It’s no secret that fertility treatments, surrogacy, and adoption are expensive. The fact of the matter is that IVF typically costs anywhere from $12,000 to $17,000, and that’s not including the cost of medication. Adoption also comes with a high price, requiring the services of doctors, social workers, attorneys, and more.
Infertility is a condition that affects patients of every socioeconomic level, with roughly 10% of the American female population being unable to conceive or stay pregnant. Many of these individuals wish to start a family of their own, but are barred from doing so by the exorbitant cost of medical care. Making the matter worse, infertility is not considered a critical condition in most places, so related health care expenses are not often covered by insurance providers.
However, a variety of foundations exist that work specifically to distribute grants to those who cannot become pregnant and wish to pursue alternate family planning methods, but cannot afford the full price services.
This article will cover five available grants in the 2021 year. While this is not an exhaustive list of available grants by far, they are a great place to start.
Baby Quest is a non-profit organization founded by a woman who faced a battle with infertility. The foundation works to make all forms of fertility treatment more accessible to everyone, from cancer survivors to veterans to low income individuals. As of this article, Baby Quest has distributed $2.2 million worth of funds and helped in the conception of over 100 babies.
Grants are available to singles and couples of all genders, sexualities, races, and backgrounds.
All applicants must:
Baby Quest Foundation grants are awarded twice in a calendar year, offering $2,000 to $16,000. This funding can be used to cover egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, IVF, embryo donation, gestational surrogacy, and more.
Grant applications are due September 9th, 2021 and come with a $50 application fee.
The Tinina Q. Cade Foundation began in 2005 with the goal of guiding families through infertility, whether it be through resource support or financial aid. Many donors to the organization include those who have faced infertility in their own lives and wish to give back to those experiencing the same hardship. Using these donations, the Cade Foundation Family Building Grant has been made available twice per year.
The only qualifications for this grant is that all applicants must be U.S. citizens and have an official infertility diagnosis.
The Family Building grant offers up to $10,000 in cash or medication coverage. It can be used to cover a variety of infertility treatments as well as adoption costs. The only procedure the grant will not cover is egg freezing.
The Spring deadline date has come and gone, but those interested can still apply for the Fall grant due on June 1st. All applications incur a $50 fee.
Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys works with clients to ensure their rights in circumstances of adoption or fertility are protected.
AAAA is not just a collection of attorneys, however. They also offer funding in the form of their Family Formation Charitable Trust which seeks to collect and offer funding for those who wish to begin a family via adoption or assisted reproduction.
Singles or couples may apply, but in the case of couples at least one member must be a US citizen. Otherwise, people of any race, gender, sexuality, religion, origin, ability, etc. may apply.
The Family Formation Charitable Trust has grants worth $500-$2000. These funds can be used to supply a wide range of parenthood options, including adoption, gestational surrogacy, traditional surrogacy, egg, semen, and embryo donation, and more.
Applications are reviewed twice a year. The next deadline to apply is September 1st and includes a $25 fee.
The Gift of Parenthood was created in 2019 by Teresa Barbosa who combated infertility for 12 years. Despite her pain, Barbosa and her husband were motivated to help others in the same situation find hope. Now, their organization works to make fertility treatment more accessible and to remind those with infertility conditions that they are not alone.
Those interested in applying may be of any gender, sexuality, race, relationship status, etc. The Gift of Parenthood website specifies that female applicants should be under 50 years of age, but that this doesn’t not automatically disqualify someone. Instead, they evaluate on a case by case basis.
Their grants prioritize uninsured and underinsured individuals seeking parenthood. Additionally, applicants must work with a clinic that is a member of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology.
The Gift of Parenthood offers grants four times a year with the next application deadline occurring on June 15th, 2021. Application fees are $60.
If awarded the grant, it can be used to pay for IUI, IVF, egg donation, gestational surrogacy, medication, and much more.
“What comes so naturally for many should not be such a hardship for millions of others,” is the motto of this organization, founded by Jen Conley and Colleen Brierley, Conley a mother through gestational surrogacy and Brierley a mother of five including three adopted children. They created The Journey to Parenthood with the intention of providing support groups, offering education about infertility, and issuing grants that can make paying for treatment or adoption more feasible.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and have a formal diagnosis from a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist. They must also prove their ability to provide a safe and stable home environment for a potential child.
While the number of grants offered each year shifts based on funding, The Journey to Parenthood tries to provide at least one $10,000 grant annually. This grant, and others if available, may be used to pay for IUI, IVF, egg donation, surrogacy, and adoption.
All applications come with a $50 fee.
These are just five grant options out of hundreds available every year. The programs listed above, and others, can instill hope in those who thought parenthood was out of their reach.
If you are one of those people, let 2021 become your year for parenthood. Apply now!