As a community of people who have been touched by the miracle of adoption, Tapestry is called to play an active role in helping others who desire to pursue adoption. However, for many the financial challenges associated with adoption are one of the greatest obstacles they must navigate while traveling the adoption journey. In response, we established the Tapestry Adoption Assistance Fund in late 2006 with a simple goal – to help as many children and families experience the blessing of adoption as our collective resources will allow.
Tapestry has partnered with Lifesong for Orphans (formerly Life International), a non-profit orphan care and adoption ministry that helps many local churches across the country create and administer adoption assistance funds. Through this partnership the Tapestry Fund provides matching grants and/or interest-free covenant loans to applicants who meet the established parameters of the fund. Tapestry is responsible for establishing the vision and direction for the fund as well as making known the opportunity to contribute financially. Lifesong is exclusively charged with handling the application process (and all confidential financial information involved) and provides all of the administrative and operational support needed to evaluate applicants, make decisions regarding grants and loans and handle all contributions and disbursements.
As it relates to the Tapestry Adoption Assistance Fund, one of the Tapestry leaders is the primary contact for all communications with fund applicants prior to the submission of their application and then after an award is made. This leader also serves as the interface with church leadership and with the Lifesong team. Different approaches in creating and maintaining an adoption fund will require different key roles (e.g., a separate tax-exempt entity will be required to maintain officers and a formal board of directors).
Depends on the approach employed. Those pursuing the separate tax-exempt entity approach will incur costs to organize the legal entity and obtain tax-exempt status, which included filing fees and potentially legal fees. Regarding those pursing making a church adoption fund part of their church budget or working with a third party ministry, the financial costs are generally nominal, although some churches choose to contribute from their budget to help start or add to the balance of the church adoption fund. By frame of reference, no out-of-pocket costs have been incurred to date in the creation or operation of the Tapestry Adoption Assistance Fund.
Watch as Michael and Monroe and others talk about how God has used the Tapestry Adoption Assistance Fund to bless the lives of children and families.
Copyright 2008 Tapestry, a ministry of Irving Bible Church
Also Found In: Resources for Churches, Starting a Fund, Strategy Guides