FINANCIAL GRANTS/LOANS FOR ADOPTION
Shaohannah's Hope, the foundation established by award-winning Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman to care
for orphans, recently handed out its 1,000th grant to help families finish their adoptions. Shaohannah's Hope receives approximately 150 applications a month, with current funding capacity to award 30-40 adoption assistance grants with
an average amount of $3,000. This group also partnered with FamilyLife and Focus on the Family last year to create www.voiceoftheorphan.org and launched www.howtoadopt.org to help families learn more about reaching out to help children in need of families.
Brittany's HOPE
Phone: 1-800-BETHANY
Help in adopting internationally, older children and siblings.
Fertile Hope’s Sharing Hope Program JUST ADDED 4/22/2013
Phone: 855-220-7777
From LIVESTRONG is not free, but it does offer financial assistance for newly diagnosed young women facing
infertility due to cancer treatment so they can freeze their eggs or embryos. There are income caps for eligibility.
Access links to more information about the US Adoption Tax Credit to programs that provide grants and financial assistance for adoption.
HelpUsAdopt
P.O. Box 20435
New York City, NY 10021
Phone: 917-684-5484
Provides grants of up to $15,000 for domestic, international, foster or special needs adoption expenses.
Oxford Adoption
4309 Crayton Road new website address!
Naples FL 34103
Phone: 239-430-6240
Provides no-interest loans to people who want to adopt.
Life Song of Orphans (formerly Life International)
PO Box 402
202 N. Ford Street
Gridley, IL 61744
Phone: 309-747-3556
Matching grants and interest-free loans
A Child Waits
1136 Barker Road
Pittsfield MA 01201
Phone: 866-999-2445
Low-interest loans
ABBA Fund
PO Box 78800
Charlotte NC 28271-7042
Phone: 888-775-3422
National Council for Adoption
Phone: 888-628-7700
Affording Adoption
Phone: 877-905-2367
Gift of Adoption
P.O. Box 567
2001 Waukegan Road
Techny, IL 60082
National Embryo Donation Center
Offers families a chance to adopt embryos (actual children in a frozen state) waiting for
a home. Very inexpensive and a wonderful option!
NOTE: Under current tax law, the I.R.S. offers tax credits for qualified adoption expenses to help offset
the financial burden to adoptive families. Adoptive parents might be eligible to claim as much as $13,170
from the federal government. These tax credits are refundalbe--meaning you get the cash back (minus any
taxes owed) which can be a significant help in the overall cost.
NOTE: Many employers offer adoption benefits as part of their employee compensation program to help
cover a portion of your adoption expenses. Talk to your human resources department to determine if these
benefits are available to you.
NOTE: For a breakdown of the costs you can expect from all types of adoption, (and to learn about programs
that offer financial aid), visit www.adopting.org. Another alternative is to adopt a child who is in foster care.
Because there are so many children in the system, many states reduce or waive adoption fees. Federal and
state assistance programs can help futher. To learn more about foster-care adoption, visit www.childwelfare.gov.
OTHER SOURCES FOR HOME STUDIES & ADOPTIONS
Christian Family Services
Provides home studies for adoptions at a much lower cost than other agencies.
Lutheran Social Services of Michigan
21700 Northwestern Highway #1490
Southfield MI 48075
Phone: 248-423-2775
The largest provider of adoptions from the state foster care system.
Catholic Services of Macomb
15945 Canal
Clinton Twp., MI 48038
Phone: 586-416-2300
Offers a variety of services to both birth and adoptive families.
Wolverine Human Services
Adoption Services
20600 Eureka Road Suite 715
Taylor MI 48180
Offers home studies, adoptive parent recruitment and training, pre and post adoption services
and support for children and families involved in Michigan's child welfare system.
Servicing the greater Detroit area with offices in Wayne, Macomb and Genessee counties.
Oakland Family Services
Administrative Office:
114 Orchard Lake Road
Pontiac MI 48341
Phone: 248-858-7766 OR 877-742-8264
Specializes in the placements of children who are older and have special needs. Has offices in Berkley,
Walled Lake and Rochester Hills also!
POST-ADOPTION SERVICES
Orchards Children's Services See Catholic Services of Macomb above also!
30215 Southfield
Southfield MI 48076
Phone: 248-558-0440
AND
18100 Meyers
Detroit MI 48235
Phone: 313-340-0497
AND
42140 Van Dyke Ste. 206
Sterling Heights MI 48314
Phone: 586-997-0629
A new service from Orchard's Children's Services called PASS (Post-Adoption Support Services) that encourages networking among adoptive families, service providers, and other interested parties. Open to all families with children under 18 who have adopted from the state's welfare system. Offers crisis intervention, hosts monthly family activities,
bi-monthly networking meetings, and quarterly task force meetings.
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION
Adoptive Families
A national adoption magazine that provides information and additional resource links on transracial and various
other types of adoption.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway
Offers information on transracial and transcultural adoptions.
Pact, an Adoption Alliance
A resource for families who have adopted or are considering adopting a child of color.
The North American Council on Adoptable Children
An organization that provides information on adoption (primarily foster care) and adoption subsidies.
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
Find out about international adoption at:
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADOPTING A CHILD FROM FOSTER CARE
TIPS FOR ADOPTION SEARCHES
The cost of a search in Michigan is $250 plus a $20 application fee, which is a statutory fee created by the 1995
Michigan law that opened up new avenues to search adoption records.
Know which county handled your adoption: Even if the agency is closed, the records still exist. The family court
system in each county will have a record of adoption.
Here are ways to contact some agencies that handled adoptions and local court divisions:
Michigan Central Adoption Agency
Probate Courts
List of Closed Adoption Agencies
American Adoption Congress
National Council for Adoption
Michigan Department of Human Services Adoption Resources Page
Confidential Intermediary Program in Michigan
Oakland County Family Court/Adoptions
Phone: 248-858-0589
Macomb County Family Court Division
Phone: 586-469-5243
Macomb County Catholic Social Services
Phone: 596-416-2300
Wayne County Family Court Division
Phone: 313-833-1880
Wayne County Catholic Social Services
Phone: 313-883-7671
St. Francis/Catholic Social Services of Oakland County
Phone: 248-552-0750 ext. 222
Lutheran Adoption Service
Phone: 248-423-2770 ext. 1119
Jewish Family Service
Phone: 248-592-2345
Monthly Gathering of Adoption Agencies in Lansing and the Soundex Reunion Registry
Michigan Searching Online
Adoption Identity Movement in Michigan
SOME HELPFUL WEBSITES:
Michigan Federation for Children and Families
Phone: 517-485-8552
National Child Welfare Resources Center for Adoption at the Spaulding for Children Center in Southfield
Phone: 248-443-7080
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange
Phone: 800-589-6273 OR 517-783-6273
MARE runs the Heart Gallery, a photo and database of many of Michigan's state wards. It can be found at www.miheart.org/2008
Lutheran Child and Family Services
Phone: 248-968-0100
Judson Center
Phone: 800-443-9959
Ennis Center
Wayne County: 313-342-2699
Genesse/Oakland counties: 810-233-4031
National Adoption Center
National Foster Parent Association
Project 1:27
3651 S. Colorado Boulevard
Englewood CO 80113
Phone: 303-256-1225
A model for churches and state partnering together to get kids out of foster care and into adoptive homes.
St. Vincent dePaul
Van Elslander Family Center
3000 Gratiot Avenue
Detroit MI 48207
Phone: 313-393-3040
Adoption Associates provides adoption placement and information.
American Adoption Congress
For step-by-step suggestions on how to conduct a search for birth parents.
If you're not sure if you want to look for your birth parents:
To locate records, groups and other resources in your state:
Does anyone else feel like I do?
To discuss relevant topics with others in your situation.
