Are you facing a financial hurdle on your adoption journey? Apply for a Gift of Adoption grant now. Grants of up to $15,000 are available to help complete your adoption. Gift of Adoption is the largest provider of adoption assistance grants without regard to marital status, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age.
For relatives who are adopting a legal relative (including fictive kinship) and need home improvements or modifications to become licensed to complete the adoption, Gift of Adoption may be able to help.
These grants can cover costs that are the responsibility of the adoptive family (not reimbursed or funded by state or federal subsidies) such as moving expenses, home safety improvements/modifications, or vehicle accessibility expenses where these are the only obstacle to overcome to pass home inspections to become licensed to adopt the relative from foster care.
Expenses that May be Covered:
- Relocation expenses (moving expenses/deposit)
- Home/vehicle improvements
- Specific Items identified by the family’s case worker as required to pass home study/licensing and confirmed to the only things preventing the adoption from being completed. These may include but are not limited to pool fences, mold/radon mitigation, pest control, added window, etc.
Resources:
- Generations United
- National Council For Adoption (NCFA)
- Child Welfare Information Gateway
- Families Rising
Want to hear more about our new grant programs? Listen to the two podcasts below for in depth conversations about each with Gift of Adoption’s Shaneetra Gross and Brian Murphy.
The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast with Marcy Bursac
The Adoption Roadmap Podcast with Rebecca Gruenspan and RG Adoption Consulting
Additional Questions?
How it Works
Adoption Assistance Grant Application Process
Step One: Fill out the form to the left to request access to the online and downloadable Adoption Assistance Grant Application and then complete and sign it.
Step Two: Submit each of the following items to Gift of Adoption:
- Completed and signed adoption assistance grant application packet
- Copy of your most recent income tax return
- Copy of recent (two months) check stubs for all reported income earners. Please note if you are self-employed you must provide the last two months of your business/personal bank account statements to show proof of income.
- Copy of your approved and current home study* [Note: If your state laws prevent your home study from being released to you or a third party (e.g. Colorado), you must provide a statement signed by your agency confirming that you have a successful home study on file and that you have been approved to adopt the child with whom you are matched.] *If a home study is not required for your adoption (relative/kinship adoption) or if you are pursuing a domestic adoption of a specific child over the age of one (typically a former foster child or a subsequent adoption), you may still apply without a home study. Click here for more information.
- Two (2) letters of reference – most applicants will make copies of the letters of reference that were used to obtain their home study.
- $50 Application Fee (payable via credit card for online applications or by check or money order if printing/mailing your application)
The non-refundable processing fee of $50 is a one-time application fee required to process your adoption assistance grant application; it entitles you to submit your case for review up to three times (qualification requirements apply for all three submissions).
Step Three: Submit your online application.
Every effort will be made to present your application to the committee at the time most favorable for your particular situation. However, this may not be the month in which your application is received.
Generally, factors impacting when your application is reviewed include:
- The status of your child referral or birthmother match
- Estimated travel and placement timeframe
- Extent of remaining need
Other factors not noted here may also impact when your application is reviewed. You will be notified via email when your application will be presented to the committee and, at that time, be asked to provide any needed updates.
Ready to Begin?
Fill out the form below to get started and access the adoption assistance grant application:
If you are using a mobile device and the “Submit” button does not appear above, please click this link and complete the form: https://www.cognitoforms.com/GiftOfAdoption1/GrantApplicationRequest