Adoption Center

What Adoption Center does

Adoption Center is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 1972 that connects youth in foster care with permanent adoptive families and supportive mentors. Operating across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, the organization runs four core programs: AdoptMatch (an online matching platform that registers prospective adoptive families and connects them with partner agencies able to meet their needs); Match Events (live and virtual events where youth in care meet prospective families, with a stated 60% success rate in connecting participants to families and an average of 7 matches per event); Media Recruitment (recurring earned-media placements including NBC10's Wednesday's Child segment, weekly columns in the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News/Tribune, KYW Newsradio features, and Parenting Special Needs Magazine that amplify youth stories); and The Anchor Project (a community-based mentorship program for foster youth ages 12+ at risk of aging out). The organization complements these programs with an extensive adoption-education resource library covering topics from financing and legal frameworks to a glossary and a 10-step adoption guide.

The underlying technology footprint is modest: AdoptMatch functions as a lightweight matching platform but the disclosures provide no detail on architecture, integrations, APIs, or AI/ML features, and the accessibility statement indicates partial WCAG 2.0 AA conformance with known limitations on the home-page logo slider. The organization operates with a small core team (approximately 11-50 employees based on disclosed leadership including Executive Director Dominique McFadden, Development Manager Michael Lane, and Manager of Operations/Digital & Social Media Alexandra Buczek) and is governed by a board drawn from companies including Comcast, Accenture, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Firstrust Bank, Dillon Capital Management, and Modulus Valuation Group.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropy: individual donations tiered from $25 (one young person story recruitment) up to $5,000 (Match Event underwriting), corporate sponsorships, event-based fundraising (annual Superhero Reception and Winter Wishes campaign), and alternative giving instruments including cryptocurrency, stocks, and donor-advised funds. No earned revenue from service fees, government contracts, or product sales is disclosed. Outcomes tracked since 1972 include nearly 25,000 family connections made, over 1,000 youth stories amplified, and over 6,000 prospective families connected with partner agencies.

Name

Adoption Center

Legal name

Adoption Center

Website

https://adopt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adoption Center is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, founded in 1972, that connects youth in foster care across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware with permanent adoptive families via its AdoptMatch online platform, live and virtual Match Events, media-recruitment partnerships, and mentorship programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care Adoption Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Foster care adoption
• Adoption matching services
• Youth mentorship programs
• Nonprofit adoption services
• Adoption education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations at various levels ($25-$5,000), corporate sponsorships, event sponsorships, and fundraising campaigns such as Winter Wishes and Superhero Reception.
2. Alternative Giving Options: Accepts cryptocurrency, stocks, and donor-advised fund (DAF) contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Adoption Center is a nonprofit service organization that connects youth in foster care (primarily ages 8+ across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware) with prospective adoptive families. Its core services include the AdoptMatch online matching platform that pairs prospective adopters with adoption agencies, in-person and virtual Match Events that bring youth and families together, Media Recruitment programs that amplify youth stories across TV/radio/print, and The Anchor Project mentorship program for foster youth ages 12+.

Product overview

Adoption Center is a nonprofit organization operating as a service provider focused on foster care adoption across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Rather than a unified software platform, the organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and resources. The core offerings include AdoptMatch, an online matching platform that connects prospective adoptive families with agencies; Match Events that bring youth and families together; The Anchor Project mentorship program; and Media Recruitment services. These programs are supported by an extensive Adoption Resources library providing educational content including the 10 Steps to Adoption guide, Types of Adoption information, Adoption Laws resources, Financing Adoption guidance, Who Can Adopt eligibility information, an Adoption Glossary, and Foster Care education. The organization also hosts fundraising events including the Superhero Reception and Winter Wishes campaign. Together, these services form an ecosystem designed to support youth in foster care ages 8+ (including those with disabilities, mental or emotional challenges, and sibling groups) in finding permanent families and supportive connections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AdoptMatch

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 25,000 connections created
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Human Rights Campaign (All Children, All Families Program)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Co-created the All Children, All Families program in 2007 to promote LGBTQ+ inclusive adoption practices.
• NBC10 (Wednesday's Child)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTwice-weekly television segment featuring youth in foster care seeking forever families. Media partnership to amplify youth stories and reach prospective parents.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, and TribunecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly columns featuring youth stories in major Philadelphia publications.
• KYW NewsradiocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWeekly radio features highlighting youth in foster care seeking families.
• Parenting Special Needs MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBi-monthly features in magazine targeting parents of children with special needs.
• AdoptUSKids (Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2002 to launch and enhance AdoptUSKids website featuring thousands of kids in foster care available for adoption.
• Adoption Agencies in PA, NJ, DEcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner network of agencies throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware who share the mission of building forever connections for youth in care.
• Wisdom (Event Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for Superhero Reception fundraising event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Raise the Future: National nonprofit formerly known as Children Awaiting Parents, focused on finding permanent families for waiting children, especially older youth and those with special needs. Directly comparable on target demographic and recruitment-driven model.
• Gladney Center for Adoption: Established nonprofit adoption agency providing domestic, international, and foster care adoption services plus post-adoption support. Comparable as a multi-program, multi-service adoption nonprofit with education and matching components.
• The Adoption Exchange: Nonprofit that recruits families for children in foster care, particularly older youth and sibling groups. Highly comparable on target population (waiting children, especially those at risk of aging out) and use of media and events for recruitment.
• AdoptUSKids: Federally supported national photolisting and matching service for children in foster care awaiting adoption. Adoption Center co-created AdoptUSKids with HHS in 2002, and the two operate overlapping missions connecting waiting children with adoptive families.
• Spence-Chapin: Long-running nonprofit adoption agency offering domestic and international adoption, support services, and post-adoption resources. Comparable as a multi-program nonprofit providing education, matching, and family support across a multi-state catchment.
• Children's Home Society of California: Nonprofit child and family services organization providing adoption, foster care, and related family support programs. Similar mission and service portfolio to Adoption Center, though anchored on the West Coast.

Emerging players

• Together We Adopt: Nonprofit initiative focused on building awareness and reducing barriers for prospective adoptive families. Overlaps with Adoption Center's education and recruitment work, particularly for older-child and foster care adoption.

Broad incumbents

• National Council For Adoption: National advocacy and umbrella organization for adoption policy, education, and practice. Adjacent in mission — Adoption Center delivers programs; NCFA sets policy and convenes agencies — making it a strategic peer for collaboration and sector positioning.

Others

• Children's Bureau (U.S. HHS): Federal agency within HHS that funds and oversees child welfare, foster care, and adoption programs. Adoption Center has a deep working relationship through AdoptUSKids, making the Bureau a key ecosystem partner/funder rather than a direct competitor.
• Human Rights Campaign (All Children, All Families): Civil rights organization whose All Children, All Families program Adoption Center co-created in 2007 to promote LGBTQ+ inclusive adoption. Functions as a programmatic partner and external validator rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adoptctr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adoption Center