Hello there, friend, and welcome back. I am so glad you decided to join us.  Today we are wrapping up part 3 of a 3 part series focused on funding your adoption without debt.  In our first post, we talked all about Savings, you can check it out here. In our second post, we talked about fundraisers, you can check it out here. And in this blog post, we will talk about adoption grants.  And we are lucky enough to have Becky Fawcett with Help Us Adopt.org joining us to speak to us from the perspective of an organization that awards grants. In addition, she is going to share some tips on what to keep in mind as you are writing your grant applications. 

Adoption grants are one of the least used tactics to pay for your adoption. Yet, they can be beneficial to your over adoption funding goal. Still, you must research the organization to ensure that you are mutually a good fit and fit the criteria.  

And as with every idea I have shared with you in this series, grants might not be something you are open to, and that is ok. But as with most things in life, I am going to encourage you to do your research and think about it before diving into it.  And because you know I always have your back, I have done a ton of research to help you get jumpstarted on your grant journey.  

Inside the My Adoption Coach Facebook group, which you know is always free,  I have a massive list of grants and some of their standard application criteria, deadlines, and any information that I could find on their awards.  

And after having researched these 52 grants that total $368K, I got super curious about what makes an excellent grant-giving organization and what makes a good grant application.  That is what brought me to Becky and Help Us Adopt.org. Becky is so transparent about everything in social media, so I thought she would be a great resource to teach us all about adoption grants, so let’s listen to my conversation with Becky at the link above.

Let’s take a deep dive into all things adoption grants to help make this an even better resource for you.  First, let’s talk about the different types of adoption grants, and then we will focus on my top tips for having a successful adoption grant application.

Types of Adoption Grants

There are three adoption grants:

1. Fundraising Grants

2. Direct Grants

3. Matching Grants

• Fundraising Grants: There are two subcategories within fundraising grants.  One is crowdfunding, and the other requires you to work with an organization on a project.

  • Fundraising Adoption Grants/Crowdsourcing involves working with a partner organization like Go Fund Me to set up a way that people can donate to your fundraising efforts.  They have a great article explaining adoption fundraising and grants from their point of view: https://www.gofundme.com/c/blog/adoption-financial-assistance.

 

• Fundraising Adoption Grants/Projects: this involves working with an organization that has you do a project for the adoption fundraiser grant.  People donate their time and money toward the project and the grant.  Both Hands is an excellent example of this type of adoption fundraising grant https://bothhands.org/

 

• Direct Grants: this type of adoption grant involves getting funds directly paid to the service provider for the adoption expense. 

 

• Matching Grants: this type of adoption grant involves getting your funds matched.  So if you have raised $10,000 for your adoption, the organization will match (maybe not dollar for dollar) your adoption costs as well. 

Now that you have a basic understanding of the types of adoption grants available. let’s break down the top tips from my conversation with Becky about adoption grants.

3 Tips For A Successful Adoption Grant Application

1. Find the right organization to partner with for your adoption grant

2. Ensure you complete the requested information accurately

3. Be unique, share your unique story of why you are adopting a baby and why you are an excellent fit for this adoption grant

Find the Right Adoption Grant Organization For Your Family

Many adoption grant organizations have specific requirements on who they serve or eligible to receive the adoption grant from their organization.  This typically includes race, gender, marital status, religion, but the list can go on and on.  Some organizations also cater towards a specific type of adoption: special needs, international, domestic, etc.  While you may be tempted to apply for everything, I would highly suggest you don’t waste your time or theirs.  You must be only applying for organizations that are the right fit for your family.  

Complete Your Adoption Grant Application Accurately

Becky from HelpUsAdopt.org shared with us that she receives many applications that have inaccurate or incomplete information.  And when the information is incomplete or inaccurate, they will reach out to the applicant for clarifying information.  This slows down the process considerably for all parties.  I would venture a guess to say not all adoption grant organizations will have the time or resources to reach out to every family regarding their application, so if your information is incomplete or inaccurate, you will not be successful in your endeavors.  

Tell Your Unique Story In A Compelling Way

Since many of these organizations receive so many adoption grant applications daily, you must stand out from the crowd.  The best way to do this is to tell your unique story in a compelling way to the organization.  You want to be memorable for all the right reasons to make it from the application to award status with an adoption grant organization.  To do this, it is important that you talk about much more than just why you are adopting and the backstory that led you to this application, but also talk about what impact this grant will have on your adoption journey.

Additionally, most adoption grant organizations want to see that you have been working hard to fundraise, save, etc. and that this grant is not the only thing that you are relying on to fund your adoption.  They want to see that you are putting in the work and not just looking for a check.  Also, you must be asking for what you need and not what would be “nice.” Because there are always more requests than the available funds, many adoption grant organizations are looking to make the most impact based on the most urgent need.  It is important to note that not all urgent needs are not always defined by the dollar left to raise to complete their adoption budget but instead, it could also be the deadline by which the award versus the adoption opportunity timing.  

It is totally possible to be successful with adoption grants as long as you have the right mindset and a backup plan.  Because you just never know if you are successful with the adoption grant application, you will still need the funds, so I hope you consider all the strategies for funding your adoption that we have talked about throughout this 3-Part series.  And if you want to read the other two parts you can find them here: Savings and Fundraisers

Well, there you have it; folks from another industry expert, when it comes to writing grants, focus on the basics of completing your application completely, accurately, and don’t be afraid to share your story on why your family is unique.  Sounds a lot like the advice I give you guys about your adoption profile too.  Again a huge thank you to Becky and Help Us Adopt .org for everything she does for our community and to help enable families to bring home their children.

And don’t forget, if you are considering applying for grants, head on over to the My Adoption Coach Facebook group, and under the guides section, I have a huge list of grants for you there.  I have tried my best to research to save you time because that I just what I do, always 100% free, just my way of giving back and loving on you guys.

So as we wrap up our series on adopting without debt today, I just want to remind you to get clear on your goals, and I encourage you to write a plan with a few backup options to help you achieve your goals.

Remember, you can do this, and I have got your back!

Hi, I Am Amanda

I help women build their families through adoption by giving them the step by step guide to adopt a child and support them on their journey