About Lutheran Services Florida
Bringing God’s healing, hope, and help to people in need.
Focus Areas
Early childhood education / Head StartChild welfare, foster care & adoptionBehavioral health and substance use treatmentEmergency shelter and services for youthRefugee and immigrant resettlement and legal servicesWorkforce development / job placementCommunity counseling and family support
Who They Fund
children eligible for Head Startindividuals with mental health and/or substance use needsrefugees and asylum-seekersfamilies engaged with child welfare services
About Lutheran Services Florida
A defining feature of Lutheran Services Florida Inc is the scale of its direct-service funding for behavioral health providers across Florida, with several awards above $25 million in the latest grant list. The largest recent grant shown is $39,883,463 to Sma Behavioral Health Services Inc in Daytona Beach for DCF SAMH PROVIDER work, followed by $36,553,552 to the same provider in 2023 and $31,949,113 to Meridian Behavioral Healthcare Inc in Gainesville in 2024. Those amounts point to a funder that relies on large, contract-style grants to sustain service delivery rather than on small discretionary awards. The pattern extends across multiple community providers. Lutheran Services Florida Inc has given repeated support to Lifestream Behavioral Center Inc in Leesburg, Gateway Community Services Inc in Jacksonville, and Mental Health Resource Center Inc in Jacksonville, all for DCF SAMH PROVIDER services. It also appears in early childhood education through a $4,248,174 grant to School District of Palm Beach County for HEAD START PROGRAM. The mix aligns with the foundation’s stated focus on behavioral health and substance use treatment, Head Start, child welfare, refugee and immigrant services, youth shelter, workforce development, and family support. Its public profile reads as service-oriented, program-specific funding for providers serving children, families, and people with mental health or substance use needs.
What Lutheran Services Florida Funds
Behavioral health and substance use treatment is the clearest theme in the recent grants. Lutheran Services Florida Inc gave $29,434,082 to Sma Behavioral Health Services Inc in 2025, $29,294,217 to Meridian Behavioral Healthcare Inc in 2025, and $28,709,166 to Lifestream Behavioral Center Inc in 2025, all marked DCF SAMH PROVIDER. The foundation also supports child welfare and youth services through provider-based awards. Gateway Community Services Inc received $16,529,942 in 2025 for DCF SAMH PROVIDER work, while Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare in Yulee received $5,214,751 in 2025 under the same designation. Early childhood education appears as a separate line of work. In 2023, School District of Palm Beach County received $4,248,174 for HEAD START PROGRAM. Together with the behavioral health awards, the pattern shows funding for direct service organizations rather than broad unrestricted grants.
How Lutheran Services Florida Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$619.8M
Total Assets
$135.3M
Total Revenue
$425.1M
Total Expenses
$420M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $191K and $1.5M, with a median of $469K.
25th Percentile
$191K
Median
$469K
75th Percentile
$1.5M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in FL.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SAMUEL M SIPES
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