Good Shepherd Children & Family Services

What Good Shepherd Children & Family Services does

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and operating as one of nine ministries of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The organization was formed in 2006 through the merger of four predecessor agencies with roots dating to 1831, and was renamed from Catholic Services for Children & Youth to its current name in July 2007. It serves pregnant women, birth parents, adoptive families, foster parents, and children in the St. Louis region through four physical offices in St. Louis City, North City, Farmington, and Hillsboro, with 51–100 employees.

The organization's service portfolio spans three core pillars: Pregnancy & Parenting Support (including a 24-hour maternity helpline, shelter for pregnant and parenting teens ages 12–21, counseling, parenting education, and concrete aid); Domestic Adoption Services (income-based sliding-scale fees, home study, placement, and post-placement supervision, plus a Specialized Adoption program for children in U.S. foster care); and Foster Care Licensing (Traditional, Medical, Level A/B Elevated Needs, and Treatment Foster Care, supported by MO CARES training and 24/7 clinical consultation). Underlying technology is limited to standard case management and counseling tools, with the Binti platform used for foster parent intake and giveSmart used for event registration. The organization does not maintain a proprietary technology product, public API, or mobile application.

Revenue is generated primarily through charitable donations, fundraising events (annual Charity Golf Tournament, #KeeleyCares Dodgeball Tournament, #Safe4ANight 24-hour giving campaign, April Showers baby drive), Missouri 70% state tax credits on qualifying $1,000+ gifts, and income-based adoption service fees that are typically reimbursed through adoption tax credits or state subsidies. Pregnant women, birth parents, and families in crisis are served free of charge. Effective January 1, 2024, Good Shepherd entered a shared management structure with sister Catholic Charities ministry Marygrove under Executive Director Kathy Fowler, with a unified Philanthropy team created across both organizations in 2025. The organization does not have outside investors or venture funding and is governed by a Board of Directors under Catholic Charities.

Name

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services

Legal name

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services

Website

https://goodshepherdstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services is a St. Louis-based Catholic Charities nonprofit providing pregnancy and parenting support, domestic and specialized adoption, foster care licensing, and maternity shelter services to families across the St. Louis region, with 51–100 employees and four offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Adoption Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Pregnancy support
• Maternity shelter
• Child welfare services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Individual, organizational, and corporate donations from the community. Accepts cash, stock, and in-kind contributions. Donations may be made in memory or honor of individuals.
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue from signature annual events including golf tournament, dodgeball tournament, giving campaigns, and in-kind drives. Includes sponsorship revenue from corporate and individual sponsors.
3. Missouri Tax Credits: Gifts of $1,000 or more may be eligible for 70% Missouri state tax credits, providing incentive for larger donations.
4. Adoption Service Fees: Adoption fees follow an established income-based sliding scale for adoptive families. Most specialized adoption fees are reimbursed via adoption tax credit or state subsidy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services delivers a continuum of direct social services across pregnancy and parenting support, maternity shelter, domestic adoption, specialized (foster care) adoption, foster care licensing, and treatment foster care for children, birth parents, adoptive families, and foster families in the St. Louis region. Services are delivered by licensed social workers, therapists, and case managers through four physical offices, helplines, and online intake. The organization supplements service delivery with the Fostering Faithful Families community engagement ministry and an annual calendar of fundraising events and tax-credit-eligible giving programs.

Product overview

Good Shepherd Children & Family Services offers a continuum of social services organized around three core pillars: Pregnancy & Parenting Support (including a maternity shelter), Domestic Adoption Services, and Foster Care (including Specialized Adoption and Treatment Foster Care). These core programs are supplemented by community engagement through the Fostering Faithful Families ministry and a slate of annual fundraising events (Golf Tournament, Dodgeball Tournament, Safe4ANight, April Showers). A Missouri Tax Credits program enables donors to make qualifying contributions with 70% state tax credits. The organization operates as a single integrated service delivery model rather than a modular software platform; all programs are delivered through direct social work, counseling, and case management rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pregnancy & Parenting Support Community-based program providing counseling, resource linkage, concrete aid, prenatal education, parenting training, limited financial assistance, baby items, and shelter care for pregnant women in crisis and parents of young children aged 0-3 in the St. Louis region.
• Domestic Adoption Services Full-range domestic adoption services for birth and adoptive parents in the St. Louis region, including free initial consultation with an adoption specialist, home study and updates, pre-adoptive training, placement and post-placement supervision, post-adoptive information and searches, and referral services. Adoption fees follow an income-based sliding scale.
• Specialized Adoption (Foster Care Adoption) Foster-care adoption program that helps find permanent homes for children in the U.S. foster care system. Includes training on the foster care system, individualized adoption home study and licensing consultation, search and match, and pre- and post-placement support. Most fees are reimbursable via the adoption tax credit or state subsidy.
• Foster Care Licensing Traditional foster care licensing for families in Missouri, including home study with a Family Development Specialist, MO CARES training (10 three-hour classes over 10 weeks), background screening, home evaluations, medical screenings, and character references. Supports multiple levels of care including Traditional, Medical, Level A Elevated Needs, Level B Elevated Needs, and Treatment Foster Care.
• Treatment Foster Care

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MarygrovecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Effective January 1, 2024, Good Shepherd and Marygrove entered into a shared management structure. Kathy Fowler serves as Executive Director for both ministries. Teresa Hayner serves as Chief Program Officer for both organizations overseeing community-based and residential services.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. LouiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Shepherd is one of nine family of ministries of Catholic Charities of St. Louis. Shares mission, vision, and values with Catholic Charities. Registered 501(c)(3) under Catholic Charities umbrella.
• BravelovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrusted partner through Bravelove, an organization dedicated to changing the perception of adoption through honest, informative, and hopeful communication. Good Shepherd refers birth moms to Bravelove resources and Birth Mom Dinners.
• Lutheran Family and Children's ServicesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaborative agency partnership for adoption services. Good Shepherd worked with Lutheran Family and Children's Services to connect birth mothers with adoptive parents.
• Norwood Hills Country ClubminorOthersAnnual golf tournament venue hosting Good Shepherd's signature fundraising event
• BudDomeminorOthersVenue for #KeeleyCares Dodgeball Tournament fundraiser
• TargetminorOthersPartner for April Showers baby registry allowing donors to purchase and ship items directly to Good Shepherd

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri: Faith-affiliated regional agency providing adoption and child welfare services in Missouri; Good Shepherd explicitly references LFCS as a collaborative partner for connecting birth mothers with adoptive parents, indicating overlapping service delivery and target population.
• Bethany Christian Services: National faith-based agency providing foster care, adoption, and pregnancy support services; mirrors Good Shepherd's continuum-of-care model across pregnancy counseling, domestic adoption, and specialized foster care at scale.
• Cornerstones of Care: Kansas City-based child welfare nonprofit serving Missouri and Kansas; comparable services in foster care, adoption, and family preservation under similar state regulatory framework and competitive with Good Shepherd for state-contracted placements.
• Cradle of Hope: Adoption services nonprofit with programs matching birth mothers and adoptive families; closely mirrors Good Shepherd's domestic adoption service line and serves overlapping populations.
• Missouri Baptist Children's Home: Faith-based Missouri nonprofit providing residential, foster care, and family services; competes for the same faith-aligned donor base and state-contracted foster placements in Missouri.
• Marygrove: Sister Catholic Charities of St. Louis ministry operating residential and child welfare services; entered a shared executive management structure with Good Shepherd in January 2024 under common leadership — the most operationally comparable peer.

Broad incumbents

• Boys Town: National organization providing residential, foster care, and family support services for at-risk youth; offers overlapping capabilities within child welfare but is broader in scope and well-funded compared to Good Shepherd's regional focus.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis: Parent organization overseeing nine family-of-ministries including Good Shepherd; broader portfolio spans adoption, immigration, counseling, housing, and disaster services — overlapping in client base and donor network but operating at higher scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/goodshepherdstl
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodshepherdstl
• Xx.com/goodshepherdstl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Good Shepherd Children & Family Services