WASHINGTON — For the second consecutive year, The Chronicle of Philanthropy has named Lutheran Services in America to its annual list of “America’s Favorite Charities.” The Washington, DC-based organization’s national network of 300 health and human service organizations works with one in 50 Americans each year, improves the health and quality of life for low-income people throughout the nation, and operates with over $22 billion in annual revenue.
The Chronicle’s 2019 “America’s Favorite Charities” list, featured in the magazine’s November issue, ranks the top 100 nonprofits that raised the most contributions for their efforts in 2018, and establishes which U.S. charities attract the most giving from people, foundations and corporations. Having earned more than $810 million in support — representing a 10.8 percent increase from $732 million the prior year — Lutheran Services in America ranked 13th on the list of 100 organizations.
“The generosity of so many people toward our efforts is really changing lives. It has meant moving the needle on critical challenges facing our nation, and has played a defining role in expanding the work of our national network of 300 health and human services organizations,” said Charlotte Haberaecker, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. “Whether helping change the life trajectory for children and youth, or creating and deploying national solutions that improve the lives of so many seniors, we’re able to accelerate innovation given the immense reach and trusted presence of our network. This just wouldn’t be possible without the generous support we’ve received.”
Lutheran Services in America’s national network tackles a broad scope of issues affecting millions of Americans every year — ranging from health care, senior services and affordable housing to disability services, disaster response, and children, youth and families. The network is deeply embedded in the fabric of over 1,400 communities, and viewed as trusted providers of service known for high-quality, compassionate care and support.
Increasingly, Lutheran Services in America is attracting notice for its groundbreaking programs and collaboratives that promote the inherent value of helping all people grow, thrive, and live independent, productive lives — regardless of where they were born, their income, gender, faith, skin color or ZIP code. This is the case with the organization’s Results Innovation Lab, whose moonshot goal is transforming the lives of 20,000 children and youth by 2024. Already, the initiative has changed the lives of over 7,000 children and youth, having delivered concrete results in numerous states. These successes include increasing high school graduation rates for foster youth in Colorado; reducing re-arrest for over 700 youth of color in South Dakota; and improving outcomes for hundreds of youth of color existing homeless youth programs in Minnesota.
The organization’s LSA Senior Connect program represents another prime example of the organization’s reach and results. The program, an innovative service coordination model that connects seniors with chronic health conditions to needed resources in their communities, is improving seniors’ quality of life and reducing unnecessary health care spending. And Lutheran Services in America’s award-winning Great Plains Senior Services Collaborative represents another prime example; the initiative has improved the health and quality of life of 1,100 isolated older adults in 70 rural Midwest communities, with expanded efforts that will reach even more rural seniors underway.
About Lutheran Services in America
Lutheran Services in America is the national network of Lutheran social ministry organizations — connecting over 300 health and human services providers located throughout the country. Recognized by The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Forbes as one of the nation’s largest nonprofits, the Lutheran Services in America network operates with more than $22 billion in annual revenue and over 250,000 member employees. Together, the network lifts up the nation’s most vulnerable people from children to seniors — making a difference in the lives of one in 50 Americans every year. To learn more, please visit www.lutheranservices.org.
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Contact: Christopher Findlay
202-499-5833
cfindlay@lutheranservices.org
