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ADOPTION 101

For resources on ethical considerations of adoption, VISIT from the Archibald Project.

Financial Assistance

Amount: Varies Requirements: Affiliate agency, special needs children only, international adoption

  • Amount: Grants up to $8,000 (for international adoptions)
  • Requirements: Must be using a 501c3 agency, adopting internationally, must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen, agency recommendation form
  • Due Dates: 3-4 months prior to adoption trip
  • Amount: $1,000 – $15,000 (avg. award of $6,400)
  • Requirements: Approved home study from a Hague accredited agency (if international) or positively rated by the BBB (if domestic), must be a U.S. citizen. Additional requirements found on website
    • Amount: $1,000 – $30,000
    • Requirements: Approved home study, priority to couples without children, at least one applicant must be a U.S. citizen
    • Due Dates: January 3, March 7, May 2, July 4, September 5, November 7
    • Amount : $3,000
    • Requirements : Interview, complete home study, Christian, married
    • Due Dates : Within 45 days of placement of child for domestic adoption; 90 days before final travel for international adoption
    • Amount: Matching grant from $1,000 to $4,000
    • Requirements: Christian, demonstrate financial need, complete home study, domestic and international adoptions
    • Amount: Matching grant varies based on resources
    • Requirements: Families or singles who have a completed home study, have an agreement with a 501c3 licensed adoption agency, and are pre-placement
    • Amount: $500 to $4,000
    • Requirements: Must live in the state of Georgia, home study must be complete with a favorable recommendation from a licensed 501(c)(3) adoption agency, must be utilizing a non-profit adoption agency
    • Due Dates: First of every other month – January, March, May, July, September, and November
    • Amount: Varies, average of $8,000 to $12,000
    • Requirements: Christian, must be using a 501c3 agency, complete home study
    • Due Dates: March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31
    • Amount: Varies (average is $6,000 to $8,000), interest-free loan
    • Requirements: Christian faith, complete home study
    • Amount: Varies, up to $50,000, low-interest loan
    • Requirements: Christian faith
    • Amount: Varies, low-interest loan
    • Requirements: Completing an international adoption, complete home study, yearly household income below $150,000 Due Dates: 4 months prior to final adoption trip
    • Amount: Interest-free loan
    • Requirements: Detailed application, complete homestudy
  • Serving widows, orphans, and adoptive families, this organization helps people raise funds for orphans while serving widows through home improvement projects. See their website for more information.
  • Employers Assistance
  • Some employers have adoption assistance in their benefit packages. Ask your employer if they can help with adoption expenses, or call Adoption and the Workplace at the National Adoption Center at 800.862.3678 to find out how to request this help from your employer.
  • Fundraising
  • Collect donations from your family, friends, and church, make and sell a craft, hold a large garage sale, re-think your standard of living, and pray.
  • Military Subsidy
  • Active military personnel may be eligible for a one-time $2,000 subsidy per child for adoption, with a maximum of $5,000 per calendar year. The adoption must be completed.
  • The Federal Adoption Tax Credit of up to $17,280 is available to assist with qualifying adoption expenses. The adoption credit is an amount that you subtract from your tax liability. Families with significantly higher Adjusted Gross Incomes may receive smaller credits.

FAQ

Foster Care: The goal of foster care is almost always reunification, but when a judge has deemed that to not be in the best interest of the child, adoption is often the best path to permanency for a child. Once the birthparents’ rights have been terminated by the state, the child becomes legally available to adopt. Typically children available for adoption through foster care are older, have more significant behavioral or medical needs, or are part of a sibling group. You can view children who are currently waiting for an adoptive family at https://itsmyturnnow.dhs.ga.gov/WebForms/Home.aspx

Domestic infant adoptions: Adopting a baby in the US is possible using either an adoption agency or an adoption attorney. In most infant adoptions in the US, the expectant mother (or couple) chooses the adoptive parent or couple for her child. This process involves the voluntary relinquishment of custody by the biological parents, the selection of adoptive parents, and the finalization of the adoption through the state court system. There are a few general distinctions between agencies and attorneys, though each is different.
  • In a typical independent adoption utilizing an attorney, the prospective parents take an active role in finding a birthmother, usually by networking or advertising. Conversely, the role of matching is typically one that agencies manage between expectant mothers and prospective adoptive parents.
  • Many adoption agencies provide counseling to the expectant woman and the father throughout the pregnancy and after the adoption. Few adoption lawyers provide counseling as part of their service, though some may refer the expectant mother to a counselor and bill the adoptive parents.
  • Typically adoption attorneys do not provide post-adoption to support to birth parents or adoptive parents, while many adoption agencies offer resources to both.

International adoptions: Adoptions that take place between two different countries are considered international adoptions, one sending country and one receiving country. This process has been common since the 1950s, though numbers of international adoptions are decreasing. Most international programs typically have older children or children with medical or behavioral needs waiting for adoption. All international adoptions require an accredited adoption agency. Each sending country has different requirements of the adoptive parents, including but not limited to age, marital status, length of marriage, number and age of children in the home, health of parents, and income.

There is a very wide range of adoption fees, largely associated with the particular requirements and services provided. In general, domestic infant adoptions through agencies and attorneys as well as international adoptions range from $25,000-$60,000. These expenses cover requirements such as home study, copies of required documents, mailing fees, legal fees, birth mother expenses, travel costs, education, and more. The good news is that there are MANY resources available to help families remove financial barriers to adoption. To learn more about, CFLM’s grant, click here.
Every adoption is different and every type of adoption is different. In general, about 60% of prospective adoptive parents match within the first year, though this does not mean that they receive placement of a baby or finalize adoption within this time frame. International adoption timelines vary widely due to the in-country processes.
Things to consider:
  • Size: A larger adoption agency might have more experience while a smaller agency might have a more personal touch. Whether small or large, you want an agency that is taking on a reasonable number of clients compared to the resources they have to share and the number of families that they can match. Reputable adoption agencies should be willing to share the number of matches and/or completed adoptions from the previous year.
  • Experience: You want an agency with experience but also agency representatives that can confidently and accurately answer your questions. Find out how long the agency has been working, but also how long staff members have been working in this field. A new caseworker isn’t inherently a problem if senior leadership is available to help.
  • Pre- and Post-Adoption Education and Services: The best adoption agencies want to do more than complete home studies and match families. They want adoptive families to thrive, so they provide services to support this. Check to see what pre- and post-adoption services the agency offers. Also, ask about pre-adoption education. While no one wants to have more boxes to check, the best agencies care deeply about equipping families to care well for the children that will be placed in their homes.
  • Humanitarian Aid- in terms of international adoption, look for an agency that supports humanitarian aid in the countries they maintain licenses to work. There are roughly 15-18 million double orphans (children who have lost both parents) worldwide. Approximately 3-9 million children live in institutions, orphanages or children’s homes globally, most of whom will never be adopted. Scrupulous agencies that are committed to orphan care will seek to serve the waiting children while also mitigating the conditions that lead to new orphans.
  • Birthmother Support: Good domestic agencies recognize that choosing to place a child for adoption is one of the most difficult decisions in a woman’s life. You want to look for an adoption agency that offers counseling services to the birth mother both before and after the adoption, ideally for as long as she needs or wants support.
  • Is the adoption agency a 501(c)(3) nonprofit?
  • In which states does the adoption agency operate?
  • How many families are currently waiting to adopt in the program?
  • How long are most families waiting to match and/or travel in the program?
  • What is the adoption agency’s policy and approach to financial assistance for expectant parents?
  • What resources are available to the expectant family pre- and post-adoption?
  • What financial protections are in place if a placement doesn’t happen?
  • What requirements does the agency have for prospective adoptive parents?
  • What trainings are offered and/or required?
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