Adoption Financial Aid

“We cannot afford to adopt” is a statement often heard by our adoption counselors. Because of this statement, made in frustration, many childless families, who could qualify for adoption financial aid, are brokenhearted and children remain in orphanages.

While we cannot change the fact that adopting internationally is expensive without any kind of adoption financial aid, we are concerned that the expenses often make adopting prohibitive for wonderful families desiring to love a child.

However—there is good news! Awareness of adoption, especially international adoption, has risen dramatically within the last decade, thus making adoption financial aid more readily available. And because of raised awareness and the efforts of many wonderful people, legislators, company executives, adoptive parents and others, more and more adoption financial aid has become available to make an adoption work for you. We want to pass that information about adoption financial aid along to you.

Where To Find Adoption Financial Aid

Employee Benefits

Secondly, due largely to the efforts of the late Dave Thomas and the Dave Thomas Foundation, hundreds of corporations now offer adoption expense reimbursements to their qualifying employees. We have personally seen benefits paid ranging between $1,700 and $10,000! Check with your Human Resources Dept. of your company about adoption financial aid, whoever normally handles your other benefits. If your company does not offer this benefit, then consider asking them! Adoption benefits are considered good personnel practice, and qualified adoption plans receive favorable treatment from the IRS on the companies tax return. The National Adoption Center has a wonderful informative packet entitled “Advocating For Adoption Benefits” you may want to obtain. Study the issues and then make an appointment with the president or personnel manager of your company. You might be surprised how willing they are to support you if you make a good case.

There are adoption benefits available to military families, as well as many other other federal employees. Many states offer their employees generous reimbursements—this affects state employees of all kinds—including school teachers.

Adoption Friendly Workplace is a program which provides information about adoption benefits to employers and employees in both the public and private sectors. Funded by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the project maintains a database of employers with adoption benefits—financial reimbursement, paid and/or unpaid leave time, and resource and referral services. This list is updated regularly and can be found on this site. As a result of this program, nearly 450 employers have implemented or improved adoption financial aid, impacting over 2 million employees nationwide.

State Subsidies

Many states offer a tax credit or subsidy in addition to the federal tax credit. There is often an added benefit program for those who adopt children classified as “special needs” (often considered correctable). Sometimes these subsidies can apply to international children. Ask your home study social worker for information of possible state credits.

Loans

Some financial institutions offer low interest loans with special terms strictly for adoption expenses. Start with your bank and then call around. Many people will take out a loan to fund the adoption and find that upon receiving tax reimbursements and employee benefits that much of their loan can be paid back quickly.

Chase New Additions: Chase Home Equity believes that if you want to adopt, finding a way to pay for it should not stand in your way. That's why Chase Home Equity and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption have joined forces to bring you Chase New Additions, a special program that offers a lower introductory rate on a new home equity line of credit to help families pay for adoption expenses. Visit us online to learn more about our adoption financial aid and apply.

Adoption Financial Aid: Internet Resources

The Abba Fund
The Abba Fund exists to glorify God as one of His instruments in helping the fatherless by helping Christian families grow through adoption. We provide adoption financial aid assistance for parents who believe that God is calling them to grow their families through adoption and need help with the “cash flow crunch” posed by adoption expenses.

America's Christian Credit Union
Adopting a child is a special event for the Christian family. However, with the average cost for an international adoption around $40,000, many families are left wondering how to make it all work. And while many financial institutions do not understand the unique situation surrounding the adoption process, we choose to respond to those needs. As part of our continuing effort to "reach, serve and teach," America's Christian Credit Union is happy to offer our new Adoption Loans.

A Child Waits Foundation
A Child Waits Foundation's Grant Program is specifically designed to help older children and children with special needs who are still living in international orphanages to become part of a family. Provides low interest loans for families who have exhausted other adoption financial aid options and could not proceed with their adoption without this help. Write: 1136 Barker Road, Pittsfield, MA 01201. Tel: 866-999-2445 (866-999-CHILD). Fax: 518-794-6243.

Christian Advocates For Adoption
CAFA is dedicated to seeing the fatherless children of the world find their place in loving Christian homes. CAFA exists to promote adoption within the Christian community through inspiration, education and provision. CAFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization through which donated funds are made available to facilitate adoptions. This will encourage giving due to the tax benefits and allow donors to remain anonymous. We want to remove the barrier of cost so that more families will be able to follow their hearts in adoption.

Gift of Adoption Fund
Give a child a home for a lifetime! It brings new life to parentless children; new hope to the childless, and joy to families that extends through generations. The Gift of Adoption Fund turns the dream of adoption into reality for those who could not otherwise afford to adopt. The Gift of Adoption Fund provides adoption financial aid assistance to moderate and low-income families seeking to adopt.

FamilyBuilder Fund Grants
Christian World Foundation FamilyBuilder Fund is a response to the needs of parents who are registered clients with Christian World Adoption. We understand that there parents with the heart to adopt, but not always the means. The FamilyBuilder Fund is an adoption financial aid grant to help cover adoption expenses for qualified CWA parents. Grants are made to families on a case by case basis according to need and funds available.

Show Hope (formerly Shaohannah’s Hope)
In 2003, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman founded the ministry of Shaohannah’s Hope to help reduce the financial barriers of adoption so that more orphans would have famlies. Now known as Show Hope, this ministry continues to provide grants to connect waiting orphans with loving, Christian families.

Our Creator's Hope
Our Creator's Hope sole purpose is to provide a way to fulfill God’s commandment for the church but most importantly to help those who need us the most, the orphans. The founders, Ray and Leigh Stevens, realize adoption fees are a huge barrier to many Godly families seeking to adopt. There are few resources available to help offset these fees. This barrier ultimately results in orphans never finding permanent homes. We believe and advocate that EVERYONE can do their part to help orphans unite with Godly loving parents. We believe parents should not have to incur debt in order to fulfill God's purpose for the church or believers in caring for orphans. We created an organization that would help orphans and their future families come together, unhindered by financial burdens.

LifeSong For Orphans
Adoption is our ultimate goal in caring for orphan children as it enables them to become a part of God's perfect plan…a family. While many Christian couples have the desire and resources to care for a child, initial costs keep many from following God's call to adopt. LifeSong helps remove this financial roadblock by offering matching grants which encourage the adopting couple's church family to financially and prayerfully support the adoption.

National Endowment for Financial Education
“How to Make Adoption an Affordable Option” is for people who would like to consider adoption but are reluctant because they believe that the process is too expensive. It is also for families who, caught up in the emotions of adopting, may not have given serious thought to some of the less obvious financial aspects of adoption. Here you’ll find out about expenses common to most adoptions. You’ll also learn about financial assistance and tax breaks available to adoptive parents. If you’re thinking seriously of adopting, don’t let the myths about the costs deter you. By careful financial planning, you can make adoption an affordable option for your family and provide a nurturing environment for a child.

The National Adoption Foundation
A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial support, information, and services for adoptive and prospective adoptive families, has recently expanded their programs to include home equity loans, as well as unsecured loans and grants for adoption expenses. There is also a limited grant program. For information, or to request a brochure, write: 100 Mill Plain Road, Danbury, CT 06811. Tel: 203-791-3811. Fax: 203-791-3801.

Adoption Policy Research Center
A public service provided by Adoption Advocates which provides direct advocacy for individual adoptive families, systemic advocacy for adoption organizations and coalitions, disseminated through the Adoption Policy Resource Center website, which offers access to a variety of useful information resources on adoption to a wide audience.

Adoptive Families Magazine
Additional article of information about where to look for help concerning adoption financial aid, what subsidies are available, and where loans and adoption financial aid grants may be found.