LGBTQ+ Family Building Grants
Between baby diapers and birthday parties, becoming a parent can be expensive for anyone. For LGBTQ+ parents-to-be, many of whom rely on alternative paths to parenthood such as assisted reproduction or adoption, there are additional costs to navigate. Fertility procedures, medications, lawyers, and more can really increase the financial hurdle of parenthood for LGBTQ+ people.
The grants below are intended to assist parents-to-be in the process of family-building. While Family Equality has confirmed the eligibility for each listing below, we encourage you to vet each organization, read all the details, and ask questions as they arise.
Assisted reproduction grants
This program’s mission is to create positive outcomes in the fertility journey and help bear some of the financial burdens on the families.They provide grants to several families each year.
Aneden Gives eligibility requirements:
- There are annual income requirements (see website for details).
- Applicants must not have fertility insurance coverage. If you have fertility insurance, but have exhausted all coverage, you may be eligible.
- Applicants must be current patients of Aspire HFI and Pacific NW Fertility in Seattle.
- Applicants must be legally allowed to live and/or work in the U.S.
- Only one application will be accepted per family.
- All applicants should be at least 21 years old.
Baby Quest Foundation provides financial assistance through fertility grants to those who cannot afford the high costs of procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), gestational surrogacy, egg and sperm donation (with IVF), egg freezing, and embryo donation (with IVF).
BabyQuest Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Eligible for costs related to egg and sperm donation, egg freezing, IVF, embryo donation, and gestational surrogacy (NOTE: there is a separate grant process for surrogacy).
- Applicants must meet the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)’s definition of infertility.
- Applicants must demonstrate overall good physical and mental health and have no medical conditions that would pose serious risk to themselves or the child they would carry.
- Applicants must be permanent residents of the U.S. and must be under the care of an accredited fertility facility.
- Applicants must maintain adequate living arrangements (must lease or own a residence).
- Applicants must possess the means to offer continued child support (at least one partner must maintain employment).
- Applicants must have basic health insurance for the pregnant person and the baby, including sufficient prenatal coverage.
- Grants are available to same-sex and heterosexual couples and singles.
- There is a $75 application fee.
The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund is dedicated to advancing access to IVF care and coverage, increasing awareness, and providing support so others don’t have to navigate infertility alone. The Fund focuses their grants on North and South Carolina.
The Samantha and Kyle Busch Bundle of Joy Fund eligibility requirements:
- Applications must be obtained from one of three partnering clinics:
- Applicants must be legal permanent U.S. Citizens, age 18 or older, and have an infertility diagnosis from one of the partnering clinics.
- All applications are reviewed and considered regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or national origin, age, or sexual orientation.
- There is a $35 application fee.
The Cade Foundation is a nonprofit that serves the needs of families battling infertility through information and financial support. They offer several family building grant programs through their foundation.
- Tinina Q. Cade Foundation Family Building Grant
- $10,000 per funded family to help with costs of domestic adoption or medical fertility treatment including intrauterine insemination (IUI), IVF, donor egg, and gestational carrier. This grant does not cover egg freezing or embryo freezing.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility from their doctor.
- Applicants must be a citizen or a legal permanent U.S. resident.
- $50 application fee (fee waiver application available).
- Dr. Stephen Greenhouse Grant
- $10,000 grant toward an IVF cycle only.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility from their doctor.
- Applicants must be a citizen or a legal permanent U.S. resident.
- $50 application fee (fee waiver application available).
- Savannah Grant
- $10,000 for fertility treatment only at Shady Grove Fertility.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility from their doctor.
- Applicants must be a citizen or a legal permanent U.S. resident.
- $50 application fee (fee waiver application available).
Formerly the Kevin J. Lederer Life Foundation
Grants from the Chicago Coalition for Family Building are open to eligible individuals and couples to help defray the financial challenges of infertility treatment, adoption, or third party reproduction. Grants are awarded on an annual basis and the number of grants available is dependent upon annual fundraising efforts. There are several different types of grants.
- IVF Cycle Grants: Covers one IVF cycle from a partnering practice in the Chicagoland area.
- Kevin J. Lederer Memorial Grant: Covers one IVF cycle from Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) for an existing patient.
- Jewish United Fund (JUF) Path to Parenthood Grants:
- Financial Services Grant: Up to $10,000 to assist with fertility-related medical treatment including IUI, IVF, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), use of a gestational carrier, donor sperm or donor egg.
- Adoption Grant: Up to $10,000 to assist with the costs of adoption.
- Magnolia Tree Grant: Up to $5,000 of financial assistance to cover the PGT-M costs for those who wish to undergo IVF-PGT or freeze eggs for medical fertility preservation in the setting of a BRCA or BRCA-related cancer diagnosis.
- Willow Grant: Financial grant for couples who have experienced a miscarriage and who need financial assistance for fertility treatment to build their family.
The Chicago Coalition for Family Building eligibility requirements:
- Applicants for Financial Assistance, donated IVF Cycle Grants or JUF Path to Parenthood grants must receive treatment in Illinois unless otherwise stated by the individual grant.
- Eligible applicants can have up to one healthy living child. Applicants with two or more healthy living children are not eligible for a grant.
- Financial grants will only be awarded to patients who are treated at SART member clinics.
- Applicants for JUF Path to Parenthood Grants must reside in Illinois in the counties of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, McHenry or Kane and receive treatment in Illinois.
- Applicants for the Magnolia Tree Grant must reside in Illinois and receive treatment in Illinois and be a carrier of the BRCA1 of BRCA2 genetic mutation.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility certified by a medical provider, with the exception of same sex couples who require medical assistance to conceive, individuals who carry a genetic disease and require PGT-M to prevent disease transmission, those who require the use of a gestational carrier due to medical necessity or individuals with the medical need for fertility preservation due to cancer or other disease states that threaten fertility.
- For requests for infertility treatment, applicants MUST have completed all required medical testing within 12 months. Applicants who do not have up to date testing will not be considered.
- If you are applying for a grant to do IUI, IVF or gestational carrier with your own eggs, or for egg freezing for medical indications, you MUST meet ALL of the following criteria:
- be 41 years or younger by January 1 of the subsequent year
- have a body mass index (BMI) < 40
- have a FSH level of < 15
- have an AMH level of > 0.8
The Fertility Foundation of Texas’s mission supports two powerful paths: helping hopeful parents find the financial support they need to grow their families, and empowering donors to make a meaningful, lasting impact. They provide one-time fertility grants up to $10,000.
Fertility Foundation of Texas Grant eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a resident of one of the following Texas counties: Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Comal, Coryell, Fayette, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Kendall, Lampasas, Lee, Llano, McLennan, Milam, Travis, Williamson.
- Applicants must have a total annual household income between $40,000 – $150,000.
- Applicants must be uninsured for fertility treatments or have exhausted infertility coverage.
- Applicants must be evaluated by, and under the care of, a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist who has diagnosed the cause of infertility and has prescribed a treatment plan.
- Applicants must receive treatments at a SART member clinic..
- Priority is given to those who have no living children, are under the age of 40, and have not undergone previous IVF cycles.
Footsteps for Fertility Foundation supports couples facing infertility through direct financial support and raises awareness about infertility issues through in-person 5-K races across the country. They offer $5,000 grants and in-kind donated fertility services.
Footsteps for Fertility Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must meet the definition of infertility as defined by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART).
- Applicants must register and be present at local events to receive the grant.
- Applicants must comply with terms and conditions.
- All grants are awarded randomly at in-person events throughout the year.
- There is a $30 application fee and a $35 event registration fee.
Giving Grace supports Minnesota families by offering financial assistance towards fertility treatment, including a range of procedures associated with IVF. The grant does not cover IUI.
The Giving Grant Foundation Grant eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must have completed an infertility evaluation, and an infertility treatment plan must be in place.
- Applicants must be permanent residents of Minnesota and under the care of an accredited fertility facility within the U.S.
- At least one partner must maintain employment to indicate financial ability to support a child.
- All applicants must have basic health insurance for the pregnant parent and baby with sufficient prenatal care.
The Hope for Fertility Foundation established their National Grant to help couples overcome the financial difficulties that come with infertility treatments. The frequency and amount of grants is based on the availability of funds raised throughout the year. Grants are awarded twice a year, but may be more or less frequent. Grant amounts typically range from $250 to $10,000.
The Hope for Fertility Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a citizen or legal, permanent residents of the U.S.
- Applicants must be diagnosed with infertility by a physician.
- Applicants must be legally married.
- Applicants must work with a U.S. based clinic or agency.
- There is a $50 non refundable application fee.
The Hopeful Mama Grant Program helps women with a medical infertility diagnosis access the treatment they need to continue building their families. Grants support a variety of family building journeys, including medication, fertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, and donor conception — helping remove financial barriers and bringing recipients one step closer to their dream of parenthood.
Hopeful Mama Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must have a documented diagnosis of female factor infertility from a licensed healthcare provider, affecting the applicant’s ability to conceive or carry a pregnancy.
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Applicants must be seeking treatment at an accredited fertility clinic in the U.S.
- Applicants must demonstrate financial need and provide details regarding the anticipated costs of treatments or processes related to achieving parenthood.
- Applicants must hold basic medical insurance for the pregnant parent and baby, including prenatal coverage.
- Applicants must maintain adequate living arrangements.
- Applicants must demonstrate the financial ability to support the child.
- Applicants must utilize the funds within 12 months of receiving the grant.
The “From INCIID the Heart” IVF Scholarship is NOT a Grant Program. INCIID is a nonprofit charity. The scholarship program is comprised of donated IVF treatment for INCIID community members. No money is provided. Instead, recipients receive approximately $25,000 in the form of donated medical care.
INCIID IVF Scholarships eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a resident of the U.S. who files income tax returns with the IRS.
- Applicants must be a registered member of INCIID Community. There’s a preference for those who interact on INCIID’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. (INCIID requires an annual Bronze legal support from applications of $55).
- Applicants must meet the ASRM definition of medical infertility.
- Applicants must demonstrate financial need. Generally a household income of $75,000 or below, however income levels may be higher in high cost of living locations.
- Applicants must not have insurance coverage for IVF.
- Preference is given to couples without children currently.
JFCS’ Fertility Fund is a need-based program that helps subsidize the sometimes prohibitive financial costs of fertility treatments which are not covered by insurance for Jewish couples and individuals in the Philadelphia region. In addition, JFCS provides applicants with counseling to support their unique path to parenthood. JFCS has an LGBTQ-specific initiative supporting LGBTQ+ family formation.
A Gift from the Heart eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must live in the greater Philadelphia area.
- Applicants must have a diagnosis of infertility.
The Jewish Fertility Foundation provides financial assistance, educational awareness, and emotional support to Jewish families who have medical fertility challenges in the communities we serve.
Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF) eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must live in a JFF Community – Atlanta, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Greater DC, Houston, Nevada, Pittsburgh, South Florida.
- Applicants must be receiving treatment at one of the partner clinics (see website for details on partners).
- Applicants must have at least 1 Jewish parent (Jewish from birth or conversion from any denomination) with the intention of raising the child Jewish.
- Applicants must be a non-smoker, non-drug user.
- Applicants may already have up to one child.
Journey to Parenthood is a charitable organization dedicated to helping couples and/or individuals build families through advanced fertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, egg donation, and surrogacy as well as adoption (private, foster care, domestic or international). The organization strives to distribute $10,000 grants at least once annually, which depends on availability of funds.
Journey to Parenthood eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen residing in the U.S.
- For assisted reproduction, applicants must be receiving treatment from a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist (REI) in the U.S.
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate a stable home environment for the child while also demonstrating significant financial obstacles and need for financial assistance.
- There is a $50 application fee.
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) offers grant assistance to higher volume providers of infertility services in New York State. Approved providers have met specific eligibility criteria for the program and performance standards (as documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)), for IVF, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and Fertility Preservation Services (FPS). Insured patients who meet eligibility criteria, and whose insurance does not cover, or only partially covers, these costs can apply for the program through an approved provider.
NY DOH IVF Grants eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must reside in New York State.
- Applicants must have insurance.
- Applicants must be diagnosed with infertility (as defined by NYS insurance law).
- Applicants must have a household income less than $200,000 (total gross income before taxes received within a 12-month period by all members of a household).
To help alleviate the financial burden of infertility, Parental Hope provides financial assistance to those battling infertility through the Parental Hope Family Grant. Parental Hope offers several grant opportunities:
- IVF Grant: Covers the full cost of a standard IVF cycle to include one egg retrieval, one embryo transfer (frozen or fresh), intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and IVF education day fee at the Institute for Reproductive Health in Cincinnati, OH.
- Frozen Embryo Transfer Grant: Covers the full cost of one frozen embryo transfer (“FET”) at the Institute for Reproductive Health in Cincinnati, OH.
- Embryo Adoption & Donation Grant: Provides a one-time payment to a couple who have qualified for embryo adoption with the National Embryon Donation Center (NEDC) located in Knoxville, TN.
Parental Hope Family Grant eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
- Applicants must have an infertility diagnosis.
- Applicants must receive treatment at the Institute for Reproductive Health in Cincinnati, OH, except the Embryo Adoption Grant, which takes place at the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, TN.
- There is a $50 application fee.
Men Having Babies created The Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) as part of their mission to make building a family more affordable for gay prospective parents that need financial assistance for their surrogacy journey. GPAP annually facilitates over a million dollars worth of financial support for gay prospective parents in two forms:
- Stage I – Discounted and free services donated by more than one hundred leading IVF, surrogacy, egg donation and legal service providers to prospective parents. Also, discounted and donated complementary services including fertility medication, escrow services, and insurance resource services.
- Stage II – Cash grants provided to approved prospective parents.
GPAP of Men Having Babies eligibility requirements:
- GPAP is an income based program that supports low-income prospective parents. Men Having Babies does disclose the income threshold for eligibility as they take into account several factors including regional cost of living and age.
- Applicants must be a Supporting Member of Men Having Babies in good standing.
Nest Egg Foundation supports individuals and couples on their journey to parenthood. Each donation directly supports someone on their path to parenthood by helping cover the high cost of IVF and other fertility treatments. Grants can be used to pay for IVF only. This can include the IVF treatment cycle, embryo, egg or sperm cryopreservation, embryo testing and cycle medications. The grant will cover up to $20,000 of treatment, but applicants will be responsible for costs exceeding $20,000. Grant funding can be used at one of the two Connecticut Centers of Excellence, the Center for Advanced Reproductive Services (CARS), and Illume Fertility.
Nest Egg Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen (for at least four years) and reside in Connecticut.
- Applicants must have a medical diagnosis of primary infertility certified in writing by a medical provider except for same-sex couples and single applicants.
- Applicants must have seen a Reproductive Endocrinologist within the previous 6-9 months.
- Applicants must have an annual household income of less than $125,000 if single and $200,000 if in a domestic partnership.
Adoption grants
The $1,000 Associates Home Loan Adoption Grant was created in 2020 to assist those who are wanting to adopt but may need financial assistance in the process.
Associates Home Loan Adoption Grant eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be first-time parents.
- The award money is given to the adoption agency and the adoption agency must be a US adoption agency.
- Applicants must submit an essay explaining why they need the grant and what it means for them and their family.
- Applicants must have an approved home study.
Gift of Adoption Foundation’s mission is to provide adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances—giving them permanent families and a chance to thrive. Grants of up to $15,000 are awarded for both domestic and international adoptions as well as relative/kinship adoptions. They’re available to qualified applicants to remove financial barriers and make possible the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances in the U.S. and around the world.
Gift of Adoption Foundation eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be a U.S. citizen.
- Applicants must have an approved adoption home study from a Hague accredited agency (if international) or licensed social worker (if domestic).
- The Foundation considers annual household income, monthly income, expenses, assets, and debts when making its decision.
- For domestic adoptions, priority is given to:
- Help keep children who are in or at risk of entering the foster care system from entering the system.
- Unite biological siblings or prevent them from being separated.
- Relative, kinship, or fictive kin adoptions.
- For international adoptions, priority is given to:
- Unite or preserve biological siblings.
- Prevent a child from “aging-out” of an orphanage system.
- Prevent special needs children from being institutionalized.
- Facilitate the placement of a child with life-threatening medical conditions who will not receive proper care until adopted.
- Relative, kinship, or fictive kin adoptions.
Helpusadopt.org is a national 501(c)(3) financial grant program that helps couples and individuals (regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, marital status or sexual orientation) with the cost of their adoptions by awarding grants of up to $30,000. These grants are payable to the recipient’s licensed adoption agency or lawyer for outstanding or future expenses. Helpusadopt.org grants are intended for recipients who have financial need.
HelpUsAdopt Grant eligibility requirements:
- At least one applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
- Applicants must currently reside in the U.S. or be paying finalization fees through a licensed U.S. agency or adoption lawyer.
- Applicants must have completed a home study.
- Applicants cannot be pursuing fertility treatments or trying to conceive simultaneously with adoption plans.
- Applicants must have demonstrated significant financial obstacles and the need for financial assistance.
- Applicants must be willing to proceed with adoption plans with or without financial assistance.
- Priority is given to those without children already.
The National Adoption Foundation offers financial aid to families to help offset expenses directly associated with the adoption process and the formation of families. Families can apply for outright grants from the Foundation. Aid is available for all legal adoptions including public or private agency adoptions, international, special needs, or adoptions facilitated by an attorney.
National Adoption Foundation Grants eligibility requirements:
- There are no income requirements.
- Applicants must have completed a home study or have one in progress.
Fertility medication grants & discount programs
Compassionate Care by EMD Serono
The Compassionate Care program is offered by EMD Serono. Their patient assistance program is designed to provide savings on EMD Serono fertility medications. Patients who demonstrate financial need and have a valid prescription may qualify for 50% to 75% off the self-pay price of EMD Serono fertility medications or $10 off per unit after completing a mail-in rebate.
Compassionate Care eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must be prescribed and/or taking EMD Serono medications.
- Qualifying for the Compassionate Care program is income-based and the program does not disclose the threshold amount.
