Mental Health Block Grant Funding to provide services for clients who are not eligible for AHCCCS but otherwise meet criteria.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual and corporate donations through online portals, mail, and phone. Donations may qualify for Arizona Charitable Organization Tax Credit (QCO) of $495 for individuals and $987 for couples.
5. Donor-Supported Programs: Fundraising events and campaigns including Buck for Kids, Gifts of Hope holiday campaign, golf tournaments, and wine events. The John Boemer Golf Tournament has raised more than $700,000 since 1988.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arizona's Children Association is a nonprofit child welfare and behavioral health agency that provides foster care, adoption, kinship support, young adult transition, parent education, and trauma-informed behavioral health services to vulnerable children, youth, and families across Arizona. The organization operates as a contracted provider for the Arizona Department of Child Safety, with statewide contracts covering Kinship Support Services, Community Foster Care & Adoptive Services, and Extended Foster Care Services, and delivers specialty clinical programs such as the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. Services are delivered free of charge to clients through a network of offices in all 15 Arizona counties, in-home and community-based delivery, and a 24/7 crisis hotline.

Product overview

Arizona's Children Association operates as a non-profit child welfare and behavioral health agency offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around two primary divisions: Child Welfare (including foster care, adoption, kinship support, and young adult services) and Behavioral Health (including trauma/crisis response and specialty therapeutic programs). The organization serves as a contracted provider for the Arizona Department of Child Safety with statewide contracts for Kinship Support Services, Community Foster Care & Adoptive Services, and Extended Foster Care Services. Core programs include Foster Care & Adoption Services, Young Adult Services, Parent Education, Kinship Support, Behavioral Health & Trauma/Crisis Response, and the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). Additional offerings include Children's Summer Camp, the Gifts of Hope holiday campaign, and the AzCA Community Impact Podcast. The organization maintains educational resources including foster parent training materials and college online handouts covering specialized topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care & Adoption Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 326 adoptions facilitated in last fiscal year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spectrum Healthcare GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2024Spectrum Healthcare Group partnered with AzCA to serve former AzCA behavioral health clients after AzCA ended its outpatient treatment programs effective February 10, 2024. Many AzCA staff were offered employment with Spectrum.
• Dutch Bros CoffeeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 September 2023Dutch Bros Coffee locations in Tucson, Marana, Kingman, Bullhead City, and Lake Havasu participated in Buck for Kids fundraiser where $1 from every drink sold was donated to AzCA.
• Yuma Investment Group & Wealth ManagementminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2023Hosted Come Wine With Us at City Hall event featuring wine tasting by Traveling Vineyards and appetizers to benefit AzCA programs in Yuma.
• Traveling VineyardsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 April 2023Provided wine tasting services at AzCA fundraising event in Yuma.
• KWSS 93.9/99.5FMminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 March 2023Independent radio station KWSS partnered with AzCA for the 2nd Annual Casino Night Fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for foster youth services. Dan Collins from KWSS has personal connection to foster care system.
• Anytime Auto Glass & TintminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 January 2022Auto glass company donated $100 for every windshield fixed with insurance to support AzCA programs.
• Bob's Free BikesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBob's Free Bikes partners with AzCA to provide bikes to children and families in the greater Phoenix area through donation of bikes to AzCA clients.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Southwest Key Programs: Southwest-focused nonprofit providing child welfare, refugee services, and youth programs. Comparable as a regional nonprofit child welfare provider with similar government-contract funding structures and foster/residential service offerings.
• Olive Crest: West Coast-focused nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and family preservation services. Comparable as a multi-state child welfare agency with similar service mix and government contract funding.
• Pressley Ridge: Nonprofit providing foster care, residential treatment, and behavioral health services for children and families. Comparable as a child welfare and trauma services provider with similar therapeutic and community-based programming.
• Bethany Christian Services: National nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and family support services across multiple states. Comparable as a large-scale child welfare agency with both government contracts and donor-funded programming, though operating at a larger geographic scale.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): National nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, behavioral health, and youth services through government contracts. Comparable as a contract-driven child welfare agency with a similar service portfolio and DCS-like payer relationships.
• Child Crisis Arizona: Arizona nonprofit delivering foster care, adoption, kinship support, and family education services. Closely comparable in mission, service mix, and Arizona government-contract dependent funding model.
• Arizona Youth Partnerships: Arizona-based nonprofit providing child welfare, prevention, behavioral health, and youth services statewide. Directly comparable as another Arizona-headquartered child welfare agency competing for similar DCS contracts and serving overlapping populations.

Regional players

• Valle del Sol: Arizona-based behavioral health and child welfare services provider. Comparable as an Arizona child welfare and behavioral health peer that absorbed some behavioral health clients during AzCA's 2024 restructuring per the Spectrum partnership context.
• Chicanos Por La Causa: Arizona-based nonprofit providing social services including child welfare, behavioral health, and family support. Comparable as a competing Arizona-headquartered human services nonprofit competing for similar state contracts and donor dollars.

Broad incumbents

• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: Large national nonprofit operating behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disability, and child welfare services. Comparable as a broader, more established player providing similar wraparound child welfare and clinical services, including therapeutic foster care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/azchild
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/arizonaschildren
• Facebookfacebook.com/arizonaschildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arizonas-childrens-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/azchild

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Arizonas Children Association