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 $500 to $2,500.


Life International- This program gives “matching grants” to families who are receiving grants or fundraising through their church.

Feng LiLi- While it definitely sounds like a Chinese adoption support group, this is the only information I was able find: This organization meets quarterly to review grant applications.
Feng LiLi
180 Laural Ave.
Forest, IL 61145
(847) 482-0500

Ibsen Adoption Network- This is a Christian organization that provides grants in an average amount of $1,500. Families must live in Washington State and must be adopting a child that is “hard to place”, because of age, race, special needs, etc.

Promise the Children- Promise The Children awards grants to adoptive families as part of it's mission. Families must be with an agency/facilitator that is approved by PTC and must have their I-171H before they can send in their application and $15 processing fee.

China Care- China Care provides financial aid to families who qualify by adopting special needs or older children from China. This is in the form of a grant, a low-interest loan, or a combination of both. The amount awarded is based on family finances and need, although it usually falls in the $1,000 to $3,000 range.

A Child’s Desire- A Child’s Desire is a non-profit charity that provides grants for families seeking to adopt hard to place children, children with special needs and children over the age of eight.

Agency Grants- Many adoption agencies give grants (or reduce their fees) for special needs children, older children, sibling groups or children that are otherwise hard to place. Contact your agency and ask if they have such a program or if you are still choosing an agency you can look into WACAP, Holt International, Adoption Advocates International and many others.

Special Needs- There are many organizations out there that give grants for children with specific special needs. For example, there are groups that give money to help families adopting children with Downs Syndrome, HIV+ children, children with cleft lip and/or palate, etc. If you are interested or planning on adopting a child with a diagnosed special need, I recommend you go to Yahoo or Google and search for the special need+adoption+grant and see what information you can find.

Employer-Provided Adoption Grants-There are many companies that now offer their employees adoption benefits. Some companies offer grants in the range of $1,000 to $15,000, depending on the company. Other companies pay certain fees and others partially reimburse their employees for their adoption expenses. Ask your employer if they have any such benefits, and if they don’t’, you can check out this website for information on how to encourage your employer to offer adoption benefits.

Military Families- Military Families are entitled to up to $2,000 a year towards their adoptions. This website offers lots of information.

Helping Kids Cope- Provides grants for adoptive parents who have a completed and approved homestudy and have not received any government assistance for at least five years. The child being adopted can be of any age, gender or race.

Family and friends- While asking family and friends for money can be a difficult and delicate manner, many adoptive families have been pleasantly surprised to find out that many people DO want to help. Whether this is an option for you or not will depend a lot on your family and friends and their financial situations, but most people are more than willing to chip in even a little, and you would be surprised with how quickly even just $10 donations can add up.

There were quite a few grant sources that I found noted in many places, but the websites were disabled so I did not list them. Also, I am sure I have missed some, and if you have a grant source I should add, feel free to leave me a comment or email me at transracialadoptblog@adoptionmail.com