Sioux Falls Thrive

What Sioux Falls Thrive does

Sioux Falls Thrive is a nonprofit organization founded in 2017 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that operated under a Collective Impact model to advance cradle-to-career workforce development. The organization convened cross-sector partners across three focus areas: Affordable Housing, Food Security, and Out-of-School Enrichment. Its portfolio included the Kid Link student-support initiative, the Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market (launched in October 2023 and closed in June 2025 after serving more than 1,100 customers), Food Rescue 605, Sioux Falls Youth Connect, the Community Housing Education initiative, the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative, the Housing Action Team, and the Food Security Network.

The organization operated with three paid staff members and a base of approximately 200–210 volunteers, functioning primarily as a convener, advocacy body, and grant administrator rather than as a direct-service provider across most programs. Revenue came from grants and corporate contributions, including $400K+ from the City of Sioux Falls, $50K each from the SD Community Foundation, USDA, and the Wellmark Foundation, plus contributions from POET, the Realtor Association of the Sioux Empire, and MarketBeat. A notable strategic accomplishment was the advocacy-led creation of a $4 million Affordable Housing Fund.

The organization ceased operations on September 30, 2025, ending roughly eight years of activity. There is no evidence of proprietary technology, recurring revenue contracts, or commercial monetization; the entity's economic model was fully dependent on institutional grant funding and in-kind volunteer capacity.

Name

Sioux Falls Thrive

Legal name

Sioux Falls Thrive

Website

https://siouxfallsthrive.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sioux Falls Thrive was a Collective Impact nonprofit in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that convened cross-sector partners on cradle-to-career workforce development through affordable housing, food security, and out-of-school enrichment initiatives until closing in September 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

Keywords

• Collective impact initiatives
• Community development programs
• Food security services
• Affordable housing advocacy
• Out-of-school enrichment

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Sioux Falls Thrive operates primarily through grant funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporate sponsors. Participating organizations pay none of Thrive's expenses.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The organization receives charitable contributions through the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation and corporate sponsorships for events and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sioux Falls Thrive was a volunteer-based, collective-impact nonprofit that convened cross-sector community action teams to address three critical needs for school-age children in Sioux Falls: affordable housing, food security, and out-of-school enrichment. Operating programs such as Kid Link, the Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market, Food Rescue 605, and the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative, the organization facilitated collaboration among existing community resources rather than delivering services directly. The organization closed permanently on September 30, 2025, after seven years of operation.

Product overview

Sioux Falls Thrive is a community cradle-to-career workforce development initiative that operates as a collective impact model, bringing together volunteers and existing community resources to help children succeed. Rather than a single unified product, Thrive offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and initiatives: the Kid Link Initiative provides after-school enrichment activities; the Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market (now closed) brought a grocery store on wheels to food-insecure neighborhoods; Food Rescue 605 rescues produce from local gardens; Sioux Falls Youth Connect is a digital portal connecting teens to community activities; the Community Housing Education program provides tenant and homeownership education; and the Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative addresses childcare access issues. These programs work together to address three critical needs: affordable housing, food security, and out-of-school enrichment for school-age children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market: First affordable grocery store on wheels in South Dakota, bringing healthy and affordable food to neighborhoods.
• Kid Link
• Food Rescue 605
• Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative
• Youth Development Collaborative

Products and services

• Kid Link Initiative A neighborhood-based collaboration initiative that aligns community resources to provide enriching out-of-school activities for school-age children in underserved areas of Sioux Falls.
• Eat Well Sioux Falls Mobile Market A mobile grocery program that brought affordable, healthy food directly to seven neighborhoods in Sioux Falls with limited access to retail groceries.
• Food Rescue 605 A community-based food rescue system that reduces food waste while increasing access to nutritious meals by collecting excess produce from local gardens and farms and processing it into meal kits for distribution.
• Sioux Falls Youth Connect A mobile-friendly website portal connecting middle and high-school students, parents, school counselors, and educators with community organizations and youth programming opportunities.
• Community Housing Education & Resource Fair A free, two-track educational program providing tenant and homeownership education in neighborhood schools, including HERO certification for participants who complete all five classes.
• Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative An engagement collaborative focused on improving access to quality childcare and educational programming for children regardless of economic circumstances.
• Housing Action Team Action team focused on influencing, advocating for, and supporting funding for affordable housing development for vulnerable populations in the Sioux Falls area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mobile Market achieved 96% customer satisfaction rating with 80% of respondents reporting improved family eating habits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

31 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner that established Thrive in 2017 as a cradle-to-career workforce development initiative. Chamber provides organizational backing and strategic alignment with business community.
• Sioux Falls Development FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner supporting economic development through workforce development initiatives.
• Sioux Empire United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner providing community investment and alignment with social service networks.
• Sioux Falls Area Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner providing philanthropic infrastructure and funding mechanisms for Thrive initiatives.
• Forward Sioux FallscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partner contributing to regional economic development strategy.
• Augustana University Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts comprehensive studies of obstacles to student success; provides data-driven research supporting Thrive's collective impact approach. Produced housing assessments, food security reports, and student safety studies.
• Feeding South DakotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood security partner operating mobile food pantries and neighborhood distribution centers. Collaborated on Kid Link food pantry at Terry Redlin Elementary School.
• Sioux Falls School DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey educational partner hosting Kid Link programs, Community Learning Centers, and housing education courses at elementary schools.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux EmpiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided after-school programming through Kid Link initiative, organizing weekly activities for 50+ children at Laura B. Anderson Elementary.
• Sanford HealthmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare partner providing support for Mobile Market health events including flu and COVID vaccinations; participated in panel discussions on immigration's role in the community.
• Avera HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner contributing volunteer chefs and expertise to food rescue programs; participated in immigration panel discussion.
• Helpline CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing affordable rent calculator and directory of subsidized housing properties online; hosts volunteer sign-up platform.
• Lutheran Social Services of South DakotamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides rental education track for Community Housing Education courses; Housing Retention Specialist services; immigrant and refugee support services.
• Sioux Empire Housing PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit focused on affordable housing and housing education. Provides homeownership education track for Community Housing Education courses.
• East River Legal ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services partner housing the Housing Retention Specialist position to help families avoid eviction.
• Kids Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildcare provider partner in Sioux Falls School District's after-school programming through Community Learning Centers.
• Volunteers of America, DakotasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial services partner participating in out-of-school enrichment programs and Kid Link initiative.
• Sioux Falls Health DepartmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity health department providing grant funding for Mobile Market development and collaboration on community-wide Food Security and Healthy Eating Strategy.
• Augustana University Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted customer satisfaction survey showing 96% satisfaction rating and 80% reporting improved family eating habits from Mobile Market.
• Realtor Association of the Sioux EmpiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in funding Community Housing Education courses and Housing Resource Fairs.
• Southeastern Council of GovernmentsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Technical Assistance Provider for USDA Regional Food Business Center, partnered on Mobile Market grant application.
• US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal housing partner represented on Housing Action Team, contributing policy expertise and resources.
• Lewis DrugminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal pharmacy partner providing flu and COVID vaccinations at Mobile Market events.
• Wesley United Methodist ChurchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided commercial kitchen for food processing events; served as site for Mobile Market and Kid Link activities.
• Bread Break MinistrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood rescue partner helping mobilize volunteers through food rescue app and collecting food from local businesses.
• The BanquetmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal meal provider receiving rescued produce from Food Rescue 605 events for distribution to those in need.
• St. Francis HousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial services organization receiving rescued food distribution from Food Rescue 605 events.
• Union Gospel MissionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived rescued produce including pickles from Food Rescue 605 events.
• SDSU ExtensionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Dakota State University extension service providing food preservation expertise and volunteer chefs for food rescue events.
• EmBemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development organization that prepared childcare crisis data on behalf of Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative.
• Community Outreach (One Roof)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization operating One Roof program supporting at-risk tenants, developed through Thrive's housing advocacy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• StriveTogether: National network supporting cradle-to-career collective impact partnerships across more than 30 communities. Operates on the same backbone-facilitation model Thrive used, making it the closest structural peer in mission and methodology.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development organization supporting affordable housing, economic development, and health initiatives through local partnerships. Comparable to Thrive's Housing Action Team and its policy-advocacy-plus-direct-programming mix.
• Living Cities: Collaboration of major foundations and corporations funding cross-sector collective impact initiatives focused on reducing poverty and advancing racial equity in cities. Operates via similar backbone convening and cross-sector action team structures.
• Boston Promise Initiative (Boston Children's Compact): Place-based cradle-to-career collaborative in Boston coordinating housing, education, health, and economic mobility resources through cross-sector partnerships — closely mirrors Thrive's three-pillar approach.
• Greater Louisville Project: Regional collaborative producing data-driven reports and convening cross-sector partners to address economic, educational, and health outcomes in the Louisville metro — comparable regional collective-impact peer.
• Promise Neighborhoods Institute at Education Development Center: Operates the Promise Neighborhoods model of cradle-to-career place-based collective impact, providing backbone support for educational and family outcomes in distressed communities — directly analogous to Thrive's model.
• United Way of Salt Lake: Regional United Way operating a community-wide collective impact model focused on education, financial stability, and health outcomes using cross-sector action teams — a recognized leader in the same playbook Thrive adopted.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: Large national nonprofit federation that convenes cross-sector community impact work, including cradle-to-career initiatives, food security, and housing advocacy. Sioux Empire United Way was a Thrive founding partner, making this a relevant benchmark for the umbrella network.
• Feeding America: National food security nonprofit network. The Feeding America estimate of 7,000 food-insecure children in Sioux Falls was used in Thrive's research, and Feeding South Dakota (a member food bank) is a Thrive partner — a direct food-security peer.

Emerging players

• National Civic League: Nonpartisan civic organization promoting collaborative governance, community problem-solving, and cross-sector convening models — relevant framework peer for Thrive's collective impact methodology.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC96v8ibjIJTwCpw8vOwYejg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SiouxFallsThrive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sioux-falls-thrive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sioux Falls Thrive