Adoption Aid Grant Application
*Please read through these instructions carefully because as of Jan 1st, our process has changed.
Welcome to the online grant application center! We are honored that you would allow us to become a part of your adoption journey. All applicants are welcome, but due to limited funding, we cannot award grants to all qualified applicants. Funding priority will be given, but not limited, to families with the greatest financial need who complete the application process with integrity, establishing that they are equipped to provide a child with a loving home consistent with the founding principles of Show Hope.
Deadlines:
- There are six application deadlines throughout the year:
Feb 28th, April 30th, Jun 30th, Aug 31st, Oct 31st, Dec 31st
- Your application is complete once Show Hope has received both the online and supporting document portions of your application. Your application date is the day both portions of the application have been received by Show Hope.
- All applications must be mailed in at one time in one packet, no items may be faxed or sent in separately.
- Processing the application takes a minimum of 90 days after the application deadline.
Step 1: Before you apply
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- Your home study or home study update must be completed in order to apply
- You must be in process using a placement agency (this is not referring to your home study agency) that is a 501(c)3 agency licensed to place children
- Applications cannot be submitted for independent adoptions (through lawyers, facilitators, or humanitarian organizations not licensed to place children)
- Applications cannot be submitted post-placement
- You cannot re-apply for an adoption for which an online application has already been submitted
- Collect the following pieces of information to facilitate your application:
- Church address, phone number, e-mail and website
- IRS tax information for the last two years it is available (Copies of those year's W2s and tax returns)
- Net worth of property, investments, goods, and liquid assets
- Annual budget information for both income and expenses
- Address, phone, name, and email of your adoption agency and caseworker
- Your home study
- You must have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed. Click here to get it.
- Click here to download the Supporting Documents PDF. Complete the Net Worth Worksheet and Cash Flow Worksheet. Open this PDF in the latest version of Adobe Reader, and you will be able to fill out the forms on your computer. Specific fields will automatically be calculated and filled in inside the PDF as you input data.
- Begin to prepare your other Supporting Documents, including asking your Pastor for a letter of recommendation in a sealed envelope, and requesting a letter from your adoption agency (the agency that is placing your child, as opposed to the home study agency) verifying the date your home study was completed, that this agency is a 501(c)3 nonprofit working with you to complete your adoption as your placement agency, has an approved homestudy on file, and can verify your adoption expenses.
Step 2: Submit the Online Portion of Your Application
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- Once you begin the online application, you must complete all fields in order to be considered
- This portion must be completed online, no offline submissions will be accepted
- You must complete the online portion of the application before sending in your supporting documents
- Once the online portion of the application is submitted, you will see a web page and receive an identical email with details on how to submit the supporting documents portion of the application
Step 3: Submit the Supporting Documents Portion of Your Application
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- You must send in your supporting documents within 30 days of your online application or your application will be dismissed, and it is not possible to re-apply for the same adoption.
- You must then compile ALL supporting documents and submit them in one packet to Show Hope.
- For quickest consideration, ensure your supporting documents are received by Show Hope prior to the next application deadline: Feb 28th, April 30th, Jun 30th, Aug 31st, Oct 31st, or Dec 31st.
- Once the online application is submitted, you’ll receive submission instructions on a web page and in an identical email, as well as the details for each of the documents:
1.
Checklist. Please include the checklist as the cover sheet to your supporting documents.
2.
Cover Letter: Include a brief, typed cover letter on the form provided.
3.
Questionnaire: Include brief, typed answers to the questions included in the Questionnaire.
4.
Statement of Faith: one typed personal statement from each parent (1/2 page or less is fine), filled out on the appropriate page of the Supporting Documents PDF.
5.
Net Worth Worksheet: include the Net Worth Worksheet completely filled out.
6.
Cash Flow Worksheet: include the Cash Flow Worksheet completely filled out.
7.
Signed Consent Form: Please complete the Consent Form included in the Supporting Documents. Please sign after printing it out.
8.
Adoption Agency Letter: A letter
from your adoption agency (the agency that is placing your child; NOT the home study agency*) on the agency’s letterhead and signed by the executive director or a program director. This letter must state that the agency is licensed to place children, that the agency has a 501c3 status, that this agency is working with you to complete your adoption (is acting as the placing agency), and the letter should include the date your home study was satisfactorily completed. Please inform the agency that the agency must now specify in the letter:
- They have a 501(c)3 nonprofit status
- Is licensed to place children for adoption
- Is acting as the placement agency for your family
- Has an approved homestufy on file and who completed that homestudy
- What the total adoption expense (with agency fees listed out), and travel fees for two people.
This letter should be included with all other supporting documents, not sent directly from the agency. (*Note, this letter should not come from your home study provider, unless the provider is also working to place your child).
9.
Home Study: A copy of your completed and approved home study (include home study updates, if applicable). Do not include all the supporting documents needed to complete the home study, just the document (generally 8-10 pages). The home study must be signed by the licensed social worker.
10.
Pastor’s Letter: A letter of recommendation from your pastor on church letterhead.
This letter must be provided to Show Hope in a sealed envelope from the church, and must be included with all other supporting documents. If the grant applicant is a pastor, please provide a recommendation letter from another member of the clergy or church leadership.
11.
Tax Forms: copies of the following forms
(and those of your spouse, if applicable) with your social security number hidden or removed:
- IRS tax returns: First two pages of federal tax returns (please do not send the entire tax return) for the most recent year available and the year prior to that. (The most recent year available would be for the most recent year you last filed a tax return with the IRS. Also include the first two pages of the tax returns from the year before that.)
- W-2 and 1099-MISC (if applicable): forms for the most recent year available and the year prior to that.
- You will receive an email confirmation within two weeks after we’ve received your supporting documents.
Notification of the outcome of your application
- You will receive notification of the outcome of your application by mail
- Processing the application takes a minimum of 90 days after the application deadline
Due to limited funding, we regret that we are not always able to provide assistance to every qualified family. Therefore, we encourage you to seek additional sources of assistance. May each step of your adoption journey be blessed!
The Supporting Documents PDF can be downloaded here (right click to save to your computer).
To fill out the Supporting Documents, you need the latest version of Adobe Reader, found here.
Apply Now: Click here to begin the online portion of the application
Questions? If you have questions, please visit our FAQ before contacting us.
Preparing for the Journey:
What do you do when a child who was adopted has night terrors? How can you handle attachment issues that you did not expect to have? Why are my normal parenting methods not getting through to my child who was adopted?
Many parents go into the adoption process with high expectations that go unmet, and many others encounter problems that they wish they had learned about earlier.
Show Hope is committed to helping parents pre and post adoption to deal with issues they can encounter with children who were adopted. To learn more, visit our page on Pre/Post Adpotion Support.