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National Council for Adoption

EIN 75-1721671 · Alexandria, VA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood81 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Passionately committed to the belief that every child deserves to thrive in a nurturing, permanent family. National Council for Adoption's mission is to meet the diverse needs of children, expectant parents, birth parents, adopted individuals, adoptive families, and all those touched by adoption through global advocacy, education, research, legislative action, and collaboration.

Income
$1.7 million
Spending
$1.5 million
Spent on programs
72%
Reserves
5.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 50%
Employees
12
Volunteers
21
Highest pay
$194,111, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 81 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 15% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 74% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    72% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 15 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    19 of 19 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (5)
  1. $284,616 spent. Conference - NCFA through its annual conference offers continuing education and high-caliber training to professionals from the adoption, social work, and child welfare communities who all share a common commitment to helping children thrive in nurturing, permanent families. The annual conference is an opportunity to highlight NCFA's research projects and findings done in cooperation with adoption researchers across the country.
  2. $198,451 spent. Adoption-Sensitive Clinical Care project - This grant program is designed to help hospital-based staff understand and support the complex needs of expectant parents facing unintended pregnancies as well as those in the process of making an adoption plan for their child. With the guidance of a national advisory committee and the oversight of the federal Children's Bureau, the project team has updated and delivered the Understanding Infant Adoption curriculum online in the first of four different training lengths, as well as developed recommendations for three shorter training lengths, all of which will confer continuing medical education and social work continuing education credits for those who complete the training. The project team has updated and received federal approval to deliver six supplemental deep-dives into adoption-related topics and drafted two new supplemental modules. Data is being collected throughout the project to measure its effectiveness.
  3. $146,008 spent. Education and communication - NCFA offers free and low-cost webinars to expectant and current adoptive parents, adoption professionals, and other interested parties, training more than 3,000 people each year. NCFA also carries out communications campaigns to help the public better understand adoption and the needs of adoption families, communicating through national, regional, local, and special-interest media. NCFA provides social work CE through webinars and our conference, equipping social workers with high-quality, adoption-competent material. NCFA's e-publication of topical articles, the adoption advocate, offers critical information on relevant topics for those connected to adoption.
  4. $409,289 spent. Various other programs including: Research, Legislative Action, National Training and Development Curriculum, and General Programs.
  5. $59,936 spent. Constituent Services- NCFA serves our member adoption agencies and attorneys, with education, networking, and advocacy resources. We participated in meetings with congressional staff, federal government personnel, think-tanks, institutions of higher learning, and others in the education and child welfare-oriented community.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending April 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since October 1980.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.