The Complete Guide to Adoption Grants, Adoption Scholarships, Adoption Financial Aid, and Adoption Resources to Help Grow Your Family in Honor of National Adoption Month, November 2020.
November is National Adoption Month! This month we honor families who have chosen adoption and encourage and support families currently pursuing their adoption journeys.
There are approximately 1,900 children in the custody of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services right now. Of these children, approximately 600 children are hoping to be adopted. There are nearly 108,000 children waiting to be adopted in the United States. COVID-19 has only served to increase the number of children entering the foster care system, and the number of children waiting for their forever families.
In addition to the children currently in state care, there are more and more expectant mothers hoping to find adoptive parents for their little one before they are born. Again, COVID-19 has only caused an increase in expectant mothers who find themselves in disadvantageous situations.
If you are considering adoption - whether open or closed, international or domestic, agency or independent, or adoption through the foster care system - please read on. I have included resources and pertinent information to ease the financial burden of adoption.
All adoption organizations included below are LGBTQ friendly.
We believe everyone has the right to a family.
ADOPTION GRANTS & ADOPTION SCHOLARSHIPS
Many individuals are unaware of all the incredible organizations and charitable groups offering grants and other financial support for couples struggling to grow their families. Click the links below to learn more about each organization and the financial assistance available.
HelpUsAdopt.Org is a national 501(c)(3) adoption grant program helping hard-working families overcome the financial obstacles of adoption so children can join loving and permanent homes. Grants up to $15,000 are awarded four times each year! Families must include a valid home study and copy of their tax return with their completed application and personal statement to apply.
National Adoption Foundation has a mission to provide financial assistance to families in need to initiate the adoption process. NAF has provided grants ranging from $500 to $4,000 to over 6,000 families throughout the United States.
The Gifts of Adoption Fund intends to fill the void that separates child from family through adoption assistance grants that give vulnerable children a permanent home and the chance to thrive. Grants of up to $10,000 are awarded monthly to qualified applicants to remove prohibitive financial barriers and make possible the adoptions of some of the most vulnerable children in the U.S. and around the world. There is no application deadline. Families are invited to apply anytime after completing their home study and before finalization.
The Buescher Foundation recognizes one of the major barriers keeping individuals from adopting is the expense. This organization's intention is to provide financial support and resources to families adopting domestically with an adoption agency. There are no income, marital status or religious affiliation requirements. Applicants must include a home study, a personal statement, and a family "look book." Grants are awarded four times each year.
The mission of the Family Formation Charitable Trust is to provide financial assistance to those individuals and non-profit organizations seeking to build families through adoption and assisted reproduction. Grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 are awarded two times each year.
The Cade Foundation provides financial assistance to couples and individuals diagnosed as infertile in order to grow their families through assisted reproductive technology or adoption. Grants up to $10,000 are awarded twice each year. These grants are intended to assist with the costs associated with infertility treatment or domestic adoption.
The Never Alone Foundation offers three different types of grants: (1) Zoe's Rainbow, for those growing their families through international adoption, (2) Hannah's Halo, for post-adoption families with children in need of support services for adoption and attachments challenges, and (3) Lucy's Love, for families who have adopted children with significant medical needs. Currently suspended due to COVID-19, these grants are hopefully going to be available again sometime in the near future.
The Orphan Foundation's mission is to eliminate barriers to adoption by providing financial support and information to adopting families as well as services to institutionalized orphans around the world. The Orphan Foundation provides $1,250 grants to families who have completed their homestudy and can demonstrate that a grant will make the pivotal difference in their ability to adopt a child.
A Child Waits Foundation supports international and domestic adoption through adoption grants and loans up to $5,000. This organization's hope is that financial support will increase the number of children who are adopted.
The Sparrow Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides grants and medical review to determine the specific medical needs of each child and how to best ensure their proper care by making sure potential adoptive families are fully prepared.
Parenthood for Me provides financial and emotional assistance for those starting their families through adoption or assisted reproductive technology. Currently on hold due to lack of funds from the COVID-19 pandemic, Parenthood for Me continues to update their Facebook page with new developments.
Journey to Parenthood's mission is to help couples and individuals facing infertility achieve their dreams of parenthood by providing financial and emotional support, education, and resources. Journey to Parenthood supports families growing their families through adoption and assisted reproductive technology by providing grants up to $10,000 at least once each year.
Mighty Families by Adoption is an adoption grant that assists families wishing to grow by adoption. The charity awards two families each year with $20,000 to help cover adoption expenses.
For financial aid and resources available to families adopting through the Maine foster care system, please see the Maine State Adoption Assistance Program section on the North American Council on Adoptable Children's website.
RESOURCES FOR FUNDING YOUR ADOPTION
In addition to the adoption grants and adoption scholarships above, you can also finance your adoption journey by fundraising and/or borrowing funds. If you are considering taking out a loan to finance your adoption, also inquire whether your 401k plan allows you to borrow money (including any fees associated with doing so). Remember also that many adoptive families qualify for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit. For adoptions finalized in 2019, this tax credit amounted to up to $14,080 per child.
AdoptTogether is a non-profit, crowdfunding platform that bridges the gap between families who want to adopt and the children who need loving homes. Start your family's profile and use this platform as a means of raising money to fund your own adoption journey.
Download your copy of a Free Adoption Planner including worksheets, timelines, and adoption guides.
Check out this webinar on how to create your adoption profile to share with expectant mothers considering adoption.
The National Council for Adoption has an adoption loan program with Bank of America to help finance domestic and international adoption.
For adoptions finalized in 2019, that credit is up to $14,080 per child. The adoption tax credit is not refundable, butwasrefundable for tax years 2010 and 2011.
For the best blog with fresh ideas about different ways to finance your adoption, check out Fund Your Adoption. This website includes everything from free adoption toolkits, new adoption scholarships and fundraising ideas to post-adoption support. Read their vision & mission statement here.
FAMILY BUILDING ORGANIZATIONS AND PROFESSIONALS SERVING MAINE AND NEW ENGLAND
RESOLVE New England is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the New England community struggling with fertility and family building through advocacy, support, and information.
Family Equality’s mission: to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.
If you're ready to begin your adoption journey, reach out to Acadia Adoption Center. Serving the adoption community for over 25 years, Acadia places an emphasis on counseling of all members of the adoption triangle.
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS: ADOPTION & INFERTILITY
If you want a glimpse into the life of adoptive families, women who have chosen adoption for their child, and families currently sharing their adoption journeys, here are some of my favorite instagram accounts to follow related to adoption and foster care:
@heartgrownbabylove @adoptionformychild @gays_with_kids
@heathercrock @a_september_monday @bigtoughgirl
@wethetates @downwithjaxandniko @kaitlin_harris
@born.from.my.heart @mytwodads @lisarondo
@kindredand.co @housefullofpecks @livesweet
It would be amiss for me to write an article about adoption without
thanking and honoring the wisdom of expectant mothers faced with the hardship
of choosing an adoptive family for their child.
For your sacrifice, for your love, for your hope - thank you.
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