Lutheran Services in America Announces 2026 Leadership Award Winners
February 9, 2026
February 9, 2026
January 30, 2026
Lutheran Services in America’s health and housing strategy continues to gain momentum through the insights and input of our member-driven Housing Solutions Collaborative. After 18 months of shared learning, partnership, and design, we are nearing fruition on a key initiative: the launch of the LSA Flexible Loan Fund. The Fund provides Lutheran Services in America members multiple opportunities to participate, whether as Program Related Investment (PRI) investors, or joining a new, targeted cohort focused on helping members become “loan ready” with projects poised to move from concept to “shovel ready.”
Additional elements of our strategy include working more closely with churches in local communities as trusted partners as they consider new uses for underutilized property to expand affordable housing.
The bi-monthly Housing Solutions Collaborative is an open and energizing space to engage in innovation across the network, advancing solutions that ensure people in our communities have access to safe, stable housing with the services and supports they need to thrive.
To join the Collaborative or learn more about our health and housing strategy, contact Susan Newton at snewton@lutheranservices.org.
Susan Newton is Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America.
January 29, 2026
As 2026 begins, many forces, especially in changes to federal policy, are further shaping an already challenging landscape. With a one-seat Republican majority in the House, will compromise be the order of the day? That question looms, along with a key government funding deadline, and rising concerns about further impacts in access to care with the ACA tax credits expired. In our January Capitol Conversations webinar, we examined federal policy developments across our three priority areas — Medicaid, workforce, and health and housing — with a clear takeaway: decisions in Washington will have immediate, real-world impacts on providers and the communities they serve. Here are three key takeaways:
Medicaid and Behavioral Health: Medicaid remains a key focus, particularly as states move forward with implementing new work requirements and managing constraints on provider taxes, which in many states take effect later this year. Speakers also highlighted the recent reversal of SAMHSA grant cancellations that would have affected mental health and addiction treatment providers – and concern that we may see more sudden funding shifts ahead. Moreover, with Congress expected to finalize government funding by January 30 even with strong Democratic opposition to further funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), speakers emphasized close monitoring of funding decisions and the critical role of provider advocacy in shaping outcomes.
Workforce: Workforce shortages across health care and long-term services and supports continue to draw attention. Several immigration-related bills — including the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, Strengthening Our Workforce Act, Dream Act of 2025, and Dignity Act — aim to bolster the workforce while maintaining system integrity. While bipartisan interest remains, momentum may slow as midterm elections approach, making provider engagement especially important.
Health and Housing: Speakers discussed recent Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) disruptions related to Continuum of Care funding – although 12-months of continued funding is part of the Transportation and Housing funding bill, which is expected to pass. At the same time, speakers noted cautious optimism around the bipartisan Road to Housing Act, which could advance later this year and would strengthen coordinated, evidence-based responses to homelessness.
Across all issues, speakers stressed the importance of grounding advocacy in lived experience and maintaining strong relationships with policymakers. Now more than ever: stay engaged, stay informed, and stay grounded in your communities.
Kylie Bowlds is an Issue Education & External Relations Associate at Lutheran Services in America.
January 28, 2026
Ahead of November’s midterm elections where the balance of power in the House of Representatives is currently down to a one-seat margin, there are several factors coming into play. From efforts across the country to redraw congressional maps (also known as ‘redistricting’) continue to take shape to several states entangled in legal battles and pending judicial decisions, while other states are considering last-minute changes that could materially alter the electoral map ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
Redistricting & Legal Challenges in States: Recent reporting shows that states including Texas, California, Ohio, Florida, Maryland, Illinois, New York, Utah, Missouri, and North Carolina are either facing active lawsuits, implementing new maps, or considering further redistricting measures.
Federal Law: Two major pieces of federal law — the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and the Voting Rights Act — also have the potential to significantly influence the conditions under which the midterms unfold.
The SAVE Act, which passed the House in 2025, would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. This requirement would effectively make online and mail–in registration inaccessible, since applicants must present original documents in person. Analyses indicate that access to qualifying documents varies widely across demographic groups, with low–income voters, urban residents, and others facing potential barriers due to difficulties obtaining or updating documents such as birth certificates or passports.
Under the Voting Rights Act, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision in Louisiana v. Callais could significantly weaken or even effectively eliminate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act –a provision that has long prevented states from dismantling minority opportunity districts. If the Court guts Section 2, Republicans could gain numerous House seats across the South, though tight election timelines may limit states’ ability to redraw maps before the midterms elections later this year.
Taken together, these legal and legislative developments introduce substantial uncertainty into the 2026 landscape, with both voter access and the shape of key congressional districts hanging in the balance. And with so much still unsettled, the stakes become even clearer when looking at the individual House and Senate races that will ultimately decide control of Congress.
In the House, Democratic Toss Ups include:
Republican Toss Ups:
Senate races that are expected to be competitive include:
What you can do now?
With the midterms approaching and many competitive toss ups, we encourage our members to take the following steps to stay engaged and prepared:
These developments emphasize how fluid the 2026 midterm elections are shaping out to be. To understand what this evolving landscape means, join us on February 19 for our next Capitol Conversations webinar, “Looking Ahead: Midterm Elections.” We will be joined by Carrie Dann, managing editor of the Cook Political Report who will offer their latest analysis of key House and Senate races that will shape the battle for control of Congress this November.
Kylie Bowlds is an Issue Education & External Relations Associate at Lutheran Services in America.
January 29, 2026
2026 is an important year for Lutheran Services in America. In a rapidly shifting environment marked by changes in Medicaid financing, housing instability, and workforce pressures (to name just a few), our network is moving beyond adaptation toward intentional system leadership. We are stepping forward to position and advance our network of Lutheran social ministries to catalyze collaboration and innovation. Here are some highlights.
Growing our Collective Capacity to Lead
Leadership is at the heart of our mission. This year, we’re doubling down on efforts to support CEOs and their leadership teams more intentionally and consistently starting with The Summit: Bold Leadership and the Art of Resilience. The Summit convenes leaders across philanthropy, policy, housing, and technology, creating space for collaboration and action.
Peer networks like the Lutheran Information Technology Network (LITN) and Lutheran Financial Managers Association (LFMA) amplify this work, offering trusted spaces for learning and innovation throughout the year. For example, through our AI Advisory Committee, community of practice, and new webinar series with LITN and LFMA, we’re creating a trusted space for CEOs to set direction, provide oversight, and operationalize AI in alignment with our shared mission and values.
Catalyzing Innovation and Collaboration
We’re investing in strategies that create new pathways for growth. Through the Housing Solutions Collaborative, 27 members that steward $1 billion in annual revenue are shaping solutions at the intersection of health and housing.
The Results Innovation Lab, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in February, is evolving into an integrated platform that elevates equity, housing, workforce, and policy strategies for long-term scale. At the same time, with new partnerships like the SCAN Foundation and RRF, we’re preparing for demographic shifts by scaling and replicating our Rural Aging Action Networks.
Amplifying our United, Faith-based Voice
Policy and advocacy remain top priorities. For example, our Medicaid strategy with leadership from our Policy & Advocacy Committee, works in two ways: 1) Defending against challenges to eligibility and enrollment as H.R. 1 continues to be implemented, while at the same time, informing the new Rural Health Transformation Fund; and 2) Strengthening partnerships between CBOs and Medicaid managed care organizations, including through value-based payment approaches to improve outcomes and control costs.
Looking Ahead
Leadership is not about certainty; it’s about presence. In 2026, our network is showing up with clarity and resilience by aligning mission with strategy, grounding policy with practice, and positioning our network to lead rather than follow. This year, even with the many ongoing challenges and disruptions, we are committed to persevering with bold leadership and resilience.
Alesia Frerichs is the President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America.
December 22, 2025
Across Lutheran Services in America, we often talk about the need to bridge policy and practice. The Results Innovation Lab (RIL), in partnership with the Strengthening Families Initiative (SFI), is doing exactly that by turning national policy priorities into real-world learning through local demonstration sites.
At a time when Medicaid policy, child welfare systems, and community-based organizations are all under pressure, these sites are helping us answer a critical question: What does prevention actually look like on the ground—and what does it take to make it work?
Our demonstration sites are showing that prevention is not a single program or service, but a way of working across systems. It shows up in addressing basic needs early, coordinating care more effectively, and reducing the likelihood of crisis before families reach child welfare or emergency systems. Making prevention work requires strong cross-sector collaboration, clear shared populations, and the ability to test small changes, learn quickly, and adapt.
RIL’s focus on outcomes, equity, and leadership development is now directly shaping how we design and support local demonstration sites alongside health care. Rather than starting with abstract policy ideas or top-down models, we are using small, practical tests of change to learn what collaboration actually looks like on the ground, under real-world conditions.
This approach allows us to:
This matters in the current policy environment. The White House’s 2025 Executive Order emphasizes family stability, timeliness, upstream investment, and cross-system coordination. Through RIL and SFI, Lutheran Services in America is effectively operating a living lab for what that policy vision looks like in practice.
In Pennsylvania and Virginia, the demonstration sites are surfacing several consistent lessons with clear policy implications.
Identifying shared populations is harder than expected—but essential.
Even when organizations serve the same families, health plans, schools, and child welfare systems often define populations differently. The work of aligning around a shared group of children or families takes time, trust, and data—but it is foundational to any meaningful partnership.
Small tests of change are the right scale for this moment.
Rather than launching large pilots, sites are using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to test ideas quickly. These small tests help partners stay engaged, surface barriers early, reduce risk, and generate evidence that can inform future investment. This is exactly the kind of learning federal and state leaders look for when identifying promising prevention approaches.
Basic needs are the gateway to deeper engagement.
Across sites, food access, transportation, hygiene supplies, and mental health supports consistently emerge as high-impact entry points. Addressing these needs improves appointment attendance, engagement in services, and trust with families—outcomes that matter to both child welfare and Medicaid systems.
Workforce capacity matters as much as program design.
Burnout and turnover can undermine even the strongest ideas. RIL’s emphasis on resilience, listening, and curiosity is helping organizations adapt while protecting staff capacity, an often overlooked but critical component of prevention.
Medicaid has become one of the largest funders of prevention. Families interact with health systems far more frequently than they do with formal child welfare systems, making Medicaid a powerful lever for upstream support.
Our demonstration work with UnitedHealthcare highlights several truths:
Lutheran Services in America members are uniquely positioned to bridge these gaps by stabilizing families, improving care coordination, reducing avoidable involvement, and delivering trusted, community-rooted support. In many ways, this is exactly what policymakers are asking systems to do. The demonstration sites are helping show the “how.”
The learning from these sites is already shaping how Lutheran Services in America will strengthen practice across the network. Key areas of focus include:
Together, this work helps Lutheran Services in America members meet the current policy moment while staying rooted in mission. By grounding policy aspirations in practical learning, the demonstration sites are not just testing ideas, they are helping build a roadmap for prevention that can scale.
Renada Johnson is Senior Director of Children, Youth & Family Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America.
December 19, 2025
The outlook of the 2026 midterm elections continues to evolve as both parties focus on key House districts that will determine the balance of power in Congress. Key toss-up races continue to take shape as various states seek to redraw maps ahead of the 2026 midterms – aiming to flip or add additional seats. However, in many blue and purple states with independent redistricting commissions, it is too late for legislatures to amend their states’ constitutions to do so.
For Republicans, redistricting could yield a net gain of four to five House seats. Alternatively, Democrats could net two to four House seats as well, depending on how new maps are implemented across key states. Various factors – pending court rulings, ballot initiatives, etc. – will heavily impact these outcomes.
Senate: Several Senate races are expected to be highly competitive. These include:
House: On the Democratic side, toss seats include:
Republican-held seats that are expected to be competitive include:
With the midterms approaching and many competitive toss ups, we encourage our members to:
For your organizational advocacy efforts, engagement at both the federal and state levels is increasingly important. Elected officials on all levels of government play a role in shaping critical policies. Continued engagement and relationship building ensure that your voice and the voice of those in your communities are represented.
Kylie Bowlds is an Issue Education & External Relations Associate at Lutheran Services in America.
November 21, 2025
Across Lutheran Services in America, our learning collaboratives and shared workspaces continue to create “blue zones”—spaces where leaders openly exchange information, challenge assumptions, and work toward shared goals. Earlier this week, I had the privilege of dropping in on the AI Working Group and was fully immersed in that blue-zone ethos. The Zoom room was comprised mostly of members of the Lutheran IT Network (LITN), a Lutheran Services in America peer network of IT leaders. The dialogue was curious, candid, rapid, and focused, with participants representing the full continuum of AI exploration—from developing use cases and cost-benefit models to expressing skepticism and wondering whether this moment will pass.
The group referenced our survey from earlier this summer, which found that:
With those findings in mind, members discussed how they might support and move peer organizations along the continuum of AI readiness.
What emerged from the conversation was collective wisdom about approaching AI with a blend of innovation and caution. Leaders emphasized the need for ongoing education, thoughtful risk assessment, balanced implementation, and careful attention to compliance and ethical considerations.
The discussion quickly shifted into action. The group outlined plans to develop a member-driven vendor recommendation list, identify priority AI use cases—such as documentation assistance and contract compliance search tools—and further leverage the LSA CommUnity platform to share real-time learnings and questions.
What stood out most was the collective expertise, commitment, curiosity, and trust in the room—hallmarks of the Lutheran Services in America network. I left the meeting confident that through these shared spaces, we can shape the future together, whether that future brings new AI opportunities or entirely different challenges. This collective exploration will continue at the The Summit, where Amy Neumann, author of “Empower your Nonprofit: Simple Ways to Co-Create with AI for Profound Impact,” will join us.
Alesia Frerichs is the President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America.
November 20, 2025
November 13, 2025
At the Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference, Regan McManus, director of aging initiatives at Lutheran Services in America, presented “How to Cultivate Rural Aging Partnerships through Whole-Community Mobilization.”
In her session, Regan demonstrated the power of the Rural Aging Action Network (RAAN), an approach that looks beyond traditional aging partners and taps into the unique strengths already present in rural communities. By elevating lived experience, prioritizing cultural relevance, and activating local assets — from faith communities and schools to grocery stores and farmers unions — RAAN communities in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota are tackling social determinants of health, closing gaps in care, and advancing equity and belonging for older adults. RAAN taps into the unique strengths already present in rural communities, connecting residents, organizations, and local leaders to help older adults maintain their autonomy and independence.
For more than a century, Lutheran social ministries have been trusted in America’s rural communities. That tradition continues as our network equips local leaders with innovative, community-informed solutions that build on local assets and strengthen social connection.
At the GIA conference, Regan highlighted how RAAN amplifies practical solutions that demonstrate what works, why it matters, and for whom. This shared learning strengthens community partnerships and provides funders and decision-makers with clear examples of scalable approaches that deliver real impact.
As America’s population ages, and one in four older adults continues to call a rural community home, the lessons from RAAN demonstrate that the most effective solutions start within the community itself. Through whole-community mobilization, we’re charting a path toward better health and belonging for older adults in rural America.
