Affording Adoption

Overwhelming. Frustrating. Confusing.

That is what the cost of adoption can often be to a family considering it for the first (or second, or third!) time. Families that are able to comfortably afford to raise another child may find it seemingly impossible to financially afford to bring that child into their home and lives. Thankfully, there are some options to help.

First and foremost, we can trust that when God calls us to something He will provide a way to make it happen. We personally experienced this time and again during the adoptions of our three children. What an encouragement and confirmation that God truly intended for these kids to become our own!

Secondly, we learned during our last adoption attempt about the availability and blessing of adoption grants. The website we used lists a huge number of agencies, and it is truly a weeding out process. Some grants apply only to families adopting through specific agencies; others only apply to families adopting internationally; still others apply only to families adopting special needs children … and the list goes on. However, it is worthwhile to take the time to investigate and determine which grants might be available for your own situation!

Also, we received some excellent advice when applying for grants. It is very helpful to include a full-color letter with eye-catching photographs along with your application. In the letter, share your heart and the reasons behind your desire to adopt. Often this letter can set your application apart in a good way.

The website we used for researching grants is:

http://www.angelfire.com/journal/adoptionhelp/adopthelp.html#GRANTS

And another excellent grant organization can be found at:

http://www.op-star.org/

One final note. Many, if not all, of these agencies depend upon the generous gifts of individuals and corporations. Perhaps there are those who aren’t being led to adopt, but who may feel led to support the efforts of a certain grant agency or adoption agency. If so, there are definitely worthy organizations out there – Shaohannah’s Hope is one of the largest with a solid Christian foundation, but there are many others as well.

So, I hope this information will be helpful to someone. God bless!