Lutheran Services in America

Target demographics: older adults, children and families, people with disabilities

Programs: Children in foster care—disproportionately youth of color—currently face stark outcomes. On any given day, our national network works with 40,000 families and more than 12,000 children and youth in foster care. Our Results Innovation Lab recognizes the key role that providers have in transforming policy and practice in the child welfare system. Our Lab addresses racial bias in the child welfare system by disaggregating data to identify practice changes and innovations needed to eliminate racial disparities and improve outcomes, equipping providers with tools to examine their practices and activating local stakeholders to achieve equitable outcomes for children and families. More than 200 organizations in our network provide a broad range of services to older adults in 1,400 communities across 46 states. Our Rural Aging Action Network expands sustainable community-based services and supports for older adults who are underserved in rural areas. We engage strategic partners with the common goal of empowering older adults to age with independence, dignity and purpose in the community of their choice. Our Connect-Home Collaborative is dedicated to expanding interventions for older adults to successfully transition home after a post-acute care stay and address gaps in care that can lead to isolation, increased emergency room visits, hospitalization and reduced quality of life. LSA Senior Connect screens older adults for risks tied to social determinants of health and connects them to services and supports in their community. The Lutheran Services in America-Disability Network harnesses the collective power and knowledge of its nationwide group of Lutheran social ministry organizations to amplify our voice through advocacy and champion services and supports that enable individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to realize their dreams, achieve their potential and lead their best lives. The collective power of our $23 billion faith-based voice on Capitol Hill is crucial now to advance policies that improve the health and well-being of the six million individuals our network cares for each year. Together, we ensure that our voices are heard for millions of people experiencing need. Our advocacy campaigns mobilize our network to urge the Administration and Congress to support policies and funding to improve the health and well-being of people in America and strengthen the nonprofit sector. We invest in building leadership capacity and galvanizing Lutheran social ministry leaders to drive transformational change. Our learning communities are where nonprofit leaders hone their leadership skills and develop strategies to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of their communities. We are committed to equity and justice and reversing the toll systemic racism has on the health and well-being of people of color. We lead our network through initiatives such as the Race Equity Network, Reimagining Diversity Collaborative and Mission Leaders Group to support, strengthen and empower leaders to address inequity in their own organization and communities. By working with CEOs and their boards of directors in trusted forums such as CEO Summit and our Strength & Service Series, we aim to bring about real change by advancing conversations about race equity and addressing policies that disproportionately harm people of color.