You may feel like God is leading you to adopt but at the same time wonder how you’re going to pay for it. The cost can be intimidating, but there are various ways the average couple can afford to adopt.
Read on for information about average adoption costs, what fees typically cover, and some suggestions to raise funds for your adoption.
How Much Does an Adoption Cost?
In 2020, the average cost to adopt a baby through an adoption agency in the United States was approximately $20,000 to $45,000. Of course, this will vary depending on the cost of the professional services you use to help bring your sweet child home. Adoption costs typically encompass a variety of services and fees, including:
- Home study expenses
- Legal fees
- Medical and living expenses for the birth mother
- Adoption profile guidance
- Counseling
- Match facilitation
- Travel-related costs
But don’t let the cost of adoption discourage you. As you pray, ask God to lead you to raise the funds you need for the adoption. Then, as you step out in faith, trust that He will be by your side as you use these inventive ways to raise the money to afford to adopt.
Adoption Grants
You may want to apply for a grant to help offset some of the adoption costs. Keep in mind that many grants are only given to adoptive couples who have completed their home study. In addition, the organization offering the grant may require you to pursue a particular type of adoption to use their grant. Here is a list of grants you can look into:
Show Hope
Steven Curtis Chapman, a well-known Christian singer and songwriter, started this organization devoted to helping with the ministry and adoption of orphans around the world.
A Child Waits Foundation
This organization provides grants for couples to adopt either domestically or internationally. Grants awards vary, with a maximum grant award of $10,000.
God’s Grace Adoption Ministry
This organization offers adoption funds to families that meet income guidelines.
CMomA Gifting Program
This program gives away five grants of $5,000 per year. To be eligible, you must be a new parent adopting an older child between the ages of 2 to 17 or adopting a special needs child of any age. These adoptions can be domestic or international.
Crowdfunding
Many hopeful adoptive parents raise money for their adoption using crowdfunding. It’s basically a large gathering of people giving money towards a project.
You choose the crowdfunding site you want to use and then set up your page with information about your adoption. Because crowdfunding sites work with social media websites, it’s easy to let your friends and family know about your adoption fundraiser. Then people can go on the site to donate.
Here are three online crowdfunding sites to consider:
AdoptionBridge was created to help hopeful parents raise funds for their adoption. This organization promises that 97% of all donations will go towards your adoption, with the last 3% taken to offset their credit card processing fees. Additionally, this site promises to make adoption fundraising easy.
GoFundMe has an adoption fundraiser page created especially for adoptive parents. You simply set up your site telling your adoption story, then share the site with your friends and family. This site is user-friendly and collects online donations in real-time. It’s free to launch your site, but there is a payment processing fee. Generally though, for every $100 donated, you receive approximately $97.80.
Adopt Together is a non-profit crowdfunding platform that helps adoptive families raise funds for their adoption costs. You must fill out a profile and upload your adoption home study to AdoptTogether. Once they verify that you’re prospective adoptive parents, they will put your profile on their site so your family and friends can donate money. It’s free to create a profile on this site, but they charge a 5% fee per transaction from all donations. This money covers the credit card transaction fees.
You Can Afford to Adopt
Christians seeking adoption answer a higher call to provide a safe, loving home for one of God’s children. But even if you are sure that adoption is the right path for you, could the costs keep you from realizing your dream? What if the price of adoption is not in your budget?
Fortunately, there is help for Christians who wish to adopt but fear their budget will hold them back. Adoption grants, loans, and fundraising can relieve much of the financial burden.
As the Vice President (VP) of Lifetime Adoption, Heather Featherston holds an MBA and is passionate about working with those facing adoption, pregnancy, and parenting issues. Heather has conducted training for birth parent advocates, spoken to professional groups, and has appeared on television and radio to discuss the multiple aspects of adoption. She has provided one-on-one support to women and hopeful adoptive parents working through adoption decisions.
Since 2002, she has been helping pregnant women and others in crisis to learn more about adoption. Heather also trains and speaks nationwide to pregnancy clinics to effectively meet the needs of women who want to explore adoption for their child. Today, she continues to address the concerns women have about adoption and supports the needs of women who choose adoption for their child.
As a published author of the book Called to Adoption, Featherston loves to see God’s hand at work every day as she helps children and families come together through adoption.
