Many prospective adoptive parents are excited about the idea of adoption but are concerned that the process may be too complicated or expensive. The truth is there are many resources available. Several of the biggest ways that we were able to make the dream of adoption a reality was through grants, fundraising and no-interest loans.
I’ll break each down a little further below. I’ve also prepared a comprehensive listing of organizations that offer grants. You can access this list for free through my resource library by entering your email below.
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1. Adoption Grants
Adoption grants offer financial assistance to families to help offset expenses directly associated with the adoption process. A grant is a smart way to fund your adoption because they don’t have to be paid back. And, if there is a way to grow your family without adding debt, that seems like a wise financial decision!
Some organizations are very specific about the qualifications you must meet, while others are more open. Regardless of your situation, there is a very strong possibility that there are adoption grants available for you if you take the time to apply.
Grants will most likely require you to be working with a licensed agency. But even if you’re not there yet, it’s never too early to dig in and learn what may be available to you. To help get you started, I’ve compiled a list of grants to check into. Several of these including Show Hope and Gift of Adoption, are how we afforded adoption.
2. Adoption Fundraising
There are so many stories of couples raising a large portion of money for their adoption through fundraising. If you tell your friends and family that you are planning to adopt, you may be surprised by the outpouring of support you receive! In our case, we had some amazing friends offer to put on a dinner theater. We raised several thousand dollars from this one event!
It was incredible! Not only did it bring in much needed funds, it helped form an encouraging group of supporters around us that kept us going when things felt hard or the wait felt long.
Some other ideas include car washes, dinners, auctions, and T-shirt sales. These are just a few ways to afford adoption. Ask friends for their ideas and who knows what creative ways you may come up with!
One company that is really great to work with and offers free T-shirt design for prospective adoptive families is Bonfire. You can sign up here. Once you get signed just contact William at William@Bonfire.com. Let him know I referred you and he’ll get you started on a design! And, by using the above link, you’ll get an extra $1 profit per shirt up to $100.
Bonfire is located in Richmond, VA but since the shirts are shipped directly to your supporters, it’s OK if you live elsewhere.
Here’s just a few of the great designs they’ve made for other adoptive families.
3. Adoption Loans
If you are unable to secure all you need through grants and fundraising, there are some excellent adoption loan options available including both interest-free and low interest loans. Just like any loan, you’ll likely need to provide financial information, so they can be assured of your ability to repay.
Abba Fund is one excellent source for zero interest loans and one that we personally used. If you’re unable to secure a zero-interest loan, America’s Christian Credit Union as well as other financial organizations offer low interest adoption loans. Because these are offered at lower rates than most other loans or credit cards, they may be your best option if you must borrow funds to fund your adoption.
These are just a few ways to help fund adoption but they each helped us tremendously. You may decide to use these or other methods but rest assured, there are more options available to you than you may have realized. If adoption is on your heart, please know there are many resources available to help make it happen!
Here are some great books full of even more ideas on raising funds to adopt without debt!
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Kindle Version
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