Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA Expand Partnership to Address Systematic Barriers for Black, Brown and Indigenous Children and Youth

January 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — The ELCA awarded Lutheran Services in America a $1 million grant over two years to deepen and extend the impact of its Results Innovation Lab, a national program dedicated to achieving equitable outcomes for 20,000 children, youth and families by 2024. This new investment will enable Lutheran Services in America, a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year, to scale and replicate innovations from the Lab to reach more children and families across the country beyond 2024.

The ELCA’s partnership and support through the Lutheran Services Children’s Endowment to the Lutheran Services in America Results Innovation Lab was a catalyst for the early results achieved under the Lab, which are effectively empowering families experiencing poverty and addressing racial inequities in the child welfare system.

“The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recession, racism, and other socioeconomic challenges disproportionately impact the lives of Black, Brown and Indigenous children and their families,” said the Rev. Dr. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for service and justice at the ELCA. “As Lutherans, we are called to do God’s work in a complex world. Lutheran Services in America calls on a large national network of Lutheran social ministry organizations and other friends and partners who share our goal to address systemic barriers in our communities for children and youth of color, which lead to their overrepresentation in the child welfare system. The ELCA values the innovative work that Lutheran social ministry organizations are doing through the Results Innovation Lab and we hope this grant empowers ministry leaders to accelerate towards a future where all children and families in the U.S. have an equitable outcome.”

Youth of color are over-represented in the child welfare system. Black, Brown and Indigenous youth are removed from their families, placed in foster care and experience poorer outcomes at higher rates compared to White children. With the ELCA’s support of the Results Innovation Lab, Lutheran Services in America will be able to engage additional Lutheran social ministry leaders and provide new tools and approaches to transform policy and practice in child welfare and support families in crisis so that all children in the United States can grow up in safe, nurturing and stable families.

“Lutheran Services in America and the ELCA share a goal to lift up Lutheran social ministry in its work to transform lives and communities and care for people in need wherever they are. We gratefully acknowledge the ELCA’s commitment to our ministries and look forward to strengthening our collaboration with the ELCA and its ministries of diverse cultures and communities to address systematic barriers for children and youth of color who experience inequitable outcomes in the child welfare system,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America.

The partnership is a reflection of the church in the world. It taps into the hallmark of the Lutheran tradition of service to our neighbor by bringing people and resources together to solve problems so that all people can thrive.

About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.

To learn more, visit lutheranservices.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Accepting Applications NOW! Lutheran Services in America National Partnership Brings Funding Opportunities

January 12, 2023

Vol. XXII | Issue 2

January 12, 2023

Will You Join Us? Help Get Vaccines to Older Adults and People with Disabilities

January 5, 2023

Vol. XXII | Issue 1

January 5, 2023

Will You Join Us? Help Get Vaccines to Older Adults and People with Disabilities

January 4, 2023

Special Announcement: Lutheran Services in America National Partnership Brings Funding Opportunities to Local Communities in Support of Vaccine Outreach

December 28, 2022

Register Today for the 2023 Disability Network Winter Meeting

December 22, 2022

Lutheran Services in America Recognized by Forbes in Highest Quartile of Nation’s Top 100 Charities

December 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — In the latest update to its respected list of America’s top charities, Forbes ranked Lutheran Services in America 25th among a distinguished group of the nation’s largest nonprofits.

Forbes’ annual list measures the amount of private donations received during the most recent fiscal year for each organization. Lutheran Services in America — a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year — attracted $626 million in private donations, nearly half a billion dollars more than the $181 million cutoff for this year’s list.

Over the past year, Lutheran Services in America launched consequential initiatives that address the policy and practice changes needed to achieve transformational change in communities across the country, including its Rural Aging Action Network to expand sustainable community-based services for older adults in underserved rural communities. It continued its development of groundbreaking initiatives to empower children, youth and families through its Results Innovation Lab, including its Results Network and Family Stabilization Initiative, which address disparities in the child welfare system and find new approaches for keeping families together. In keeping with its commitment to race equity, Lutheran Services in America created its Reimagining Diversity Collaborative and Race Equity Network to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and expand opportunities in our communities.

“We are expanding our reach at a critical time to empower people and communities with the generous support our network receives,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America.  “The Lutheran Services in America network has a long history of successfully reaching communities in need because of our longstanding relationships built on deep trust in addressing the challenges that people experience. The support received from private donations plays a large role in our efforts to innovate and make a significant difference in people’s lives.”

The Lutheran Services in America network provides services in 1,400 communities across 45 states.

About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.

To learn more, visit lutheranservices.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Lutheran Services in America Joins National Initiative to Support Local Vaccination Outreach Activities

December 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — As the nation enters the coldest months of the winter season with high rates of hospitalization due to COVID-19 and one of the worst flu seasons on record, the need to get vaccinated is at a critical point. To combat rising hospitalization rates among older adults and people with disabilities for both COVID-19 and the flu — two groups that are known to experience the most severe illness from these two conditions — Lutheran Services in America is pleased to announce that it is a partner in the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative, a $75 million initiative funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living to provide outreach, technical assistance and support to promote vaccination uptake.

Led by USAging, the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative will distribute funds to enable organizations across the aging and disability networks to perform an array of vaccination promotion activities. Organizations selected for funding will host community vaccine clinics, provide in-home vaccinations, offer transportation to vaccination sites and conduct outreach and education to older adults and people with disabilities among other activities.

“Lutheran Services in America recognizes the vital role that community-based nonprofit organizations play in encouraging older adults and people with disabilities to get vaccinated,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. “We welcome the opportunity to partner with USAging and more than 20 national organizations that empower older adults and people with disabilities, including those that support individuals from historically marginalized and underserved communities, to promote vaccination uptake to the populations that are at greatest risk of severe illness and hospitalization due to COVID-19 and the flu.”

Organizations seeking to apply to receive funds to support their local vaccination outreach activities will be able to apply to receive funding through the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative at www.usaging.org/advc as early as this week. Learn more about this effort and our work with older adults and people with disabilities at Lutheran Services in America.

Members of the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative

Lead Partners

  • USAging (convener)
  • ADvancing States
  • Association of University Centers on Disabilities
  • Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU)

Partners

  • Lutheran Services in America
  • American Association of Service Coordinators
  • Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living
  • AT3 Center
  • Autism Society of America
  • Diverse Elders Coalition
  • Meals on Wheels America
  • National Adult Day Services Association
  • National Asian Pacific Center on Aging
  • National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
  • National Association of Nutrition and Aging Service Providers
  • National Caucus and Center on Black Aging
  • National Council on Independent Living
  • National Disability Rights Network
  • National Hispanic Council on Aging
  • National Indian Council on Aging
  • SAGE: Advocacy & Services for LGBTQ+ Elders
  • The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies

About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is a national network of 300 health and human services organizations that reaches one in 50 people in the United States each year. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s top nonprofit organizations, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $23 billion in combined annual revenue. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Lutheran Services in America leads innovative collaborations with its member organizations and partners in philanthropy, academia, healthcare and business to address the most critical challenges in our communities and empower people to lead their best lives.

To learn more, visit lutheranservices.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Supporting
Our Neighbors,

TOGETHER.

Our shared Lutheran tradition of service to our neighbor is more vital than ever.

Join us as we work to ensure our network continues delivering essential services to all in need.