Financing Adoption

Resources That Make Adoption Affordable

The adoption process can bring an immense amount of joy, but depending on the program, it can also be expensive. While the majority of costs are covered for those who adopt from MN foster care, families who chose to adopt through U.S. infant or international adoption are faced with a variety of adoption fees. Families from all economic situations can adopt by tapping into a variety of resources and strategies.

Your Adoption Finance Coach

Your Adoption Finance Coach services are free for our families, services include budgeting tips, training,  funding application templates, individualized financial plans, finance boot camp and more! As a client of CH/LSS you may also consult one-on-one with an adoption finance coach to discuss your individual circumstances.

Access Your Adoption Finance Coach

You can learn more about Your Adoption Finance Coach (YAFC) by visiting the portal. Once you’ve logged into the portal, you will gain access to the many resources made available through this service. Current client families: please email us if you’d like to create a login for immediate access to the Your Adoption Finance Coach portal resources.

Adoption Support Fund

Through private donations, Children’s Home offers the Adoption Support Fund to individuals using our services. For adoption grants, priority is given to families that are adopting relatives, sibling groups, school-age children, and children of all ages with identified needs.  Applicants must be Children’s Home or LSS clients and must be matched to a child(ren) at the time of application, those pursuing a relative/identified adoption may apply any time.

Applicants are evaluated based on financial criteria including need, commitment to funding the adoption, income, expenses, assets, and debts. Grants range from $25 – $10,000.

Please contact us for an Adoption Support Fund application.

Brittany’s Hope

Children’s Home is proud to be an affiliate of Brittany’s Hope, which offers financial grants to individuals who are adopting a child with identified needs, an older child, or a sibling group. The household income threshold for this grant is $125,000. However, depending on your individual circumstances (i.e. number of children, lost income, medical bills) this threshold may allow for a greater income. To learn more about the BH Seedling Gift program or obtain an application, contact Sue Orban.

Assistance, Grants, Loans & More

There are a number of organizations that provide financial aid and grants to adoptive families. We at CH/LSS do not recommend any particular organization, nor is this an exhaustive list. Please check with each organization prior to submitting an application.

Employee Benefits

Many employers offer adoption benefits and others might be willing to consider ways to become more adoption-friendly workplaces. Speak with your HR department about whether or not your employer offers adoption benefits. If they do—then be sure to utilize them! If they don’t, The Dave Thomas Foundation provides Adoption-Friendly Workplace kits that will help your employer find ways to become more adoption-friendly.

Educational Resources for Funding Adoption

Debt-free Adoption Webinar | Julie Gumm, Adoptive Mother, and Author, Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption, talks about strategies you can use to adopt a child debt-free.

How to Afford Adoption | For Creating a Family with Dawn Davenport, Dawn interviews the director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the founder of affordingadoption.com. Topics include grants, loans, tax credits, employee benefits, and fundraising for adoption.

Resources4Adoption | A one-stop resource for grants, loans, and advice about funding your adoption.

Adoption Fundraising Infographic| Find ten resources, fun activities, and fundraising campaigns that will help offset the cost of adoption.