Foster Adopt Minnesota

What Foster Adopt Minnesota does

Foster Adopt Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 that operates as a state-contracted social services agency under the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The organization provides non-placement support services for foster, adoptive, and kinship families across Minnesota, with a programmatic focus on permanency outcomes for children in the state's foster care system. In 2023, 810 children were adopted from Minnesota foster care, and the state foster care population stood at approximately 6,150 youth on any given day. The organization does not charge families for services; instead, it is funded through a DCYF Permanency Support Services Grant, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising.

The organization runs a portfolio of programs including Zero Kids Waiting (a teen adoption initiative), HELP Program (matching waiting children with families), an Education Program, Post-Permanency Navigator, Post Search, State Adoption Exchange, and the Permanency Services Resource Hub. Its digital infrastructure is built on a WordPress-based website with GTranslate multilingual support, Network for Good donation processing, and an extensive content library of 150+ podcast episodes. Foster Adopt Minnesota maintains a 40-year media partnership with KSTP-TV and has built a 15,000+ newsletter readership, distributing educational content to families and the broader public across all 87 Minnesota counties and tribal nations.

The business model is a hybrid of state-contracted service delivery and charitable fundraising. Revenue is generated through the DCYF Permanency Support Services Grant, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and event-based fundraising. The organization serves Minnesota's 87 counties and tribal nations, supporting a foster care population of approximately 6,150 youth on any given day. The organization is highly dependent on continued state contract renewal and on maintaining donor and sponsor pipeline to sustain its operational scale.

Name

Foster Adopt Minnesota

Legal name

Foster Adopt Minnesota

Website

https://fosteradoptmn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foster Adopt Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and state-contracted agency that provides non-placement support services for foster, adoptive, and kinship families across Minnesota's 87 counties, funded through a DCYF grant, donations, and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Adoption services
• Kinship care support
• Child welfare resources
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Contract Revenue: Primary funding through Permanency Support Services Grant administered by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), which supports services for kinship, foster, and adoptive communities
2. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, monthly giving program, and support campaigns including Back-to-School Shopping Event
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for annual 5K Fun Run event (Gold $1000, Silver $500, Bronze $250 tiers)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Foster Adopt Minnesota is a Minnesota-based non-placing agency that provides foster care, adoption, and kinship care information, education, referral, and support services to families and child welfare professionals statewide under contract with the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). It operates the State Adoption Exchange (SAE) and related resource hubs but does not directly place children in homes; instead it serves as a neutral, independent statewide resource.

Product overview

Foster Adopt Minnesota (FAM) is a non-placing agency providing a coordinated suite of programs and services to support adoptive, foster, and kinship families in Minnesota. The organization operates a multi-program architecture centered on the Zero Kids Waiting Program (information gateway), HELP Program (warmline/clinical support), Education Program (training/workshops/podcasts), Post-Permanency Navigator Program (post-adoption support), Post Search Program (records/search assistance), and State Adoption Exchange (online child recruitment). Additional offerings include the Therapist Directory, monthly Insider Newsletter, annual Back-to-School Shopping Event, and 5K Fun Run fundraiser. The organization also maintains the Permanency Services Resource Hub as a statewide information referral system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zero Kids Waiting Program: Gateway to information about adoption, foster and kinship care in Minnesota, helping connect children and youth in need of permanency with families through outreach and advocacy.
• HELP Program
• Post-Permanency Navigator Program
• Post Search Program
• Education Program
• Fostering Network Program

Products and services

• State Adoption Exchange (SAE) Statewide database and matching resource connecting waiting children with prospective adoptive and foster families across Minnesota.

Quantifiable outcome

• 810 children adopted from Minnesota foster care system in 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Primary government funding partner administering the Permanency Support Services Grant which funds programs and services for Minnesota's kinship, foster, and adoptive communities. This state contract supports statewide centralized pre- and post-permanency supports.
• WJON/TSM St. CloudminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 20245-part radio series featuring Executive Director Rachel Walstad and staff members discussing foster care, adoption, and organization services to spread awareness in Central Minnesota communities.
• Human Rights Campaign Foundation - All Children-All Families (ACAF) ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership of 172 child welfare organizations working to improve services for LGBTQ+ community, including children in foster care and prospective parents. Multi-organization partnership assessed 9,500+ policies and practices benefiting 1.4 million+ children across 43 states.
• Minnesota County and Tribal AgenciescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Partnership with all 87 Minnesota County Social/Human Service divisions and tribal social service agencies for foster care licensing referrals, placement coordination, and child welfare service delivery statewide.
• North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Historical collaboration through MN ASAP (Minnesota Adoption Support and Preservation) contract to offer post-adoption resources, referrals, training, and support groups. While MN ASAP contract ended in 2009, both organizations continue to provide complementary post-adoption services.
• KSTP-TV (5 Eyewitness News)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 198340-year media partnership featuring weekly Minnesota Live segment interviewing professionals and raising awareness about waiting children. This collaboration began with Thursday's Child television feature and evolved into current Kid Connection segments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AdoptUsKids: Federal government-funded adoption information clearinghouse that maintains an online photo listing and recruitment exchange for waiting children in foster care — directly analogous to FAM's State Adoption Exchange, but at the national level.
• Children's Home Society of Minnesota: Minnesota-headquartered nonprofit providing adoption, foster care, and family support services across the same state as FAM, with overlapping programs in adoption, post-permanency support, and child welfare.
• North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC): National nonprofit focused on adoption support and preservation that has had a historical partnership with FAM through the MN ASAP program and serves comparable post-adoption, training, and advocacy functions.
• Voice for Adoption: National advocacy nonprofit promoting adoption from foster care that engages in policy, education, and outreach comparable to FAM's community awareness and media-driven recruitment work.

Broad incumbents

• Bethany Christian Services: Large national child welfare agency offering foster care, adoption, and pregnancy services with an overlapping service portfolio, but operating at national scale across many states including Minnesota.
• Holt International Children's Services: Established international and domestic adoption agency with post-adoption support programs, operating at much larger scale and broader scope than FAM but addressing the same permanency-and-support mission.
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: National nonprofit foundation focused on finding permanent homes for children in foster care, including the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program that recruits foster/adoptive parents — overlapping mission with FAM's recruitment work.
• Children's Home Society of America: National federation of child welfare organizations providing adoption, foster care, and family services across many states, with overlapping adoption-recruitment and post-permanency support functions.

Regional players

• Children's Home & Aid: Illinois-based child welfare nonprofit offering foster care, adoption, and family support services across the Midwest with a comparable service mix, but operating primarily outside Minnesota's territory.
• Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota: Minnesota-based social services provider offering adoption, foster care, and refugee services within the same state, addressing overlapping child welfare populations and competing for similar county and state relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fosteradoptmn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fosteradoptmn
• Facebookfacebook.com/fosteradoptmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fosteradoptmn
• Instagraminstagram.com/fosteradoptmn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foster Adopt Minnesota