A Child is Waiting For a Family. You Can Help.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems.

Children are placed in foster care after enduring abuse, neglect, parental drug use or other issues, and many have experienced significant trauma, grief and loss in their lives.

The priority of the foster care system is to keep families together. But when a judge has ruled that it is unsafe for a child to return to their family of origin, they need someone to step forward to adopt them.

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108000+

children are lingering in foster care across the U.S.

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~20000

of these young people age out of the system without a family every year.

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1 in 5

youth will be homeless after age 18 without the support of a permanent family.

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At one point, I thought I was going to be out on the streets.

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— Ernesto, adopted at 14
We are on a mission to dramatically increase the number of adoption for children waiting in North America’s foster care systems … before it’s too late.

How We Help

At the heart of our work is a commitment to understand the needs and lived experiences of the children and youth we serve, improve access for families who want to adopt from foster care and build an organization that supports the broader child welfare community.

Our strategic priorities and signature programs are grounded in research and created with a racial equity lens.

With help from our caring supporters and partners, we are urgently working to raise public awareness and expand the reach of our life-changing programs, including:

How You Can Help

There are many ways to get involved and make a difference.

“The more you give to others, the more you get in return.”

Dave Thomas, Founder

Resources to Support the Adoption Journey

We offer a variety of resources for parents and professionals.

Changing Lives:
Isaiah, Jordan & Sophia's Story

For more than three years, Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia lingered in foster care after enduring physical abuse and neglect as their biological parents struggled with substance abuse. The siblings bounced from house to house, often separated from one another.

“When I was in foster care, I had a lot of responsibilities, like taking care of Jordan and Sophia. I had to watch out for them and help them and stuff like that,” recalled Isaiah.

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