This is the second half of my list of adoption grant resources. See the previous post for the first half, and check out the "How to Fund an Adoption" category for more resources.

National Adoption Foundation- This grant program is open to all legal adoptions including public or private agency adoptions, international, special needs or adoptions facilitated by an attorney. There is no income requirement. There is a simple one page application and the only requirement to apply is a home study, or one in progress. The Foundation's board meets four times a year, during the last week of each quarter, to award grants in amounts ranging from... more

Here is the first half of the available grants and some basic information on them that I was able to find. When I could find a website, you can click on the name of the organization and it will take you to it. If there is no link, I was unable to find a website. I recommend that you search this list and make your own list of which grants you could possible qualify for, and then proceed from there. Good luck!

The Boatner Family Foundation- This foundation provides grants from $1,000 up to $10,000. They require an agency approval, a financial statement, and a formal application. Contact: The Boatner Foundation, P.O. Box 132272 , The Woodlands, Texas 77393-2272.

The... more

The phrase “beg, borrow and steal” is often used when someone is desperate for money. Well, I don’t advocate stealing, and begging doesn’t bring to mind a very nice mental picture, so for the purpose of funding an adoption, I think a better phrase is, “ask nicely, borrow and fundraise.”

For “ask nicely”, I will discuss adoption grants that are available (and who they are available for), gifts and donations. For “borrow”, I will discuss different loans that can help pay for an adoption, including home equity loans, no or low interest credit cards and adoption specific loans.... more

If you are new to the world of adoption or recently started researching/considering adoption as a way to expand your family, one of the first things you will realize if you haven’t already, is that adoption is expensive.

I remember about five years and a half years ago when I first started to research adoption. My husband and I had three biological sons and could not have any more children, and I desperately wanted more children, especially a daughter. I found a website about adoption, a light bulb went off in my head and things snowballed from there. (Insert laughter... more

I am always on the lookout for good resources for transracial families and I recently stumbled across another great resource to share with you.

The website is called iCelebrateDiversity.com and the website not only features an online shop with a variety of multicultural products such as home décor, stationary, books, apparel, etc. but what sets this site apart from other online stores, is that it also offers many resources for multiracial and multicultural families.

Every page on the site features the quote, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed... more

It is a bit exciting to me to see so much about racial issues in the media spotlight this week. Earlier this week I posted about a survey that was a headline on Yahoo News about the different experiences white and minority students were having in regards to their educations in the United States. (if you missed these posts you can read them here and here).

Today, MSNBC has a front page story on what it is like to be... more

On Mother’s Day weekend we were planning on going out to dinner and then to a movie. But poor Ben was sick (throwing up constantly sick) so a family outing was, well…. “out”.

So we decided to bring dinner home, and Josh bought us the newly released “Nanny McPhee” DVD. We had missed the movie while it was at theaters, so we were excited to watch it. I don’t usually “review” movies on my blog (Josh says that because I either love a movie or hate it and that I am not very objective)… but I think Nanny McPhee is a really fun family movie. I for one, am big on happy endings. It’s... more

Whether you are starting your first adoption or your tenth, you are sure to notice the importance that agencies, both homestudy agencies and placement agencies, are placing on adoption education and preparation.

As children adopted in the 70’s have grown into adults that can give feedback on what it is like to be adopted, social workers and other professionals have learned a lot about what is important to help a child, especially a transracially adopted child, thrive in an adoptive family and become a happy, confident adult.

One example of this is the importance of acknowledging,... more

Ok, this is pretty cool! On the Ethiopia Yahoo group, someone posted “50 Questions” to answer about the country you are adopting from. Apparently there is a state in Australia that says adoptive parents should be able to answer these questions about the country that they choose to adopt from.

I consider myself fairly educated about my children’s birth countries, but I admit that I cannot answer all of these. I think that even if we don’t live in Australia and don’t have to be able to answer these questions, that researching them would be a great way for prospective adoptive parents or parents who are already parenting a child from another country or of another culture to really learn... more

I always enjoy finding new adoption-related merchandise, and I recently heard about a new website called “Adopt Proud” that sells a variety of merchandise, all decorated with one proud, bold, word…”Adopt”. I have to say that I think it is a great idea. There are t-shirts, mugs, sweat shirts, baseball caps, bags, etc. in a variety of colors and styles and sizes. The clothes and products are designed to be “hip” and to get people talking about adoption.

From the AdoptProud website… "Adopt Proud was born out of a desire to spark conversation. To, through... more