Columbus, Ohio — The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is excited to announce the 17th annual 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list of employers leading the way in providing adoption and foster care benefits and recognizing the need for this life-changing support.
The 2023 list includes a diverse group of organizations representing 22 industries. Employers that completed the survey offer an average of $14,831 in financial reimbursement for adoption costs — up 23.5% from 2022. The average amount of paid leave is 9 weeks, an increase of 8.4% since 2022. The amount of paid leave offered to foster parents also grew to an average of 9.4 weeks — up 7.4 weeks from last year. More companies are incorporating foster parent leave into their overall paid leave program and offering them the same amount of time off as adoptive and biological parents.
Organizations on this year’s list that offer the most robust adoption benefits include Ferring Pharmaceuticals, NVIDIA, American Express, MongoDB Inc., Etsy, Inc. and S&P Global Inc, which tied for fifth place.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is atop the 2023 list again, providing unlimited financial reimbursement for adoption costs and 26 weeks of paid leave to adoptive parents.
“We are honored to be recognized by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption alongside so many other companies who support the family-building journeys of their employees through adoption,” said Purvi Tailor, VP of Human Resources at Ferring Pharmaceuticals U.S. “At Ferring, we believe in a workplace that supports everyone’s right to build a family, no matter who they are, where they live or who they love. We do this through inclusive, flexible benefits and increased awareness and support at work.”
“At Etsy, we know that welcoming a new member to a family is transformative, and we’ve led the way in offering robust benefits for our team members during this moment, including 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all genders for birth, adoption or fostering of a new child,” said Kim Seymour, Chief Human Resource Officer at Etsy. “We’ve consistently found that these offerings are not only good for people, but they are also good for business: they help employees thrive while enabling us to recruit, develop and retain our world-class workforce.”
The Foundation partnered with RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute, to survey employers across the United States and score participants based on three criteria: financial reimbursement, paid leave and the percentage of employees eligible for those benefits. In addition to the 100 Best list, the Foundation ranks employers by size, industry, paid leave, foster care benefits and impact.
The Walt Disney Company and Walmart were among new companies on the impact list, which recognizes organizations that employ more than 1,000 people and provide the largest overall financial benefits for adoption to the largest number of employees.
“We’re honored Walmart is highlighted on the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list this year. Fostering a culture of belonging for our Walmart associates starts with ensuring we are offering a full suite of well-being benefits that best support their diverse needs in all aspects of life, including the many paths to parenthood,” said Donna Morris, Chief People Officer at Walmart. “We’re proud to support associates who are interested in adoption with up to $20,000 toward adoption expenses and know this is just one example of what makes Walmart a great place to work.”
“The Foundation is thrilled to see a growing number of organizations offering robust benefits to employees who open their hearts and homes as foster and adoptive parents,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “According to research conducted by The Harris Poll on the Foundation’s behalf, 68% of Americans say that having paid leave and other adoption benefits in the workplace impact their decision to adopt. When organizations offer benefits and join the Foundation in raising awareness of their importance to inspire others, we are one step closer to ensuring that every child has a permanent home and a loving family.”
The Wendy’s Company is designated with Forever Family emeritus status after holding the top spot on the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list for many years. The company continues its commitment to adoption by providing strong adoption benefits to employees.
“Wendy’s is proud of our emeritus Forever Family status on the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list. Our founder, Dave Thomas, was adopted, and Wendy’s remains steadfast in its commitment to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and its mission to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems,” said Todd Penegor, President and CEO of The Wendy’s Company and member of the Foundation’s board of trustees. “We know that families who adopt need the same support as families with biological children. We are encouraged to see more businesses investing in adoption assistance policies and encourage those who don’t to consider adding this benefit.”
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption does not participate in the survey but offers its employees substantial adoption and foster care benefits.
View the complete 2023 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list and resources for employers at davethomasfoundation.org/AFW.
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About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more than 140,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking.
More than 30 years ago, Dave Thomas led an initiative advocating for better adoption benefits in the workplace. The Foundation has carried that legacy forward through the Adoption-Friendly Workplace program. The Foundation recognizes organizations that offer best-in-class adoption and foster care benefits, offers a toolkit to help employers develop their policies and shares stories of impact. Learn more at davethomasfoundation.org/AFW.
