Hi everyone,

We’re writing to share something deeply personal — and to ask for your support as we take a hopeful step toward building our family.

For the past seven years, my wife and I have dreamed of becoming parents. After countless doctor visits, procedures, and prayers, we’ve come to accept that we won’t be able to have children biologically. This has been one of the hardest realities we’ve ever faced, but through it all, our desire to share our love with a child has only grown stronger.

After carefully considering every option, we know in our hearts that adoption is the path meant for us. It’s a journey filled with hope, excitement, and faith — but also one that comes with overwhelming costs. Adoption expenses can range from $30,000 to $50,000 or more, covering agency fees, legal processes, home studies, travel, and other necessary steps to ensure everything is done ethically and safely for the child.

We’ve been saving and preparing for this dream for years, but the truth is, we can’t do this alone. We need the support of friends, family, and kindhearted strangers to help make this dream a reality.

Whether you’re able to give financially, share our story, or simply keep us in your thoughts and prayers, it means the world to us. One day, we’ll be able to tell our future child about the incredible community of people who helped bring them home.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of this journey with us.

With love and gratitude,

Rachel and Ben Feight

For a better break down of the costs:

Schedule of Fees

Step 1: Preliminary Application – $995 fee

The very first step to get started with American Adoptions after a consultation is to complete and submit our preliminary application, along with the $995 application fee.

If you’re ready to get started, the first step would be to complete the placement services application. You can complete this in your online account under the “Placement Services Application” tab. If you do not already have an online account, please let me know and I’ll get one set up for you.

Step 2: Preliminary Processes

After submission of the application, a family will receive access to their own personal adoption account filled with numerous educational materials and resources that, along with guidance from their Adoption

Coordinator, will help guide them in completing all steps necessary to become an active family. Adoption Planning Questionnaire (APQ) and review - (No fee) Each family joining American Adoptions establishes their own individual adoption plan via our questionnaire. This information is then compared to each prospective birth parent situation to determine if the adoption opportunity would be a good fit for your family and vice versa. This effectively allows us to pre-screen our expectant mothers and ensure your family’s profiles will be presented to situations you are comfortable with. The APQ review ultimately determines if American Adoptions is the right fit for each family and if the family is a good fit for American Adoptions. After APQ review and application approval, the remaining steps may be completed in any order and simultaneously. We recommend that families work on all steps simultaneously for more efficiency.

Home study review – $300 fee OR

American Adoptions home study – fee varies by state

If your home study is completed by another agency, American Adoptions completes a review to ensure it meets nationwide standards. Our staff will review your home study, gather supporting documents and, if necessary, coordinate with your home study provider to complete an addendum or update to ensure your home study includes all necessary information. This will help to prevent delays in the adoption process later on. If your family resides in a state where American Adoptions is licensed, we’d love to complete your home study for you. Having our agency complete your home study will be the most efficient and cost effective option for your family when working with our agency. We can complete home studies for families who choose another professional also. Your first step in this process is to complete the home study application and return it with the home study fee. Your family will be assigned a home study social worker who will complete the home study and assist you with collecting all necessary supporting documents. Click here to get information about home study information by state.

Adoptive family print/online profile development – No fee

Your adoption profile is your opportunity to form a connection with potential birth mothers. American Adoptions’ in-house media specialists will create your family’s print and online profiles to ensure you are making the best impression possible. You will be provided a profile development kit and guidelines for

selecting photos and submitting text to be used in your profile. Your media specialist, with the assistance of your Specialist, will provide edits, feedback and suggestions before designing your profile.

You will receive a draft of your print profile to review and approve before it is finalized.

Adoptive family video profile development – $1,995 fee

Each family joining American Adoptions will also create a video profile. This profile expands on qualities shown in your print/online profile and allows prospective birth parents to connect with your family on a

much more personal level. In order to assist each family and ensure the best-quality profile, we have established a step-by- step process where your footage is edited and profile is created by a professional

media company. They will provide you with a helpful guide to assist you in creating the quality footage necessary to create an amazing profile.

Step 3: Becoming Active

After a family has completed the necessary steps outlined above, they will be ready to become an active family and begin having their profiles shared with prospective birth parents. At this time, activation

agreements and upfront marketing and activation fees will be due.

Activation fee – $5,500

Families joining American Adoptions pay an activation fee prior to their profile being shown to potential adoption situations. The activation fee is designed to cover a variety of general personnel and overhead expenses associated with a family joining our agency. This is a one-time fee that remains in effect until you successfully adopt with our agency and is included in the total adoption budget.

Online Marketing Services fee – $18,750*

The online marketing service fee is set aside for advertising nationwide through a variety of methods, including internet searches and ads, search engine optimization, social media marketing, etc. The online

marketing services fee is a one-time fee that remains in effect until you successfully adopt with our agency and is included in the overall adoption budget. Click here to see more of the services this fee

helps cover. *American Family Media offers a cash discount to families for this fee. If a family pays with cash, the fee is $18,250.

Step 4: Waiting Active Family

Once active, your profile will be shared with expectant mothers considering adoption and your Adoptive Family Specialist will be available to provide support, guidance and support throughout your adoption journey. The remainder of your adoption fees and costs will not be due until a prospective birth mother selects your family and you accept the adoption opportunity. At that time, we will know the specifics of your particular adoption situation and provide you with a full itemization of the estimated fees associated with your adoption opportunity and how they relate to the opportunity budget set in your APQ. All fees paid in for your opportunity will be held in a prepaid expense account and should the opportunity not lead to a successful adoption, the fees will be returned to you for your next adoption opportunity as outlined in our risk sharing program.

"Regarding fees, the vast majority of our situations right now are occurring within the range of $80,000-$85,000. The range itself also includes the potential living expenses, medical expenses and legal fees involved in the adoption. The only things we exclude would be anything home study related and your travel."- Justin King, Adoptive Family Coordinator; American Adoptions