Frequently Asked Questions
Here you’ll find some helpful answers to common questions. Whether you are researching adoption financial assistance options or are a family approved by Lifesong, we hope you’ll find some quick answers. You may also contact us via email or by phone 309.747.4527 between 8 am – 4 pm CST. Click the link below to move to the specific category of question. Contact us. We do everything in our power to be flexible and helpful. As it relates to Lifesong-specific grants/loans, we are only able to provide one grant/loan per family. Funding does not allow us to approve a Lifesong grant and a church fund grant, for instance. You are welcome to send a letter from another pastor who knows your family well. Also, an elder/board member, your small group leader, or a Sunday School teacher from your church can write the letter. Each situation is unique. Feel free to contact us with the specifics of your situation. NOTE: Please include your family number in ALL correspondence (including emails) to Lifesong as this is how your information is found. If you have an adoption account, the counseling information below is not applicable. If you have a counseling account, the adoption information below is not applicable. If you need something urgently, please call the Family Account Manager at 309.747.4517 between 8 am – 4 pm CST. Please do NOT depend on email. Due to a large volume of communications, emails are answered in the order received, so it may be a day or two before your email is read. Usually checks received in the mail are posted daily to individual accounts. However, if there is a large volume of checks, it may take more than a day before donations show up in your account. Please note, Gridley is a small, rural community in Central Illinois, so it may take longer than you expect for the mail to arrive. Due to payment processing procedures, ALL online donations (myStory and Lifesong.org) take 3-6 days to show up on your donation report. (If there is a holiday, it will postpone processing by an additional day.) Donations from Gobena coffee sales will be posted once a month to your family report, usually by the 15thof the month for the previous month’s sales. NOTE: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DONATE MONEY TO YOUR OWN ACCOUNT! Lifesong automatically sends receipts for individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 that come directly to Lifesong for Orphans via check or the Lifesong website donation page. Money coming through a third party (such as GoFundMe or Facebook) cannot be receipted. Receipts for donations to Lifesong under $50 will gladly be sent upon request. PLEASE inform the Family Account Manager when the adoption is complete, so the file may be closed and any monies left in your account may be paid out. There are two ways to access your funds: NOTE: If you want the payment to go to an attorney, an individual (rather than a company), or an LLC (limited liability company), a W-9 needs to be on file with Lifesong before payment can be made. Please ask the attorney/individual to submit the W-9 to you, and then you forward it to me along with the document for payment. NOTE: If you submit foreign receipts, you need to include the exchange rate and convert the foreign currency to U.S. dollars in the appropriate columns on the reimbursement form. Normally Lifesong will send a check. If you need to have money sent electronically in an emergency that can be done. A fee is charged against your account for the transaction, which is usually $10. When requesting an electronic fund transfer, you need to provide the bank name and address, the routing number of the bank (please be sure to confirm the number with the bank; don’t assume it’s correct on your check), the bank account number, and the name(s) on the account. The following is not all-inclusive: Counseling fees. These could be counseling directly for your adopted child(ren) or potentially for yourselves or for siblings in certain circumstances. Other possible uses for the grant may include: Lifesong does not wire money overseas. You must make arrangements with your agency if that is needed. If the agency agrees to wire funds, you may submit the agency’s invoice for the overseas expenses, and Lifesong will send payment to the agency. The best way to access funds for overseas use is to submit receipts for adoption expenses you have already paid for, so a check can be sent to you. That will provide you with money to use for travel. Lifesong’s policy is to review a family file one time for financial assistance since more families submit applications than Lifesong has funds available to help. Once a decision has been made on your adoption, no further assistance will be available. However, if you wanted to do a Both Hands project, use Gobena fund raising, or use myStory, that would be fine. Lifesong does not send any special year-end reports. Your online report shows donations and payments. You may want to keep the most current copy for your tax records as well as keep originals of all receipts/invoices submitted to Lifesong for reimbursement/payment, so you can match them to the account update. A final account report will be sent to you when your adoption is complete and your file is closed. You may find it advantageous to consult with a CPA or tax attorney at the beginning of your adoption regarding your personal tax situation, how to best utilize your funds, and how the adoption tax credit applies to your individual situation. Becky Wilmoth at Bill’s Tax Service, 501 W. Broadway, Centralia, IL 62801, phone (618) 532-7223 will be glad to answer your questions regarding the Adoption Tax Credit. A. If you want a payment to go to a provider: 1. Send a copy of the invoice or document showing what is owed. a. your name Note: If you want Lifesong to send payment to an attorney or an individual (rather than a company), or an LLC (limited liability company) a W-9 needs to be on file with Lifesong before payment can be made. Please request the attorney/individual to submit the W-9 to you and then forward it to the Family Account Manager along with the invoice for payment. B. If you want to be reimbursed for expenses you have paid: 1. Complete the Counseling Expenses Reimbursement Form. Which will be sent to you once you have been approved. NOTE: If you submit foreign receipts, you need to include the exchange rate and convert the foreign currency to U.S. dollars in the appropriate columns on the reimbursement form. 2. Submit proof of payment (receipts or cancelled checks including both the front and back of the check or bank statement documentation proving the check was processed). Documentation that would satisfy the IRS is what you need to submit. Be sure to send copies and keep the originals for your records. 3. Number your receipts to match the numbered lines on the Reimbursement Form beginning with #1. D. You may submit your requests for your funds to the Family Account Manager via email, fax (309.747.4647), or regular mail (Lifesong for Orphans, Attn: Family Account Manager, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744). If you email receipts, please use .pdf files if possible. Taking photos of receipts and attaching them as .jpg files may also work. Please confirm the .pdf and .jpg files are legible before sending. E. Payment is always made based on your available funds. F. Reimbursements/payments are sent daily. Counseling fees. These could be counseling directly for your adopted child(ren) or potentially for yourselves or for siblings in certain circumstances. Other possible uses for the grant may include: The grant may not be used for medical treatments/therapies. Quick Guide
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Families Applying for Financial Assistance 2. What if we need to expedite the review process? (For instance, we learned that we could have a child placed in our home much sooner than originally expected.)
3. Can I apply for more than one grant/loan?
4. What if we can’t send the required pastoral letter of recommendation with the application? (For instance, my husband is the pastor.)
5. We are in the process of adopting a child who is already in our home because of foster care. Can we apply for adoption funding?
Important Account Information
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Approved Adoptive Families 2. How do I find out how much has been donated to my account?
3. How long does it take for donations to show up in my fund?
4. How are donations handled for fundraisers?
5. Who receives receipts for donating to my account?
6. How long does my account stay open?
Adoption Accounts:
Counseling Accounts:
7. How do I access my funds (loans, matching grant, direct grant, donations)?
8. What method of payment does Lifesong use?
9. What expenses are reimbursable and not reimbursable?
Adoption Accounts
Counseling Accounts
10. How do I pay for expenses overseas?
11. Will Lifesong reconsider the financial assistance that has been approved for my adoption?
12. Does Lifesong send any documentation for our tax records?
13. Who can I talk with to learn more about the Adoption Tax Credit?
14. Who can I talk with to learn more about airfare?
Some answers differ for families receiving support for post-adoptive counseling. See below for more information.
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Post-Adoptive Counseling Families 2. How do I access my funds (loan, matching grant, direct grant, donation)?
2. In your email, state you want the Family Account Manager (see contact info in section D below) to make the payment on your behalf and provide:
b. your family number
c. who to pay, including the mailing address if not on the invoice
d. the total amount to be paid from your account 3. What expenses are reimbursable?