Grant programs change their rules, award sizes and deadlines often. Every program detail on this page is marked for verification before publication, and you should confirm current terms on each program's own site before applying.
Which organizations offer grants that can be used for surrogacy?
Private Label Surrogacy points intended parents to five resources:
| Organization | What it offers | Typical award | Eligibility | Application window | Paid to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gift of Parenthood | Family-building grants [verify surrogacy is an eligible use] | Set by the program [verify current award range] | Program criteria [verify] | Set windows [verify dates] | Program rule [verify: you, clinic or agency] |
| Coalition for Family Building | Family-building grant resources [verify surrogacy is an eligible use] | Set by the program [verify] | Program criteria [verify] | Set windows [verify dates] | Program rule [verify] |
| EMD Serono | Fertility support programs [verify: may be medication support rather than a cash grant] | Program-specific [verify] | Program criteria [verify] | Program-specific [verify] | Program rule [verify] |
| FertilityIQ | Fertility information and resources [verify: may be an information resource rather than a grant] | Not a fixed award [verify] | Open to the public | Ongoing | Not applicable |
| RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association | Maintains a list of grant programs | Varies by listed program | Varies by listed program | Varies by listed program | Varies by listed program |
Links are in the Sources section where they could be confirmed.
Most fertility grants are not written for surrogacy alone, but many allow surrogacy as an eligible use. A small number are specific to surrogacy. RESOLVE's directory is the most efficient place to start a search, because it collects programs in one list.
How much do surrogacy grants pay?
Surrogacy and fertility grants typically award $2,000 to $15,000, with a few programs reaching higher.
Put that next to the cost of a journey. Intended parents typically budget $150,000 to $200,000 for surrogacy, so grants rarely cover more than 10% of a surrogacy journey. They work alongside employer benefits and financing rather than replacing them. A grant is still worth applying for: it is money you do not borrow and do not repay.
To see the scale, take a $10,000 award against a journey near the middle of the market, about $170,000. The grant covers about 6 percent of the total. Applied to a single line, it looks larger: it could cover the escrow deposit at match, a large share of the third-party costs, or part of a program fee installment. That is the useful way to think about a grant: as a specific payment you will not need to finance, rather than as a dent in the total. See financing and loans and employer benefits.
Who is eligible, and what do applications require?
Most grants require a US residence, a documented infertility or medical need, a financial statement and an essay. Some programs add requirements, such as income limits or a referral from a clinic.
A strong application is complete, specific and on time. In practice that means:
- Medical documentation from your reproductive endocrinologist explaining why you need a gestational surrogate.
- A financial statement that matches your tax returns.
- A clear cost breakdown. Use your agency's itemized fee schedule and your clinic's written estimate. PLS publishes itemized costs and can provide the documents a grant program asks for.
- An essay that answers the question asked, in plain language.
Applications most often fall short for ordinary reasons: a missing document, a cost breakdown that does not match the invoices, or an essay that does not answer the question asked. Before you submit, check each item against the program's own list, and have someone who knows your situation read the essay.
Apply to more than one program. Each award is small relative to the cost of a journey, decisions are competitive, and programs that accept surrogacy as an eligible use are a subset of fertility grants overall. Two or three well-prepared applications are a better use of time than one rushed one, and they spread the chance of an award across more application windows.
When are the application windows?
Most grant programs run application windows two to four times a year. Missing a window can delay an award by months, so put the dates on the same calendar as your surrogacy payments.
Timing matters in a second way. A surrogacy journey runs 18 to 24 months, and the large payments come at match and before medications start. A grant decided in month 3 can fund the escrow deposit at match; one decided in month 15 may arrive after the money is spent. Check whether each program funds costs already paid, or only costs still to come.
Do grants pay the agency, the clinic or you?
It depends on the program. Some grants pay the agency or clinic directly; others reimburse you. Each program sets its own rule. [Verify the payment method for each program in the table.]
If a grant pays the agency, ask the agency how it applies the money: to which installment, and with what documentation back to the grant program. If a grant pays the clinic, it reduces your clinic bill. If it reimburses you, keep every invoice and escrow statement, because the program will ask for proof.
Surrogate compensation is paid from the independent escrow account under the gestational carrier agreement, so ask any program that pays third parties whether it can pay into escrow. [Verify whether any listed program allows escrow funding.]
Once you receive an award, tell your agency and your escrow agent how and when the money will arrive, so it is applied to the right payment. Keep the award letter with your journey records. Grants are usually not taxable to the recipient, but treatment depends on how the program is structured, so confirm with a CPA.
What other sources exist for military, LGBTQ+ and cancer-survivor families?
Some families have options beyond general grants:
- Military families. PLS's proposed Cycle Management program, for parents who bring their own surrogate, is $12,500 for military families instead of $15,000. Confirm current schedule. Ask your benefits office about fertility coverage as well.
- LGBTQ+ families. Some grant programs and employer benefits are designed with gay intended fathers in mind. [Men Having Babies GPAP: add only after checking the current program.]
- Cancer survivors. Some programs focus on survivors whose treatment affected fertility. [Baby Quest and survivor-focused programs: add only after checking current programs.]
RESOLVE's directory is the place to check each category.
How does PLS help with grant applications?
PLS does not award grants, and it does not take a fee from any grant program. What it does is make your application easier and more accurate:
- Itemized documents. The PLS fee schedule, invoices and the escrow statements from your independent escrow agent, in the form programs ask for.
- Timing. PLS can help you line up grant windows with the payment schedule, so an award arrives when it is useful.
- Referrals. PLS points you to the five resources above and to RESOLVE's directory.
If you have a question about a specific program before you apply, SurrogacyHotline.com, PLS's sister site, answers questions free, usually within 24 to 48 hours. See also surrogacy tax questions, since grants and reimbursements can have tax consequences, and surrogacy versus adoption costs.
Sources
- RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, grant directory: resolve.org
- FertilityIQ: fertilityiq.com
- Gift of Parenthood, Coalition for Family Building, EMD Serono: [verify each program's current URL]