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Financing Your Adoption

Our team of professional finance coaches can help you fund your adoption!

On This Page:

Families adopting through Holt receive professional finance coaching throughout their process!

Because we believe financial barriers should never stand between a child and a loving family.

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Need help funding your adoption? You’re not alone. Finances are among the biggest obstacles families face when considering adoption. And while many resources exist to help families afford to adopt, it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why we partner with a team of professional adoption finance coaches who are available to provide advice and guidance to every family adopting through Holt. This service is completely free of charge to all Holt families, and your coach will never try to upsell you on additional services.

When you connect with a finance coach, you can meet once or twice for advice and direction — or you can build a one-on-one partnership throughout your process. Your coach can help you:

  • Determine which grants you are eligible to apply for and provide expert, insider tips about how best to present yourself when you apply. (Example: Sometimes taking the extra step of attaching a letter to the application can help!)
  • Review your grant applications and make recommendations
  • Increase your odds of being awarded a grant by advocating on your behalf with grant organizations
  • Provide fundraising advice
  • Help identify other benefits you may qualify for such as the Adoption Tax Credit or employer assistance
  • Break down the total cost of adoption into more manageable, bite-sized pieces
Video still for How to Finance Your Adoption through Holt International's Adoption Finance Coach

To learn more about the Adoption Finance Coach service, check out this video!

couple sitting at home viewing virtual adoption financing webinar on their laptop

Have a question for Holt’s adoption finance coaches?

Even if you’re just considering adoption, email us to set up your first consultation today!

“I met (our Coach) shortly after signing our application for our second adoption. I just loved all the knowledge that Adoption Finance Coach shared with me. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities and allowed me to think outside the box. …

The team went above and beyond to help me succeed raising every penny.”

The Helm Family

Holt Adoption Grants

Holt offers a number of different grants to ensure finances never stand between a child and a loving family.


$500,000 in Adoption Grants Available

Through Holt’s partnership with the grant organization Gift of Adoption Fund, $500,000 in adoption grants are now available to Holt families! Applications are reviewed monthly and families may apply after they have an approved homestudy.


Holt’s Families Not Finances Grant Program

smiling adoptive parents holding son adopted from thailand and baby girl

Families Not Finances grants are available to help families afford to adopt! Grant amounts vary up to $10,000 based on a family’s demonstrated financial need.


The Special Needs Adoption Fund

Through the Special Needs Adoption Fund, Holt awards grants to families with a demonstrated financial need. In 2021, the average SNAF grant amount awarded was $3,408. Funds are not assigned to a specific child.


Additional Adoption Grant Resources

Here are just a few of the grant resources available to families who have begun their adoption journey. Please note: The information provided on these pages is for your information and consideration only and is not an endorsement of these organizations or companies. Please consult each organization’s website for the most current eligibility requirements and application deadlines.

Popular Picks

  • Show Hope
    Show Hope offers grants and fundraising opportunities to Christian adoptive couples and singles with an approved homestudy. Once a family has a finalized adoption for a child with a medical need, they may also apply for a Show Hope medical care grant that can be put toward the cost of medical care, including procedures, surgeries, hospital stays, rehabilitative physical or occupational therapy, etc.
  • Brittany’s Hope
    Brittany’s Hope provides bi-annual grant funds directly to agencies who then awards a portion of those funds to families who are matched with a waiting child. These adoption grants help lessen families’ fees and will be applied to the family’s expense account or sent directly to the family once received.
  • Lifesong
    Lifesong offers matching grants and encourages the adopting couple’s church family to financially and prayerfully support their adoption. The Lifesong Legacy Fund also offers interest-free loans to help families overcome the cost of adoption.
  • JSC Foundation
    JSC Foundation began as a private foundation in 2000 and awards adoption grants to Christian couples who have an approved homestudy.
  • ABBA Fund
    ABBA Fund provides interest-free loans and grants to assist Christian families in offsetting their adoption costs.

General

Disabilities & Special Needs

Religious

Infertility

State Specific

photo of baby walking to mother to show adoption fundraising ideas

Adoption Fundraising Organizations & Resources

We’ve put together a list of popular adoption fundraising organizations and articles about adoption fundraising to help you complete your adoption journey. 

We can help you explore these benefits

Here are additional resources available to help you fund your adoption! Learn more about adoption federal and state tax credits, employer assistance and military reimbursement at the links below. Have questions? Reach out to your adoption finance coach for help navigating these topics!

Federal Adoption Tax Credit

Families may be eligible for up to $14,080 in federal tax credit per child. Consult with a licensed tax preparer for more information.

State Tax Credits

Some states provide non-recurring adoption fee reimbursements. Contact a licensed tax preparer in your state for more information.

Employer Assistance

Your employer may offer employee adoption benefits. Visit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption for a list of adoption-friendly employers. 

U.S. Military Reimbursement

Military service members who adopt a child may be reimbursed for qualified adoption expenses up to $2,000 per adopted child per calendar year.

Stories About Financing Adoption

Start Your Journey in Adoption

Whether you are considering adoption or are ready to apply to adopt, we have many free ways for you to explore our programs or get started.

Get Adoption Finance Coaching

Even if you’re just considering adoption, email us to set up your first consultation today!

Adoption Info Meetings

Check out our free, virtual adoption information meetings open to families in all 50 states!

Apply Online

Ready to start your adoption journey? The first step is to create a Holt portal account, then submit an application. Click below to log in or create a new portal account. If you’re already in touch with Holt or have worked with Holt previously and do not have a portal login, email [email protected] to access your account!

Hear What Families Have to Say About Adopting Through Holt

Holt International is a Hague-accredited agency with adoption programs in these locations: