What Spaulding for Children does

Spaulding for Children is a private, non-profit, Council on Accreditation (COA) accredited child welfare agency founded on February 4, 1968, and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan. The organization is structured around three service entities: (1) Child and Family Services, which delivers direct foster care recruitment/licensing and adoption services in Michigan at no cost to families; (2) the Academy for Family Support and Preservation, which manages federal cooperative agreements including NTDC, QIC-EY, and the National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support; and (3) the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development, which develops and distributes training curricula and products such as CORE Teen, ASAP, CAP, PATH, and SNAC to child welfare professionals. The agency operates the Wendy's Wonderful Kids evidence-based adoption recruiter program in partnership with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, dedicated to permanent placement of longest-waiting children in foster care.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercially priced. As of December 2017, the most recent disclosed budget was $8,937,469, with revenue split of 57% federal government grants (primarily Children's Bureau/ACF/HHS), 37% State of Michigan purchase-of-service reimbursement, 3% private foundation grants, 2% individual and corporate contributions, and 1% other. No fees are charged to foster or adoptive families. Over $75 million in federal grants has been obtained since 1985 when the agency was designated as the site for the National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption, and more than 200,000 professionals have been trained in Spaulding's methods domestically and internationally (England, Scotland, South Africa, Canada).

The agency's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging orientation sessions, Heart Gallery exhibits, Community Story Concerts for a Cause, media coverage, and multi-language digital channels (website available in 8 languages). Direct service delivery is in-person in Southeast Michigan; training, technical assistance, and curricula are distributed nationally and globally via the federal grant infrastructure and the Spaulding Institute. The organization maintains a $2.5M endowment (January 2017) and is governed by a Board of Directors under President/CEO Melissa Jenovai (since October 2022).

Name

Spaulding for Children

Legal name

Spaulding for Children

Website

https://spaulding.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spaulding for Children is a private, non-profit, COA-accredited child welfare agency founded in 1968 that delivers foster care and adoption services in Michigan, develops evidence-based training curricula, and operates national federally-funded child welfare technical assistance programs for state, tribal, and territorial agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Child welfare training
• Post-adoption support
• Kinship care programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants: Primary revenue source (57% of annual revenues). Multiple federal grants from Children's Bureau, Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services including NTDC, QIC-EY, National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support, and historical NRCA grant. Over $75 million in federal grants obtained since 1985.
2. State of Michigan Purchase of Service: State reimbursement for adoption services after adoption is finalized. Represents 37% of annual revenues. Service payments received only after adoption is accomplished.
3. Private Foundation Grants: Foundation funding including grants from Detroit area foundations and major donors. Approximately 3% of annual revenues. Over $3 million raised in private foundation grants since 1980.
4. Individual and Corporate Contributions: Donations from individuals, corporate donors, and annual fundraising events including the Spaulding Scramble golf event, Celebrity Wait-off, and Community Story Concerts for a Cause. Approximately 2% of revenues.
5. Training Products and Services: Revenue from sale of training curricula, products, and seminar services through the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development. Topics include Cultural Competency, Child Assessment & Preparation, Adoption Support and Preservation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Spaulding for Children is a private, non-profit, COA-accredited child welfare agency that recruits, trains, and licenses foster and adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system. It operates three service entities: Child and Family Services (direct foster care and adoption), the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development (training curricula and products), and the Academy for Family Support and Preservation (federal grant-funded national training and technical assistance programs).

Product overview

Spaulding for Children is a private, non-profit child welfare agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of services organized into three primary divisions: Child and Family Services (direct foster care and adoption), the Academy for Family Support and Preservation (federal grant initiatives), and the Spaulding Institute for Family and Community Development (training products and curricula). Core services include foster care recruitment and licensing, adoption services, and the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program. The Academy manages national initiatives including the National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support, QIC-EY, and NTDC. The Institute develops and distributes training curricula and products such as CORE Teen, ASAP, CAP, PATH, and SNAC programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care Services Recruitment, training, and licensing of foster parents to provide temporary care for children removed from their parents' custody due to abuse and neglect. Includes placement, case management, home-based visitation, support groups, and youth mentoring for foster and kinship families in Michigan.
• Adoption Services Recruitment, training, and support for families interested in making a lifelong commitment to children in foster care through adoption, including older children, children of color, siblings, and children with disabilities or other challenges. Services are provided at no cost to families.
• Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK) Evidence-based, child-focused recruitment program dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are most often overlooked, including teenagers, children with special needs, and siblings. Children in the program are up to three times more likely to be adopted.
• Training Curricula Comprehensive training programs including Adoption Support & Preservation (ASAP), Child Assessment & Preparation (CAP), Cultural Competence (CCC), Parents as Tender Healers (PATH), and Special Needs Adoption (SNAC) for child welfare professionals and families.
• CORE Teen Training Program Critical On-Going Resource Family Education (CORE Teen) - a state-of-the-art training program equipping resource parents with skills to meet the needs of older youth who have moderate to serious emotional and behavioral health challenges.
• National Center for Enhanced Post-Adoption Support Hub for post-adoption expertise and evidence-informed training and technical assistance for states, tribes, and territories nationwide, supporting post-adoption services to prevent adoption disruption.
• Quality Improvement Center on Engaging Youth in Finding Permanency (QIC-EY) Five-year project advancing child welfare programs and practice to ensure authentic engagement and empowerment of children and youth in foster care, especially in permanency decisions, through training and technical assistance to pilot sites.
• National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents (NTDC) State-of-the-art training program development and evaluation to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children who have been exposed to trauma, distributed nationally to states, tribes, and territories.
• Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG) Five-year project promoting permanency and improving adoption and guardianship preservation and support, working with pilot sites to implement evidence-based interventions.
• Spaulding Institute Products and Services Child welfare products for professionals, families, and children including curricula, resource materials, and tools covering Cultural Competency, Child Assessment & Preparation, Parent Recruitment & Training, and Adoption Support and Preservation. Includes live web streaming, web conferencing, computer-based training development, and video production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children in WWK program are up to 3 times more likely to be adopted compared to those not referred
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Child Trauma AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Partner in 3-year Foster/Adoptive Parent Preparation Training and Development Initiative grant (#90CO1132) from Children's Bureau. Contributed expertise in trauma-informed care for CORE Teen training program.
• Center for Adoption Support and EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Partner in CORE Teen grant initiative. Contributed to state-of-the-art training program equipping resource parents with skills for older youth with emotional and behavioral challenges.
• North American Council on Adoptable ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Partner in CORE Teen grant initiative. Contributed expertise to training program development for resource parents.
• Wayne State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2016Partner in CORE Teen grant initiative. Academic partner contributing to program evaluation and development.
• Dave Thomas Foundation for AdoptioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-investment partnership through Wendy's Wonderful Kids program. Foundation provides funding and establishes partnerships with organizations like Spaulding to support hiring of adoption recruiters implementing evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model. Rigorous five-year evaluation showed children in program are up to 3x more likely to be adopted.
• University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in QIC-AG (National Quality Improvement Center for Adoption and Guardianship Support and Preservation) five-year project awarded by Children's Bureau, ACF, USDHHS. University contributed to structured implementation and evaluation process.
• University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in QIC-AG five-year project. University contributed to structured implementation and evaluation process with pilot sites including Wisconsin.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel HillcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in QIC-AG five-year project. University contributed to structured implementation and evaluation process with pilot sites.
• AdoptUSKidsminorOthersNational website profiling waiting children in foster care available for adoption. Referenced as resource for families searching for children to adopt.
• Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children (MARE)minorOthersMichigan Heart Gallery traveling portrait exhibits of waiting children. Partnership for community-based recruitment events.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adoption Exchange Association: Non-profit organization supporting adoption recruitment and post-adoption services across multiple states, operator of Heart Gallery programs. Directly comparable non-profit child welfare agency with state/federal funding and adoption focus.
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: National non-profit that funds Wendy's Wonderful Kids recruiters (including at Spaulding) and runs child-focused adoption programs. Directly comparable as a child welfare focused non-profit with grant-making and program delivery, and a current strategic partner of Spaulding.
• Bethany Christian Services: Large private non-profit child welfare agency providing foster care, international and domestic adoption, and post-adoption services across multiple U.S. states. Directly comparable to Spaulding's mission, services, and funding model (federal/state contracts, foundation grants, donations).
• National Council for Adoption: Advocacy and service non-profit focused on adoption policy, education, and post-adoption support. Comparable as a national non-profit operating in the adoption and child welfare policy space.
• Lutheran Services in America: Network of 300+ Lutheran social service organizations providing foster care, adoption, and family preservation services. Directly comparable non-profit child welfare service provider with state contract revenue and federal grant funding.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella for Catholic Charities agencies providing adoption, foster care, pregnancy counseling, and family services. Comparable as a faith-based non-profit child welfare delivery system with state/federal contracts and donations.

Others

• North American Council on Adoptable Children: Non-profit policy and advocacy organization supporting adoptive families, foster parents, and adopted children. Current strategic partner of Spaulding on the CORE Teen initiative and a key ecosystem participant in the child welfare sector.
• Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families): Federal agency within HHS that funds Spaulding's cooperative agreements and regulates child welfare programs. Not a commercial peer but a key funder and ecosystem participant whose policy priorities shape Spaulding's grant pipeline.

Regional players

• Children's Home Society of California: California-based non-profit child welfare agency offering foster care, adoption, and family services. Comparable mission and service mix but serves a different geographic region than Spaulding's Michigan focus.
• Children's Home Society of Minnesota: Minnesota non-profit providing adoption, foster care, and family services. Comparable as a Midwestern non-profit child welfare agency with similar funding model and service portfolio, but serving a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ForSpaulding
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl0FQWjH6YR__qtXJsW-Zyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/spauldingforchildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spaulding-for-children
• Instagraminstagram.com/spauldingforchildren

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spaulding for Children