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.

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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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100000+

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 4

youth will experience homelessness 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
A boy with curly hair and glasses wearing a black puffer vest over a long-sleeve gray shirt, looking confidently at the camera.
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.

Dave Thomas and a group of children sitting together, laughing and smiling.

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

— Dave Thomas , Founder

Adoption Means I’ll Have a Great Home:
Allison and Austin’s Story

“I felt nervous, and I thought that I wasn’t going to get adopted,” Allison shared.

After experiencing abuse and neglect as their parents struggled with substance use, Allison and Austin were placed with their grandpa.

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More Stories of Impact
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Two smiling children pose together. The girl on the left wears a orange cardigan, floral dress, and a flower crown, while the boy on the right in a red shirt hugs her from the side.
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