Sometimes it is good to keep a secret, but great adoption grants should not be in that category. Everyone knows that adoption is a pricey endeavor. At the expense of ink, paper, and hand cramps, you can potentially be awarded some grant money to boost your adoption fund. Here are a few adoption grant agencies that I have uncovered that maybe you’ve never heard about. Some of these I have used, and others are ones that my friends have recommended. Either way, they should not be kept secret anymore.
Send Relief: The Adoption Fund for Ministers
The Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference started this fund in 2010 by designating its surplus offering funds to provide a series of adoption grants for Southern Baptist ministers and missionaries who wanted to adopt. Now a mission of the North American Mission Board (NAMB), which is the domestic ministry branch of the Southern Baptist Convention, Send Relief’s Adoption Fund for Ministers “exists to financially assist [Southern Baptist]…ministers, missionaries, or agency personnel [who are] in the adoption process. The vision is to help them bring their children home and ignite a culture of adoption in churches across the country.” The ministry recognizes that “God has called some to be foster parents, helping children through difficult life transitions; God has called some to adopt children, giving them a permanent family; and God has called some to help others adopt by supplying the financial means.” My husband is an SBC minister, and we received this grant with both of our adoptions! If you are a Southern Baptist minister or missionary, you should definitely apply for this grant.
God’s Grace Adoption Ministry
God’s Grace Adoption Ministry, Inc. (GGAM) was established in 1998. Its mission is to help orphaned children find forever homes with Christian, two-parent families. According to their website, GGAM offers matching adoption grants ranging from $1,000-$2,500 to help families meet adoption expenses. A matching grant is a commitment of funds that can be matched by the adoptive family via fundraising and/or donations. This one is new to me, but I just met someone whose family received a grant from GGAM, and they are very grateful. You are already fundraising, why not have some of those funds be doubled so you can be fully funded sooner?
The ministry of the Lydia Fund started when a couple adopted from Ukraine. After their adoption, their hearts were burdened to help others adopt, so they sought out other couples who shared the same passion, and the Lydia Fund was born. “LYDIA” is an acronym for Let Youths be Delivered from Institutions by Adoptions. Their mission statement is as follows: “The LYDIA Fund exists to glorify God by rescuing orphans, and this by encouraging and enabling Christian married couples to adopt children out of orphanages and similar institutions overseas by praying, by providing financial assistance, and by mobilizing God’s people to participate in this mission.” According to their website, in 2016, they gave around $42,000 in grants to almost 50 couples. I had not heard of this particular fund, but my friend received a grant from them and said that the LYDIA Fund was the most personal fund they had spoken to, and they really liked working with them. It may be small, but it couldn’t hurt to turn in an application if you meet the requirements.
4ever Families Foundation
Forever Families is a fairly new agency, but it has hit the ground running. Their mission is to provide financial assistance to Christian families who are adopting both domestically and internationally. Since they started in 2013, they have “awarded over $307,500 in grants to 226 families.” Although they may be a tiny agency, they’ve performed some mighty deeds. With those kinds of statistics, it really couldn’t hurt to apply if you qualify.
These are just four interesting adoption grants that you’ve never heard about. There are so many more out there. For more information on adoption grants, visit adoptiongrants.com.
Do you feel there is a hole in your heart that can only be filled by a child? We’ve helped complete 32,000+ adoptions. We would love to help you through your adoption journey. Visit Adoption.org or call 1-800-ADOPT-98.
