Affording Adoption
Five great adoption funding resources
The costs associated with adopting may seem overwhelming at first, but with help from the many resources that are available to families, it can be much more affordable than you think. Read on for a list of ideas, suggestions, and testimonials that will let you know the costs associated with adoption aren’t as out-of-reach as you might think!
1. Federal adoption tax credit
$12,150 is available for the 2009 tax year for eligible families, and is adjusted annually for inflation.
2. Employer reimbursement
Check with your employer to see if your workplace has an adoption benefit. Visit Adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org for a listing of the top employers, and to learn how to propose this benefit to your employer. The Adoption-Friendly Workplace program offers information and tools to help you establish an adoption benefits policy for your employees or propose one to your employer.
To contact someone from Adoption-Friendly Workplace, e-mail info@adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org or call 1.877.777.4222.
3. Gifts from friends and family
Let friends and family know of your decision to adopt and ask for their support. Write letters asking for donations, hold garage sales, host fundraisers…the sky is the limit!
“To raise money [for the adoption process], we had three very big rummage sales, a silent auction, raffle and dinner, and a lot of help from our church, family, and friends,” says Camille, an adoptive mother of five. “When our church heard about our plans, an adoption fund was started and we were the first family to receive money from it. You can’t ask for much more than that—people who love you so much that they help you bring your children home.”
Gaylan and Roberta, another couple who adopted through AAI, also used this method with much success.
Gaylan and Roberta decided to move ahead with their plans to adopt through AAI’s Russia program, believing that God was calling them to step out in faith, they were also a little scared because they knew they couldn’t cover the full amount.
“We wrote an initial letter announcing that we were adopting, sharing our hearts and our need for additional funds,” says Roberta. They sent this letter to family members, fellow church members, friends, and neighbors asking for contributions to be given to AAI or to them directly. They also used Christian Advocates for Adoption so that those who wanted a tax deduction could receive one. The money soon began to come in.
4. State tax credits
Many states also offer tax credits. Visit your state’s web site or contact your tax advisor to find out if a state tax credit may be available to you.
5. Grants and loans
Visit our adoption funding web page for a listing of AAI- and adoptive family-recommended options. Some examples include A Child’s Desire, a program offering grants to parents adopting hard-to-place children, children with special needs, and children over the age of eight; Global Orphan Outreach, a program helping adoptive families find and apply for adoption grants; Helpusadopt.org, a national non-profit, 501(c)3 financial assistance grant program that provides qualified couples and individuals with grants up to $15,000 toward adoption; and His Kids Too!, a 501(c)3 charity designed so family and friends can assist a couple with adoption costs. More programs include Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries, an organization that determines grant amounts based on the adoptive child’s needs and financial situation of the family; Lifesong for Orphans, a program that offers matching grants; Our Creator’s Hope, Inc., a non-profit organization that awards financial grants from $1,000 to $10,000 to qualified families for domestic and international adoptions; and Shaohannah’s Hope, an organization that awards grants to families already in the process of adopting.
More information
While just some of the ways to fund adoption are listed here, many more can be found on AAI’s adoption funding web page. Find out just how affordable adoption can be!
