Lutheran Services in America
Legal name: Lutheran Services in America Incorporated
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 363304707
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, United States
- Phone
- Main: 202-499-5836; Toll-free: 800-664-3848
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Christianity
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $8,106,239
- Expenses
- $6,587,884
- Assets
- $14,054,388
- Liabilities
- $1,850,862
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ALESIA FRERICHS (PRESIDENT AND CEO)
- KENT MITCHELL (VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY & INNOVATION)
Highest reported compensation
- ALESIA FRERICHS (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $258,993 total reported compensation
- DEBORAH HOESLY (VP DEVELOPMENT): $194,746 total reported compensation
- SUZANNE PECHILIO-POLIS (V.P. PUBLIC RELATIONS & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS): $181,727 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Provide service to over 300 Lutheran health & social services agencies—see Part III, Line 1. “The addition of Tiffany, Stephanie, Eileen and Adam and their deep expertise across health and housing will enrich our ability to navigate an increasingly complex and changing social services environment,” said Alesia Frerichs, president and CEO of Lutheran Services in America. “Their varied skills, interests, and shared dedication to our mission will help move our network forward in new and exciting ways.” Tiffany Chaney, Vice President of Mission and Spiritual Care, Advocate Health Care The Rev. Tiffany Chaney brings nearly three decades of leadership experience in healthcare across community and academic health systems, consulting, and physician practices, along with service in nonprofit.
What it reported doing in 2024
Creating member solutionslutheran services in america cultivates caring communities that advance health and opportunity for all. We convene our social sector leaders and engage partners in programs that catalyze innovation and sustain and expand community impact by:-creating learning collaboratives to bring together social sector leaders with shared challenges and opportunities to craft innovative solutions that improve outcomes for children, youth and families; people with disabilities; older adults and others.(continued on schedule o)-establishing national partnerships to bring resources and expertise to tackle many of the biggest health and human services challenges people face today from helping children and youth grow up to be healthy, supporting low-income and underserved adults to age in their homes and communities with dignity, respect and independence and creating pathways to support and employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. -creating opportunities for peer-to-peer and network learning including conferences, virtual seminars, webinars and group projects on pressing issues.-strengthening, informing and expanding faith-based connections nationwide.impact: we grow new capabilities, develop synergies, and provide funding, service, guidance and valuable strategic partnership opportunities geared toward improving the lives of the one in 50 people in america our network serves each year. Lutheran services in america programs focus on ensuring all children in the u.s. Live in safe, stable and permanent family homes. Programs also emphasize improving the health and quality of life for low- income and underserved older adults in rural communities and affordable housing. This work addresses gaps in services for the growing number of older adults battling chronic illness and various social factors that impact their health and ability to age independently with dignity and respect in their communities.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 62% for direct work, and 38% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration and liabilities are high compared with assets.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 63
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 66.8%; rating input score 67
- Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $29.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 18.7%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.13; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 14.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 66.8% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $259K · 21 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 11 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.