Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan

What Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan does

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1937 and headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, with an additional office in Harbor Springs. The organization delivers child welfare, behavioral health, and youth development services across 30+ counties in Northwestern Michigan. Its core programs include Foster Care and Adoption, Behavioral Health, the YouthWork Conservation Corps (employing 300+ youth across 300+ project sites with 200+ employer partners and 100,000+ cumulative service hours), Safe Haven supervised visitation and exchange (including the Safe Haven North location), the Next Level Independent Living Program for youth aging out of foster care, Third Level Youth Services, and the Free Legal Aid Clinic staffed by volunteer attorneys. It also runs the Brown Bag food insecurity fundraising campaign, which has raised $685K+ since 1989.

The agency's revenue model blends government contracts (MDHHS, VOCA, AmeriCorps, Office on Violence Against Women), fee-for-service clinical and program revenue, individual and corporate donations, foundation grants, and pro bono legal volunteer capacity. Credentialing is anchored by CARF accreditation and recognized by Candid's 2025 Platinum Seal of Transparency. The organization operates with 101-250 employees and is concurrently navigating a 2026 Executive Director transition and a February 2026 data security incident requiring remediation and stakeholder notification.

The underlying technology footprint is conventional for a regional human services nonprofit: case management systems supporting foster, adoption, and clinical workflows; web and donor-facing platforms that sustain fundraising and volunteer engagement; and AmeriCorps-supported program operations. The competitive position rests on regulatory standing, multi-decade community trust, a 30+ county service footprint, and an integrated network of courts, schools, conservation partners, and pro bono attorneys rather than on proprietary software or AI capability.

Name

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan

Legal name

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan

Website

https://cfsnwmi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan is a Traverse City-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1937 that delivers foster care, adoption, behavioral health, supervised visitation, youth workforce development, and pro bono legal services across 30+ Northwestern Michigan counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Foster care programs
• Behavioral health counseling
• Youth services nonprofit
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants & Contracts: Primary revenue source from federal, state, and local government grants including MDHHS contracts, VOCA grants, Office on Violence Against Women grants, AmeriCorps funding, and court-related funding.
2. Fee-for-Service (Project-Based): Nonprofits and public agencies (e.g., National Park Service, DNR, local parks departments) pay fee-for-service rates to hire YouthWork crews for conservation and skilled trades projects. This is a strategic focus area as federal grant funding becomes uncertain.
3. Individual Donations & Charitable Giving: Donations from individuals via Donorbox platform, monthly donor program, tribute/in-memory gifts, IRA contributions, stocks and QCDs. Legacy/planned giving program available.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Program, event, and marketing sponsorships. Event sponsorships include Under the Moon & Stars Gala, Brown Bag Campaign sponsors. Logos featured on website and e-blasts.
5. In-Kind Gifts & Wish Lists: In-kind donations of supplies (clothing, school supplies, food, cleaning/painting supplies) for foster children. GoodShop affiliate program, Walmart Roundup program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan provides a continuum of social services including foster care, adoption, behavioral health counseling, supervised visitation, youth crisis intervention, independent living skills training, conservation corps job-readiness programs, free legal aid, pregnancy support, and kinship caregiver assistance. Programs serve children, adolescents, adults, and families across 30+ counties in Northwestern Michigan, unified by a trauma-informed, CARF-accredited care approach and delivered from offices in Traverse City and Harbor Springs.

Product overview

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing a comprehensive portfolio of social service programs serving children, adolescents, adults, and families across 30+ counties in northern Michigan. The organization operates from a multi-program platform architecture, offering core child welfare services (foster care, adoption), behavioral health and counseling, youth development programs (YouthWork Conservation Corps, Next Level ILP), crisis intervention (Safe Haven, Suicide Prevention), and community support services (Free Legal Aid Clinic, Kinship Caregiver Grants, Pregnancy Support). The portfolio is unified by a trauma-informed approach and CARF accreditation across clinical and administrative practices, with services delivered through offices in Harbor Springs and Traverse City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YouthWork: Conservation Corps program that provides young people ages 15-35 with hands-on experience in conservation and skilled trades while earning wages and building job-readiness skills.
• Next Level ILP
• Safe Haven
• Brown Bag Campaign
• Third Level

Products and services

• Foster Care Provides temporary out-of-home care for children who have been abused or neglected, with the goal of family reunification in a safe home. Includes foster home licensing, kinship caregiver support, respite care, and adoption pathways.
• Adoption Facilitates adoption of children in foster care, including infant adoption services with home studies, family matching, and ongoing support for adoptive families.
• Behavioral Health Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 116 children provided safe, nurturing foster homes in 2024
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sleeping Bear National LakeshorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Park Service unit. YouthWork Conservation Corps completes trail building and maintenance projects including Kettles Trail and Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. Multi-year partnership with consistent crew deployment.
• Ottawa National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS Forest Service unit. YouthWork crews complete conservation and trail projects within the forest.
• Hiawatha National ForestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS Forest Service unit. YouthWork crews complete trail building projects including at Hiawatha National Forest.
• Isle RoyalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Park Service unit. YouthWork crews work on Isle Royale completing conservation and trail projects in remote wilderness setting.
• Michigan Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency. YouthWork crews complete resource management and recreational improvement projects including at Mitchell State Park, Boardman River, and other DNR properties.
• Leelanau ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal land conservancy. YouthWork crews complete conservation and stewardship projects on preserved lands.
• Little Traverse ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land conservancy. YouthWork crews provide conservation and stewardship support.
• Northwest Michigan Community Action AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity action agency. YouthWork's Weatherization Program partners with NMCAA to improve energy efficiency in low-income housing across a five-county region.
• Grand Traverse Conservation DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal conservation district. YouthWork crews complete Boardman River conservation and recreational improvement projects.
• Conservation Resource AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional conservation nonprofit. YouthWork crews support CRA's Wild Roots initiative to plant 100,000 native trees.
• Friends of Sleeping Bear DunesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofitFriends group. Works alongside YouthWork crews and National Park staff on trail projects.
• Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBar association providing 60+ volunteer attorneys who staff the Free Legal Aid Clinic, offering private, free, confidential legal advice. Each attorney volunteers approximately three hours one Tuesday night every six months.
• WTCM RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio station sponsoring Paper Angels holiday campaign for 18 consecutive years.
• Bethany Christian ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CFS Paper Angels program to fill 77 wish lists for refugee resettlement program families in 2023 holiday season.
• Big Brothers Big SistersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CFS Paper Angels program to fill 10 family wish lists in 2023 holiday season.
• Team Elmer'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal construction company sponsoring Paper Angels holiday campaign for 18 consecutive years.
• Olesons Food & OryanaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGrocery stores distributing Brown Bag Campaign donation envelopes in Traverse City, Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Leland locations.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services: Michigan's largest behavioral health provider, headquartered in Grand Rapids. Comparable in trauma-informed counseling, sliding-scale and insurance-based behavioral health, and CARF-equivalent accreditation, though significantly larger and more clinically specialized.
• Catholic Charities of Michigan: Statewide social services organization offering foster care, adoption, counseling, pregnancy support, and emergency assistance. Broader and larger than CFS, with overlapping programs but statewide geographic footprint and a wider portfolio of services.

Direct peers

• Wedgwood Christian Services: Grand Rapids-area nonprofit offering residential, foster care, counseling, and trauma-informed services. Comparable in trauma-informed clinical model, residential programming (similar to Next Level ILP), and reliance on state and donor funding.
• Judson Center: Southeastern Michigan nonprofit providing behavioral health, autism, foster care, and adoption services. Comparable as a CARF-accredited multi-program family services agency reliant on MDHHS contracts and donor support.
• D.A. Blodgett – St. John's: Grand Rapids-based nonprofit offering foster care, adoption, residential treatment, and family preservation services in western Michigan. Most directly comparable in mission, funding model (state contracts, donations, CARF-equivalent standards), and service mix to CFS's child welfare portfolio.
• Bethany Christian Services: Michigan-headquartered (now Grand Rapids) global nonprofit focused on foster care, adoption, and refugee services. Highly comparable in adoption and refugee resettlement programs, and an active CFS Paper Angels partner, indicating overlapping donor and operational ecosystems.
• Michigan Community Action (MCAA) / Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency: Community action agency partnering with CFS on weatherization programs across a five-county region. Comparable as a regional anti-poverty service provider funded through federal and state grants, operating in the same northern Michigan geography.
• Conservation Resource Alliance (CRA): Regional Michigan nonprofit focused on river and land conservation. Direct partner with CFS YouthWork on the Wild Roots initiative (100,000 native trees) and operates in the same northern Michigan conservation ecosystem that funds YouthWork's fee-for-service crews.

Others

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS): State agency that is simultaneously CFS's largest funder and a referral source. Relevant peer for understanding CFS's addressable state contract market, though not a direct competitor—MDHHS contracts out foster care, adoption, and youth services that CFS competes to deliver.
• Michigan AmeriCorps / Michigan Community Service Commission: State-level AmeriCorps administrator funding YouthWork and other conservation corps programs. Critical enabling peer for CFS's earned-income and grant-funded youth development programming, as AmeriCorps flow underwrites both program capacity and youth member stipends.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CFSNWMI
• Facebookfacebook.com/cfsnwmi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfsnwmi
• Instagraminstagram.com/cfsnwmi
• Xx.com/nwmichfamilies

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan