Grants and Loans for Adoptive Families

Even after fundraising, many families still need a little extra to complete the adoption process. There are fantastic organizations that offer grants and no interest/low interest loans for adoptive families. 


Some grants have very specific requirements such as the family must be adopting from Kazakhstan or the applicant must be from Kansas. Others are open to anyone who does the work and gets accepted.


Here are just a few of the organizations that are determined to help every child find their forever family.

Grant Organizations 

ShowHope

Founded by Stephen Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth in 2003, Show Hope, (originally named Shaohannah's Hope after their first adopted daughter) helps provide homes for waiting children through adoption aid grants and provides life-saving medical care for orphans with special needs.

Qualifications for a ShowHope grant
 
Apply for ShowHope grant.

LifeSong for Orphans

"Bringing joy and purpose to orphans" is the mission of LifeSong. One of the ways they accomplish this goal is through their adoption grant program.

LifeSong grant process


Apply for a LifeSong grant

The Sparrow Fund

The Sparrow Fund offers regular training opportunities as well as grants to families in financial need to enroll in programs specifically designed to provide counsel and comprehensive medical reviews of their referred child.

List of medical review providers

Apply for a Sparrow Grant

The Gift of Adoption Fund

The Gift of Adoption Fund provides grants for families participating in either foreign or domestic adoptions. Over $1.9 million has been awarded by Gift of Adoption for foreign adoptions and nearly $120,000 in domestic adoption assistance grants have been given. Through these grants, over 40 U.S. born children and more than 650 children from countries around the world have been united with their ‘forever’ families.

Gift of Adoption domestic fund

Qualifications for a Gift of Adoption fund grant

Apply for a Gift of Adoption fund grant

The Cade Foundation
The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation’s Family Building Grant provides grants to help families with the cost of domestic adoption and medical fertility treatments.
To qualify for this grant the applicant must have a diagnosis of infertility and be a citizen of the United States.

Apply for a Cade Foundation grant

Additional grant providers- check their websites for details on limitations and qualifications.

A Child Waits (foreign only)

Katelyn's Fund

Micah Fund

Low or No Interest Loan Providers

The Abba Fund


A Child Waits Foundation


There are so many options for funding an adoption. Don't get discouraged! God will provide for the things He calls us to do, whatever they may be.

More on Adoption fundraising...

Here are two additional companies with a heart for people and adoption.

Please check them out and pass the word along to someone you know in the process of an adoption if you think these fundraisers would work for their family.

(photography from MudLOVE.com)

Here's how MudLOVE bands work:

1.  Pick your word. It could be your child's country of origin, a word that is meaningful to your family through the journey, etc.

2.  Choose your band color.
 

3.  Decide on the quantity (the more you purchase, the better the price)

4.  Simply email your order to luke@mudlove.com.
    - Example:  "Journey" x 100, 50 blue, 50 red

5.  Watch for your invoice. When you receive it,  make your payment. Every five dollars you spend purchasing your fundraising bracelets helps give an African clean drinking water for a year! These little bracelets pack a double blessing.
  
6.  Receive package & start selling Mudlove bands!!!
    - All packages are shipped 2-3 day priority mail 2-4 weeks after the total invoice is paid (depending on order size).

7. Anything you make over the price of your invoice will be your profit to use toward your adoption. This program works for both domestic and foreign adoptions.

To find out more about pricing or to get your sale started- check out the MudLOVE site.

 

 Everyone loves a fun t-shirt! Adoption Bug (now partnering with Show Hope) is a great little company that allows adoptive families (domestic or foreign adoptions) to sell up to 6 t-shirts from their fundraiser t-shirt designs. Once the adoptive family has filled out the required paperwork, Adoption Bug will set up an online store for their family. There is no start up cost or minimum orders. All the adoptive family needs to do is promote their sale. Adoption Bug even helps on that front with product photos, fundraiser store links and online banners. Adoptive families earn 25-45% of the sales, depending up on the product sold.

If you are interested in more information or getting the fundraising process started send an email to fundraiser@adoptionbug.com with the following information: name, country you’re adopting from, where you are in the process, agency name, and your email address.

147 Million Orphans

Chances are good that you have spotted someone wearing one of these magazine bead necklaces. Chances are also good, that said necklace was purchased through 147 Million Orphans to help make an adoption possible, feed an orphan or both!

Gwen and Suzanne met several years ago while each was journeying through their first adoption. Seven adoptions later, the two friends are joined together in their mission to live out James 1:27.

147 Million Orphans, the organization Suzanne and Gwen founded, now feed orphans in 5 countries, help Ugandan women have a sustainable income for their families, aid churches in building orphan care/adoption ministries and partner with adoptive families to raise the necessary funds to bring their children home.

147 Million Orphans work with families who are involved in the adoption process, both domestically and internationally. They have two methods of fundraising: bulk ordering or the partnership program. Both options have great fundraising potential. Information about and the necessary forms for partnering with 147 Million Orphans can be found here.

Here are some ways you can join 147 Million Orphans in their quest to benefit adoptive parents and orphans around the world...

Host a 147 Event

When you are looking for a great gift remember to purchase 147 merchandise and apparel.

Keep your ears open for adoption fundraisers and join in when you can!

Both Hands- One for the orphan, one for the widow.

Don't you just love a great idea? If you do, then I think you will love learning more about Both Hands in this short video by founder JT Olsen.


JT introduces Both Hands from Bill Kersey on Vimeo.

Here's how it works...

 
The adoptive family enlists the help of 10 volunteers who will assist by carrying out the following tasks:

• sending sponsorship letters
• Putting in a full day of manual labor at the home of a widow

100% of the donated funds will be given as a LifeSong Adoption Grant.  Based upon prior events, the Both Hands project could earn $10,000+ (on average) toward adoption costs.

A local widow is helped by significant improvements being made to her home and property. Often great encouragement is brought to the ladies being served by the demonstrations of love and kindness these work days produce.

Here's how you can be involved...

1. Make a financial contribution.

2. Support an Adoptive Family

3. Support a Widow by donating supplies or funds to help renew homes and yards.
 
4. Volunteer Volunteers are responsible for sending letters to 50 friends that have a heart for adoption. Both Hands composes the letter, the volunteer can make necessary changes to tailor the letter to fit the current situation.  Volunteers spend a full Saturday working on a widow’s house. All skill levels are welcome!
Application to Volunteer

5. If you know an adoptive family who would benefit from a partnership with Both Hands or perhaps a widow who needs home or property maintenance, please share the information you have learned about Both Hands. The links below provide the applications necessary to "get the ball rolling."

Apply For Adoption Assistance

Apply For Widow Assistance 


This ministry is James 1:27 in action.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

April- Adoption Fundraising

According to a report done by Adoptive Family Magazine the average cost of an adoption in 2011 was $30,000. The following are some of the highlights from the magazine's adoption cost survey:

• The majority of domestic newborn adoptions cost between $25,000 and $35,000, while a strong majority of international adoptions cost more than $25,000.
• U.S. foster adoption is the least expensive adoption route, by a significant margin, with an average cost of less than $5,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Korea is about $38,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Ethiopia is about $28,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from China is about $29,000.
• The average cost of an adoption from Russia is about $50,000.
• 35 percent of domestic adopters had at least one "false start," in which adoptive parents worked with one or more birth mothers before a match that succeeded.
• The majority (71%) of "false starts" cost less than $5,000.

For many families these figures are overwhelming. The organizations spotlighted on this blog in April aid families in raising the funds they need to cover the cost of both domestic and international adoptions.