Looking for a worthy cause for a year-end donation? We asked readers to share their favorite adoption-related organizations and tell us why they support them. Here are your nominations, with a few of our picks added to the list.
Did we miss a cause you hope others will support? Please add it in the comments section below.
Adoption Council of Canada is the umbrella organization for adoption in Canada, providing resources, education, and support to birth families, adoptees, and families through domestic, international, and kinship adoption.
Birthmom Buds is a support organization for birth mothers as well as pregnant women considering adoption, providing peer counseling, online support, and an annual retreat.
Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE) knows that adoption is only the beginning of a family’s journey, and provides adoption-competent counseling and other post-adoption services to children and families.
Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) volunteers are paired with children in foster care to speak to their best interests and provide a stable presence until the child is placed in a safe, permanent home.
Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, was adopted at six months old. He established the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation to raise awareness about adoption from foster care and work toward his vision that every child in the U.S. would have a family. The foundation offers free adoption guides and information on workplace adoption benefits, as well as the program “Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which works diligently to find homes for hard to place children.” —WILLA
Family-to-Family Support Network provides education to healthcare professionals to offer unbiased information to women facing unintended pregnancies—sharing support services for parenting in the community, or, if she decides to pursue adoption, presenting ethical adoption resources.
Foster Source hopes to build a brighter future for foster children and their foster families through parent training, support groups, and advocacy.
The Gift of Adoption Fund provides adoption assistance grants to prospective parents regardless of race, religion, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, and allows donors to direct their funds to help sibling groups or children with medical needs or are in danger of aging out of care.
The Heart Gallery uses the power of photography to individualize the children in U.S. foster care. The organization recruits volunteer photographers to take portraits of waiting children, which are displayed in the community and at adoption events staffed by Heart Gallery volunteers.
HelpUsAdopt.org, founded by Becky Fawcett in 2007, awards “problem-solving” grants (up to $15,000) to singles, LGBT families, and married couples pursuing any type of adoption, helping hopeful parents overcome financial obstacles so more children can find loving homes.
Let It Be Us “does so many good things, such as Project Dignity, which gives bags and personal hygiene items to kids in foster care. They also have an educational mentor program to help.” —KEELY
Little Hearts Medical provides life-saving cardiac care to orphaned and impoverished children in China, while training new cardiac surgeons and cardiologists in China and collaborating to create care plans for children in need.
Love Without Boundaries provides medical care and nutritional support, foster care, and educational opportunities to orphaned and impoverished children in Cambodia, China, and Uganda.
National Down Syndrome Adoption Network provides information and support to expectant parents who choose to make an adoption plan, and to families interested in adoption, and works to ensure that every child with the condition grows up in a loving family.
North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) provides advocacy on behalf of waiting children, with a special focus on those in foster care and with special needs, as well as support and training to families formed through adoption.
Nuestros Niños was founded by an adoptive mother to help children in Guatemala by meeting families’ basic needs (food, shelter, clothing), and then working to break the cycle of poverty by providing educational opportunities for women and children.
On Your Feet Foundation (OYFF) “helps birth parents become self-sufficient, and provides support and community after placement.” —RACHEL
One Simple Wish allows donors to grant specific wishes for foster children and youth who have aged out of care.
Jenny and Richard Bowen adopted from China and witnessed the enormous difference one year of love and attention made for their daughter. They founded Half the Sky to make that same difference for vulnerable children throughout China. In 2016, the foundation became OneSky, as they expand their focus beyond that country.
Parenthood for Me provides grants to those pursuing adoption or Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), because “Having a family is fundamental to the human experience. It should not come down to the size of one’s bank account.”
The SPOON Foundation (Support and Provide Overseas Orphan Nutrition) provides post-adoption nutrition education and resources for parents and caregivers, and helps reduce malnutrition and improve feeding practices in orphanages and other institutional settings in 12 countries around the globe.
Together We Rise works to improve the lives of children in the U.S. foster system in small but meaningful ways, such as new bicycles and suitcases, as well as life-changing college scholarships for foster youth. “Some of those kids go on to be adopted and some don’t, but it is an awesome organization!” —CASON
Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), established by “Orphan Doctor” Dr. Jane Aronson, works to transform the lives of children and communities in need. In addition to providing medical care and other basics to help children survive, WWO is developing the “Element of Play” curriculum to help them thrive and reach their full potential.
