Show Notes
Episode 16
In this Episode Heather discusses:
Links Mentioned:
fortheloveofadoption.com
https://fortheloveofadoption.com/product/raising-funds-for-adoption-guide-freebie/
https://showhope.org/our-work/adoption-aid/
https://giftofadoption.org/
https://www.helpusadopt.org/
https://www.achildwaits.org/
https://www.jscfoundation.org/
Adoption. It's surrounded with so much confusion and misinformation. And how many people never move forward with adoption because of this? Hi, I'm Heather. I'm not an adoption coach or consultant, and I'm not with an adoption agency. I'm a mom to two amazing kids I've been blessed with through adoption. And on this journey, I've learned and continue to learn a lot. Most of all, I believe that if God has put adoption on your heart, it's there for a reason. And you shouldn't let all the steps keep you from building your family through adoption. I'm here to offer you hope and encouragement, and to talk about everything from types of adoption, things to know before you adopt, funding your adoption, including grants, the home study process, making the most of your adoption wait, talking to your kids about adoption, and so much more. Adoption can be hard, but many of the best things in life often are. You know what, though? It can also be amazing. I'm here to share what I've learned. I hope hearing from someone that has gone this road before you encourages and motivates you to take a step of faith and see where it leads. I'm doing this all for the love of adoption. Let's dive in.
Hello, friends. Welcome to Episode 16 of the for the love of adoption show. So last week, I talked about different fundraising ideas for your adoption. So I decided that this week, I would dive into five specific adoption grants that you might want to take a look at. Now, you may want to grab pen and paper so you can take some notes as I go over these. But I will also put the links to these in the show notes. If you've been around for a minute, you know that I talk about adoption grants a lot. And the reason is because it was the difference in us being able to adopt. It made such a huge impact in us raising our funds for our adoptions. It was the majority of how we raised the money for our adoptions.
So, when it comes to the cost of adoption, most of us could use a little, or a lot, of financial help and adoption grants can help make your adoption dreams a reality, they definitely made a huge difference for us. So, I'm going to talk about five different adoption grants today. And if this list isn't enough, it's okay. I have more referenced on my site more in my Funding Adoption Guide that you can find. But this should be a good start for you. Some of the grants I discovered after we adopted, I wish I'd known about them from the beginning. But I'm happy that I found them, and I can share them with you. Remember, before we dive in, please keep in mind that organizations that offer grants have limited funds. Not everyone who applies for grants will receive one. Even if you don't receive it don't get discouraged. There are other grants to apply for. We didn't get every single one we applied for. And if you are going to apply for grants, take your time and do exactly directed by the grant organization. Failing to complete the application in the way they ask or leaving out requested documents and information can disqualify you altogether. And they'll move on to someone that has filled out the application correctly. But I promise it's not that hard.
I successfully applied for and received a few. Well, I applied for more than we received. But we successfully received a few and that contributed 1000s of dollars toward our adoptions. And if I can do it, so can you. It's important to note that most organizations that offer grants require that you have a completed and approved home study before applying for financial assistance. Now that shouldn't keep you from going ahead and learning about these different grants if you're not there yet, because you want to have this information ready to go when you're at that stage. I started researching grants well before we were at that point, and it helped tremendously once we were ready to apply. If you do receive a grant, the funds are typically payable to the recipients licensed adoption agency or lawyer for any outstanding or future expenses. Many times the funds will just be sent directly to the agency.
Okay, so let's dive in to some specific grants. Show Hope. Show Hope is near and dear to my heart. The founder of this grant, Steven Curtis Chapman is the reason I became so interested in adoption because after attending one of his concerts where he highlighted adoption, I just knew that was how we were going to build our family. As of the date of this recording, the current adoption aid grant application deadline is March 31 2022. But if you're listening after that, it's okay. Just go to their site and see what the current adoption aid grant application deadline is so you'll know. Some of the things to know about Show Hope. According to their site the applications completed after you've successfully submitted your application and all references and documents are submitted. And your application date is the date you complete the application and submit it to Show Hope. If a portion of your application or references aren't complete, you'll be moved to the next deadline. So that's why I'm saying really double check what you're filling out and make sure that you're doing it as they're requesting. You'll receive notification of the outcome of your application by mail. And last I checked; they said the processing could take a minimum of 90 days after the application deadline. Also, last I checked; the Show Hope Grant average was around $5,000. I can still remember getting that letter in the mail saying we were selected for a grant from Show Hope and it was such an awesome moment. And just a great demonstration of God's provision in our choice to follow his calling to adopt. Show Hope realizes that one of the primary barriers standing between waiting children and families is the cost associated with adoption. They're passionate about breaking that barrier down and helping children come home. They've helped more than 7900 kids come home to their forever families, so I would absolutely recommend checking them out.
The second one I want to talk about is Gift of Adoption. Gift of Adoption is another grant that worked out really well for us. According to their site, they're the largest provider of adoption grants awarded without regard to race, religion, age, marital status, or sexual orientation. Grants of up to $15,000 are awarded monthly to qualified applicants to remove the financial barriers and make adoption possible. There is no application deadline, so families are invited to apply anytime after completing their home study but before adoption, finalization. Also they help with domestic and international. With gift of adoption, they do have some priorities for domestic adoption. The priority is to award grants that help keep children who are at risk of entering the foster care system from entering the foster care system. They also want to unite biological siblings or prevent them from being separated. And for international adoption, the priority is to award grants that unite or preserve biological siblings, prevent a child from aging out of the orphanage system, prevent special needs children from becoming institutionalized, and facilitate the placement of a child with a life threatening medical condition who will not receive proper care until adopted. You can check out more information on their site. Again, it's Gift of Adoption, and you'll find the link in the show notes.
Look, I absolutely understand how intimidating the cost of adoption can be. When we first started considering adoption, the cost is what almost made us turn away. But I knew that I had to figure this out. I had to find a way for us to be able to make this happen. So I spent so much time, years, figuring out how we could fund our adoption. I do not want you to have to spend that much precious time getting this one aspect of adoption figured out. So out of all of that research I did, I have created a funding adoption guide. It is over 20 pages long. It includes fundraising ideas, recommended adoption grants, loan options, budgeting resources and more. And just to give you a little feedback from others, Sherry said raising funds for adoption by Heather is an easy-to-read practical guide for those who have a heart for adoption, but may be hesitant to move forward due to lack of finances. This is a must read for those desiring to turn their dream of adopting a child and becoming parents into a reality. Information that took a few years to glean all laid out in this one resource. It will truly give you a jumpstart in your own adoptive journey. Tammy said the information contained in this book is invaluable. There are so many different ways to raise funds and grants that are available. The author has shared these because of her passion for adoption. And then finally Dawn said she used to work for an adoption agency and that this is such a needed topic. It was so heartbreaking to see people not be able to adopt because of the cost. So look, guys, I get it. The cost can be extremely expensive and intimidating. And it can be what keeps you from moving forward. Do not let that be what keeps you from moving forward. This guide will help you get moving if funding adoption is what's holding you back. To check it out, go to fortheloveofadoption.com and then "Shop" at the top of the page and then look for the Raising Funds for Adoption Guide. I'm here to support you in your adoption journey. And I know that cost is a big aspect of that for so many. So, I'm excited to hear how this helps you.
The next one I want to talk about is Help Us Adopt. Help Us Adopt is a national 501 C financial grant program that helps couples individuals regardless of ethnicity, gender, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation with the cost of their adoptions and, they award grants up to $20,000. They support domestic, International and foster care adoptions and they don't charge the applicants to apply. According to their site, since 2007 they've awarded 478 adoption grants totaling over $4 million.
Number four, A Child Waits Foundation. They offer adoption grants and adoption loans for international and domestic adoption. They're accepting applications right now for 2022. As of the time of this recording, their programs are active, their processes ongoing, and families are welcome to apply at any time throughout the year and at any stage of their adoption after they've completed their home study. On their site. It says that they've helped 2,050 families to adopt more than 2,600 children. Their mission is to promote the international and domestic adoption of children who are currently living without the love and security of a permanent family, and to support domestic adoption of babies by offering grants and loans to help with the cost of adoption. You can find more information about them on their site. But it does say that COVID has had a negative impact on both international and domestic adoptions. But they are helping people still during this time complete their adoptions.
The fifth one I want to talk about today is the JSC Foundation. They have a few application deadlines, January 31st, April 30, July 31, and October 31, so four times a year. So that's pretty great. Depending on when you are ready to apply, you can go for the next deadline, a few things on them, the maximum gross income shouldn't be more than 120,000 to apply for their grant. And they will only let you apply for one adoption at a time unless the adoption is a sibling adoption. And they accept applications from married couples only. There's other guidelines that you can find on their site. But I'll also link that in the show notes.
So again, these are just five adoption grants. There's more, but these are absolutely worth checking out. Last I looked these up, they were all active and running. And again, there is Show Hope, Gift of Adoption, Help us Adopt, A Child Waits Foundation and the JSC foundation. I really think you'll find that if you are in a financial need with your adoption and you apply for adoption grants, it's going to be worthwhile. Will you get every single one you apply for? Probably not. Will you get enough to make it worth it? Most likely. So I'd definitely suggest that you check these out. If you really want to dive into more adoption grants and more ideas to raise money for your adoption, I mentioned this before, you can check out my Funding Adoption guide on my site. I wish I had had that when we were going through the adoption process. It would have saved me years, literally, of trying to figure out how the heck we were going to get our money together. If I just had that it would have saved me so much time and energy, I cannot tell you. And I can tell you it will be one of the best $20 investment you'll make in your adoption journey if funding or adoption is an issue for you. So I hope this has been helpful. I know that you can do this. Go ahead and do your research and you're going to find more financial resources than you ever thought possible.
Thanks so much for listening in today. And did you know that I offer a full library of free resources to help you along on your adoption journey. Just go to fortheloveofadoption.com and scroll to the bottom of the homepage, you will be able to access all kinds of PDFs there to help you along different stages of your adoption journey. And if you've enjoyed this at all, if you could please leave me a review and rating it helps more than you know. Talk to you next time.
