WE UNDERSTAND THAT ADOPTION IS EXPENSIVE BUT CHILDREN’S HOPE NOW OFFERS PROFESSIONAL FINANCIAL COUNSELING SERVICES AT NO COST TO ALL OUR FAMILIES.

 

The adoption process can bring an immense amount of joy, but depending on the program a family adopts through, it can also be expensive.   Children’s Hope is happy to offer all our families free, professional, financial counseling to help you raise the necessary funds.  You will be guided into all possible resources that you may not realize are available.

These Adoption Finance Coach services are now free for our families, including: access to training and funding application templates, one-on-one consultations to discuss each family’s specific financial situation, help creating and implementing a finance plan, opportunities to join an adoption finance boot camp, and more!

You can learn more about Your Adoption Finance Coach by visiting the portal. Once you’ve logged into the portal, you will gain access to the many resources made available through this service. Current client families: please email us if you’d like to create a login for immediate access to the Your Adoption Finance Coach portal resources.

Access Your Adoption Finance Coach

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP YOU FINANCE YOUR ADOPTION

Here are some other easy ways that you can receive some financial assistance to help you raise your adoption finances! Click on the links to see if you are eligible.

Click on the links to see if you are eligible.

Federal Adoption Tax Credit

Families may be eligible for up to $13,400 in federal tax credit per child. Consult with a licensed tax preparer for more information.

State Tax Credits

Some states provide non-recurring adoption fee reimbursements. Contact a licensed tax preparer in your state for more information.

Employer Assistance

Your employer may offer adoption benefits to their employees. Visit the Holt Website for a list of adoption-friendly employers.

U.S. Military Reimbursement

Military service members who adopt a child may be reimbursed for qualified adoption expenses up to $2,000 per adoptive child per calendar year.

Children’s hope Adoption Fund for Special Needs Children

Families who have begun the process to adopt a child with special needs — and who have a demonstrated financial need — may apply for a grant from the Adoption Fund for Special Needs children. If you think you may qualify, please inquire.

YOU CAN RAISE FUNDS ON YOUR OWN IN MANY GOOD WAYS

Grants and low-interest loans are a great way to raise money for your adoption, but often, you can’t rely on them alone. Luckily, countless resources exist to help families offset the cost of adoption through creative and community-based projects. In fact, many families are able to cover more of their costs by raising money independently. Here are just a few DIY resources:

Other Adoption Resources

Pathways for Little Feet
Interest-free loans to adoptive families. No religious criteria.

The Sparrow Fund
Grants awarded for professional adoption support services, such as medical consultations and pre-adoption counsel, for both non-special needs and special needs adoptions. Visit their website for a broad list of adoption-related medical/counseling resources.

Adopt Together
A nonprofit crowdfunding platform helping families raise money to pay for adoption costs.

One Mission Fundraising
One Mission sells products to buyers who then choose which fundraiser to help fund. You are able to promote your cause while receiving 40% of the proceeds.

Give1Save1
A community of adoptive families that share their stories and help in reducing financial barriers to adoption.

Children’s Lantern
On Children’s Lantern, you can apply to be a featured family and they will help you promote your adoption fundraising efforts.

National Adoption Foundation
The National Adoption Foundation has partnered with Citizens One to provide financing options to help with adoption.

Adoption Resource Databases:

Adoption.com

Resources 4 Adoption

Child Welfare Information Gateway

Adoption Grants

Adoption grants are a great way to cover some of your family’s adoption expenses. Before applying, it is important to check for grant eligibility criteria and application deadlines. Most grant organizations accept applications after the family has an approved homestudy and will administer funds directly to the family’s service provider.

Here are just a few of the grants that are available:

Show Hope is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes individuals and communities to meet the most pressing needs of orphans in distress. Grants and fundraising opportunities offered to Christian adoptive couples and singles.

The Brittany’s Hope Foundation offers seedling gifts directly to agencies that then grant portions of the gift to families that are matched with a waiting child. These grants help pay for a portion of the country program fees and will be reimbursed after the child comes home.

 

Lifesong offers matching grants and encourages the adopting couple’s church family to financially and prayerfully support their adoption. The Lifesong Legacy Fund also offers interest-free loans to help families overcome the cost of adoption.

 

JSC Foundation began as a private foundation in 2000 and awards adoption grants to Christian couples who have an approved homestudy.

 

HANDinHAND partners with Christian couples — helping to carry the burden for the cost of adoption through matching grants and the raising of support.

ABBA Fund provides interest-free loans and grants to assist Christian families in offsetting their adoption costs.

GENERAL

A Child Waits Foundation

Thomas Hatcher Grant for St Louis Area Families

Gift of Adoption Fund

HelpUsAdopt.org

Salvation International

Buescher Foundation

Never Alone Foundation

National Adoption Foundation

 

SPECIAL NEEDS

Children’s Hope Grant

Brittany’s Hope

Connected Heart Ministry

Ibsen Adoption Network

Reece’s Rainbow

United Healthcare Children’s Foundation

RELIGIOUS

Abba Fund

America’s Christian Credit Union

Be the One

Both Hands Foundation

Elijah’s Truth

Ephesians 3:20 Foundation

Families Outreach

God’s Grace Adoption Ministry

HANDinHAND Christian Adoption, Inc.

JSC Foundation

Katelyn’s Fund

Kinsman Redeemer

Lifesong for Orphans

Orphan Foundation

Show Hope

Thomas Hatcher Adoption Grant for St. Louis Families

INFERTILITY

Cade Foundation

STATE SPECIFIC

Organization

 State
Be the One OH, IN, KY
Elijah’s Truth MN, ND, SD
Hands of Hope IN
Ibsen Adoption Network WA
Kinsman Redeemer MO

Do’s and Don’ts of adoption Fundraising

Thanks to our friends at Holt for this valuable information.

Do’s

1. Involve your family, friends and community. They want to help, and they will be excited to be a part of your adoption journey.

2. Talk about why adoption is still critical in the country you are adopting from. Raising social awareness about the needs of children around the world will help friends and family understand why your adoption journey is so important. (Just make sure your information is accurate and not based on old myths!)

3. Keep it simple. Sometimes the most effective fundraisers are the most straightforward. Host a garage sale and take donated items from your coworkers or church community. Or plan a service event and find friends and family who will sponsor your time. Bake sales, craft fairs and other DIY projects also have huge potential.

4. Ask for airline miles or other travel-related vouchers. Travel expenses to and from the country you are adopting from amounts to almost a third of all adoption-related costs, so this type of assistance will make a big dent in your overall expenses

5. Do exhaust all your other options first. Look into the adoption tax credit. See if you qualify for work-related employee benefits. Are you a military veteran? There may be funds already waiting for you! Also, apply for grants — LOTS of grants. Places like Show Hope, Brittany’s Hope and Lifesong for Orphans have given thousands of dollars to Holt families.

6. Partner with reputable organizations, like Both Hands Foundation or YouCaring.com, who have programs to help you reach your fundraising goals through tried-and-true methods. Or consider using the services of adoption fundraising organizations like Resources4Adoption or Your Adoption Finance Coach to guide you through all the fundraising options available.

7. Look for ways to save money by reducing lifestyle, entertainment or other “extra” costs. It’s amazing how fast savings add up! And, since adoption fees and expenses are spread out over 12-36 months, there is time for small amounts to add up quickly.

8. Wait to fundraise until you are homestudy-approved to avoid a potentially awkward situation. If, for some reason, your family is not approved to adopt, having to return fundraised dollars will make a tough situation more difficult.

9. Call us or your agency if you hit a roadblock. We have lots of tips and advice about fundraising, applying for grants and more.

Don’t

1. Do not use fundraising as your first method to cover adoption costs. Adoption is a lifelong commitment and should not be considered without serious discussions about how adding a child to your family will affect your finances long term.

2. Do not post identifying information about your child on the Internet. While the temptation to share photos of your beautiful new child with anyone and everyone is hard to resist, overseas officials, governments and child protection workers may be researching your family online, and sharing personal information about a child in their care or ours violates international safeguards for children waiting for adoption.

3. Do not be disrespectful of your child’s birth family, or share personal details about why your child became eligible to be adopted. Children are relinquished or abandoned for many, many reasons, and it’s important to be conscientious of their loss and that their story belongs to them. Be careful when sharing about your child’s medical needs, too. As your child grows older, he or she may not want to share their health status with large groups.

4. Do not sell weapons, alcohol or other items that may be confusing or controversial to child welfare professionals or send the wrong message about adoption.

5. Do not ask family to give donations or money directly to your adoption agency on your behalf and receive a tax deduction. Non-profit agencies are not allowed to take tax-deductible gifts and apply those donated funds to only one specific family.

6. Do not over-share your story. Before you start fundraising, decide how much detail you will share about your adoption process, your agency experience and your child. And then stick to it. People will ask you lots of questions. They will be curious about your motivations, your child and more. Practice polite ways of explaining why you are keeping some details private. Remember, you are representing a very important cause. Adoption isn’t easy. But presenting upbeat, positive information is the best way to inspire other families to adopt, too.

7. Do not get upset if some people in your life don’t offer financial support. Adoption fundraising is a new phenomenon, and it can be confusing, even to some of your closest family and friends. And that’s okay.

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