Plan on 4 to 6 weeks. We try to move quickly, but the number of applications received takes time.

Contact us. We do everything in our power to be flexible and helpful.

As it relates to Lifesong Canada specific grants/loans, we are only able to provide one grant/loan per family. Funding does not allow us to approve a Lifesong Canada 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.

You will be assigned a family account number upon approval. Please refer to or include this account number in all correspondence to Lifesong Canada.

• Give online: Direct your friends and families to lifesongcanada.org/donate. Have them enter your family’s last name or account number.
• Give by e-transfer: Please have your friends and families send an e-transfer to donate@lifesongcanada.org – have them enter your family’s last name or account number.

Lifesong Canada will automatically send receipts for pure donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more. Receipts for donations to Lifesong under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.

Lifesong for Orphans Canada is unable to provide tax-deductible receipts for auctions, raffles, and other fundraisers involving the exchange of goods and/or services. However, the proceeds from these fundraisers could be sent to Lifesong following one of the two ways noted below:

• You can have a friend or family member write one cheque to Lifesong for Orphans Canada for the total funds raised at this fundraiser. They must include a note that the funds are from a fundraiser and no tax-deductible receipt should be given.
• You can send a bank cheque if your name is nowhere on the check. You must include a note that the funds are from a fundraiser and no tax-deductible receipt should be given.
  You are not able to donate to your own account.

• Due to payment processing procedures, ALL online donations through the website take 3-6 business days to show up on your donation report.
• Donations via e-transfer take 2-3 business days to show up on your donation report.
• Cheques received in the mail are posted weekly to individual accounts. Please note, it may take longer than you expect for the mail to arrive.

If there is a holiday or a weekend, it will postpone processing by an additional day.

The following list is not all-inclusive:

• Reimbursable: includes reasonable and necessary expenses directly related to the adoption such as court fees, home study fees, agency fees, lawyer fees, and postage.
  • Airfare for two adults (usually parents) plus the adoptive child[ren] when making in-country visits or for flights within Canada for domestic adoptions.
  • Travel expenses including lodging and transportation are reimbursable but we cannot reimburse for food.
• Not Reimbursable: fundraising expenses, food, convenience fees, beds, diapers, and medical expenses when the child is home

• Lifesong Canada disburses your funds to pay for qualifying, adoption-related expenses.
• You may submit your requests for funds to the Family Account Manager via email at adoption@lifesongcanada.org.
• When you email receipts, please use .pdf files.
• Payment is always made based on available funds.
• If you want the payment to go to a provider:
  • Specify the purpose and amount.
  • Upload a copy of the invoice/document showing what is owed.
  • Make sure the document you upload includes the mailing AND email address of the recipient.
  • Lifesong Canada does not wire money overseas. Please 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 Canada will send payment to the agency.
  • 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 Canada before payment can be made. Please send the W9 directly to the Family Account Manager.
• If you want to be personally reimbursed:
  • Specify the purpose and amount for each expense.
  • Submit receipts as proof of payment. If you do not have a receipt, you can pair an invoice with a bank statement or front and back of a cheque to serve as a receipt.
  • For airfare, you must submit the itinerary showing name/dates/flights/ticketed—usually, it shows how the payment was made which is then proof of payment.
  • We require documentation that will satisfy the CRA.

• Lifesong Canada will send a cheque by default for payment.
• Lifesong Canada can also send funds by e-transfer.
• Lifesong Canada can also do a bank transfer if you provide your bank name, address, routing, and account number.

• Your account remains open to receive donations until your child is home or the adoption is complete, even if it carries a zero balance, according to whichever of the following conditions occurs first:
  • The adoption is “legally complete,” whether that occurs overseas or in Canada.
  • A maximum of one year after the child is in the home if the adoption is still not complete.

• Due to our standing with the CRA, funds can only be sent from your account for your adoption expenses.
• If you have been fully reimbursed and there are no more payments to be made, any extra funds will go to support another active adoptive family.

• Lifesong Canada does not send any special year-end reports. A final account report, showing donations and payments, 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.

Expenses covered for adopted child(ren), parents, or siblings include:

• Counseling fees such as EMDR, Neurofeedback and other therapies
• In-Home Intensive Care and Training
• Resources to help you learn, grow in relational based, trauma competent parenting
• Approved training for parents including conferences like Refresh, Hope for the Journey, etc.

The grant may not be used for medical treatments.

• Lifesong Canada disburses your funds to pay for qualifying, counseling-related expenses.
• You may submit your requests for funds to the Family Account Manager via email at adoption@lifesongcanada.org.
• When you email receipts, please use .pdf files.
• Payment is always made based on available funds.

• If you want the payment to go to a provider:
  • Specify the purpose and amount.
  • Upload a copy of the invoice/document showing what is owed.
  • Make sure the document you upload includes the mailing AND email address of the recipient.

• If you want to be personally reimbursed:
  • Specify the purpose and amount for each expense.
  • Submit receipts as proof of payment. If you do not have a receipt, you can pair an invoice with a bank statement or front and back of a cheque to serve as a receipt.
  • We require documentation that will satisfy the CRA.

• Your account remains open for two years. At that time, you will be contacted to see if you are ready to close your account or if you would like your fund-raising ability through Lifesong Canada to continue.
• If you want to close your account before two years, please let the Family Account Manager know.