Helpusadopt.org Grant Application

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Before submitting your application, please note: Helpusadopt.org grants can only be paid directly to a licensed adoption agency or lawyer (not a consultant). We will not reimburse expenses paid via loan or credit card, or those covered by money you already have in escrow with an agency. We only pay out for the last amount due.

Additionally, if you took placement prior to the previous grant deadline, you are not eligible. Extremely rarely there are exceptions to this requirement (e.g. adoption dissolution placements, older child placements, kinship or guardianship adoptions, special needs placements); if you believe your case may be an exception, please reach out to us for more information before applying.

You will be required to upload documents before you can submit this application. You can fill out the application first, save, and return to attach them before submitting your application. The required documents: Personal Statement, Home Study, Taxes (two years), Anticipated Expenses Sheet (from agency, lawyer, or consultant).

Please note: you MUST have a home study or a comprehensive home study summary; unfortunately, if your adoption does not require one or your agency is unable to provide this, you are not eligible.

Welcome to the Grant Extension Application. This application is for families who previously received a Helpusadopt.org grant and are requesting a one-year extension after not finalizing within the original grant period or any previous extension period.


Many of the questions in this application have been prefilled using the information we have on file from your original application. Please review all information carefully and make any necessary updates to ensure it is current and accurate. Please note that additional questions may have been added since your original application that will also need to be completed.


Once submitted, your extension application will be reviewed by our committee. You will receive a response regarding the committee’s decision by July 31.



Primary Contact



















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Secondary Contact













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Family & Adoption Information















Please note, if you are not actively being shown, we recommend you apply for a later cycle. Please email grants@helpusadopt.org with any questions.

Please note: If you took placement before the previous grant deadline, you are not eligible. In extremely rare cases (i.e. adoption dissolution placements, older child placements, kinship, special needs), we may be able to consider your application; please reach out to us for more information before applying.








For the purposes of our application, we generally consider a "special needs adoption" to be one in which the child has an identified medical, developmental, or physical need, or where the family is specifically pursuing the adoption of a child with those needs (for example, a child with Down syndrome or another diagnosed condition).






Please be sure to discuss this in your personal statement.





Updated Personal Statement


Provider Information



Please note that our organization can only make payments to a licensed adoption agency or lawyer. If you are working with a consultant, please confirm with them that you can make your final payments directly to an agency




e.g. multiple agencies, a consultant and an agency, etc.


Financial Information


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Include ALL sources of income, including housing stipends (if monetary), rental income, child support, and untaxed clerical income; do not enter your after tax income or your adjusted gross income.

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Do NOT include funds listed elsewhere on this form; i.e. do not include retirement funds, property, etc. Examples include non-retirement brokerage accounts, cryptocurrency, trust funds. Make sure you include things like a separate ROTH IRA under retirement.




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Approximately how much non-adoption-related debt to you have? Please list in the following categories:

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Adoption Expenses


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If you have not matched and have been given a range by your provider, please select a value that best-reflects the typical cases you are presented with. This number may include items like travel or birth mother medical expenses, but should not include things like a car seat or baby clothing.

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Include home study report, agency or attorney expenses, and travel costs or birth mother medical expenses if payable through your agency

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Paid Expenses


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Please include the cost of your home study report and any agency fees paid to date. Do not include unrecoupable funds lost due to a disrupted adoption (listed below).

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Anticipated Expenses


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As stated previously, please know that we can only pay out grant funds to a licensed US-based adoption agency or lawyer. Any other expenses are not eligible for grant funds.


Expense Sheet
Please submit a letter from your agency, lawyer, or consultant listing all fees paid to date, and all anticipated future charges and the anticipated due date ("At Match" or "At Placement" is sufficient). This should include fees not only due to the agency, but a list of fees estimating travel and birth mother costs. If you are working with a consultant, we understand that the remaining expenses are only an estimate. 
Please make sure the document is no more than two pages, and is a PDF. This file upload is limited to 25MB. We recommend saving your application before uploading any documents in case there is a processing error.

Supplemental Materials

Please consider saving your application before attaching documents.


File Upload Size Requirements

This form allows a maximum combined upload size of 30 MB. This limit applies to all documents uploaded on the form combined, not to each upload field individually.


Each individual upload has a maximum upload of 25MB.If you are uploading multiple documents, remember that their combined size must remain under the form's overall upload limit.

If a file is too large, try reducing the file size or saving/scanning it at a lower resolution before uploading.

Permissions
We would love to make sure that the permissions you set for your story and photos are up to date. The question below has been prefilled with what you entered previously (or is blank if not provided). We never use identifying information, like your last name. Your selection will NOT affect your likelihood of receiving a grant. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Sharing stories allows us to continue helping families like yours!


Home Study

A complete, current copy of your approved home study is required as part of your application.


After submitting your application, you will receive a link via email to a separate, secure Home Study Submission Form. You may use this link to upload the home study yourself, or you may provide the link directly to your adoption professional so they can submit it on your behalf.


Your home study must be received for your application to be considered complete.

Personal Statement
The personal statement is your opportunity to explain to the grant committee why you should be selected to receive a grant. Some things you might want to discuss: If you have been matched already, tell us about the child you're adopting. Let us know why you require financial assistance to complete the adoption. Tell us about who you are, and why this grant is important to you. Be sure to address: any special considerations you would like the grant selection committee to know about; any past experience with adoption or foster care; what has inspired you to build your family through adoption; anything not addressed in the application that you feel we should know.
 
There is no minimum or maximum length requirement. We recommend approximately 1-2 typewritten pages. WE DO NOT ACCEPT HANDWRITTEN STATEMENTS. Keep in mind that the best way to increase your likelihood of receiving a grant is to include a meaningful personal statement. 
Tax Documents
Please attach the first two pages of your 1040 form from the last two years. If you own your own business, please include any pages you feel are relevant to your household income. Please DO NOT attach your full tax return.
Family Photo
Additional Documents
If there any additional documents you would like to include with your application, please attach them here:

Answers to the following questions will not affect your likelihood of receiving a grant



Please note, you will receive an email confirming your submission. If you do not receive an email, please reach out to grants@helpusadopt.org. You will receive another email once review begins, following the grant deadline, and another with the final decision at the end of the award month.
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