Helpusadopt.org was created by adoptive parents Becky and Kipp Fawcett in 2007. The Fawcetts were so grateful for the fact that they had the financial means to adopt their son Jake in 2005 that they looked to make a donation to an existing organization that would help ease another family’s financial burden. However, what they found were organizations that defined family and adoption. Armed with this knowledge and their belief in family undefined, they decided to create a grant organization that does not define family or adoption — Helpusadopt.org was born.

Helpusadopt.org is a national 501c3 financial grant program that helps couples/individuals (regardless of race, religion, gender, marital status and sexual orientation) with the costs of their adoptions (domestic, international, special needs or foster care) by awarding grants of up to $15,000.

Although Helpusadopt.org has received very few same sex couple applicants in the two years that they have been awarding grants (they actively seek more), in December of 2009 they awarded their first same sex couple grant to Caroline and Elizabeth from North Carolina. In their own words this is what they have to say about Helpusadopt.org:

“When my partner and I began looking at adoption grants, we didn’t think we’d ever get one. Many grant organizations openly favored heterosexual, married, Christian couples. Then I found Helpusadopt.org and I was encouraged to see that FINALLY, same-sex families were welcome to apply and that the average grant size was substantial ($7,500). Helpusadopt.org understands the challenges same-sex couples face when adopting and we are truly grateful that they exist to help families like ours! When so many other doors were closed to us, Helpusadopt.org’s door was open.”

Helpusadopt.org awards $50,000 in grant money twice a year (June and December) and as we approach the deadline for our December 2010 round of grants (October 15th) we are frustrated to see that we do not have a single application from the LGBT community.

“We have the funds to award to LGBT couples seeking to adopt, but without the applications obviously we can’t award the grants.” States Becky Fawcett, executive director of Helpusadopt.org, “The non-discrimination factor is one of the main premises on which we created and built Helpusadopt.org and I can’t for the life of me figure out why more LGBT couples aren’t applying, but I won’t stop trying until we are awarding LGBT grants on a regular basis.” continues Fawcett.

Fawcett, has retired from her PR firm, The Fawcett Group PR, to run Helpusadopt.org on a full time basis and pro-bono. “It’s really quite simple… this is what I was born to do. But I’ll never take a penny from Helpusadopt.org—how could I? I am so grateful that I was able to adopt on my terms and it’s important to me to be able to turn around and help others achieve their dreams of parenthood.”

Spend a few minutes with Becky Fawcett and you’ll see that she’s not only authentic; she’s determined to make a difference in the world of adoption, especially to families who have faced closed doors due to discrimination. She’s even walked away from donors who’ve asked her to adjust Helpusadopt.org’s definition of family.

Helpusadopt.org’s doors are wide open to the LGBT community… they’re just waiting for the applications!

For more information visit: www.helpusadopt.org for our grant application and the guidelines. Or call 917.684.5484 or email becky.fawcett -at- helpusadopt -dot- org

Women who call the IAC indicating that the only reason they want to make an adoption plan is because of financial problems are provided referrals to resources that can help them with housing, food, and other assistance. Of course, most situations are less clear-cut.

Women may express concern about their financial situation, but also indicate other reasons they want to make an adoption plan. Counselors at the IAC, and other agencies, explore all of the factors relating to their desire to place their baby for adoption. In particular, they ask the woman to imagine if all of their financial problems magically disappeared would they still make an adoption plan. If the answer is yes and the woman has other strong reasons for placement, the counselor will work with the woman on an adoption plan.

In situations like this, adoptive families need to be prepared to provide financial and emotional support to the birthparent(s) through the pregnancy and for a couple of months after the birth. Even more importantly, families need to be prepared for an ongoing relationship with a birthparent(s) who may face financial trouble throughout their life. This does not mean they will be asking the adoptive family for money. Although this does happen it is very rare. However, it can be hard to watch the birthparent(s) of your child struggle in this way. At a counseling-based agency, like the IAC, it is important for adoptive families to explore their feelings about a situation like this with your counselor before you commit to a match with birthparents facing financial hardship.

Therefore, both to comply with state regulations and to ensure best practices there are many costs associated with adoptions. An agency must pay highly educated social workers (at least Masters level) to write home studies, as well as provide counseling, termination of birthparent rights and post-placement supervision.

Agencies, like the IAC, also provide families with educational materials and resources. In addition, most agencies do outreach to potential birthparents. This requires marketing staff to develop materials, maintain websites, and buy advertising, which is also an additional expense. Furthermore, administrative staff are required to answer the phone, provide accounting services, comply with non-profit laws, ensure families are notified how many times their birthparent letter is mailed or saved online. There are also the costs any business has, such as rent, phones, Internet, and insurance.

As non-profit organizations, many agencies, including the IAC, receive both private donations and grants, but these are usually for special projects to enhance our services and do not cover the basic costs of an adoption. As a result, most of the costs to do an adoption are borne by the adoptive parents. IAC tries to help by providing a sliding scale fee structure, but even with this accommodation it is often a stretch for families to find the funds to adopt.

As part of the Health Care Reform Bill the Adoption Tax Credit has been increased for 2010 to $13,170 and is retroactive to January 1, 2010. The credit has not been increased for 2009. It is $12,150 for 2009. Also, the tax credit has been extended to December 31, 2011. One of the biggest changes is that the credit is refundable as of Jan. 1, 2010. This means that even if you owed and paid less tax than the credit you will get the full amount of the credit refunded to you as part of your tax refund. Please be sure to check with a tax advisor about this information.

This is a huge relief for adoptive parents who are waiting for a placement, and an unexpected gift for those who had a placement in 2009. We encourage you to let your congressional representatives know how you feel about the increased Tax Credit and the extension.