Adoptee-Led Organizations

Resources for Adoptees:

Organizations created by adoptees for adoptees are vital because they provide a space where individuals who have shared experiences can connect, support each other, and advocate for their own needs in ways that external organizations may not fully understand.

These adoptee-led groups are uniquely positioned to address the nuanced challenges of adoption from an insider perspective, offering tailored resources, emotional support, and a platform for meaningful change. By centering the voices of adoptees, these organizations ensure that advocacy efforts are authentically aligned with the lived experiences and concerns of the community they serve, leading to more effective and empathetic solutions that truly resonate with those affected.

Adoptee-Led Organizations

Chinese Adoptee Alliance, formerly Families with Children from China

Chinese Adoptee Alliance, formerly known as Families with Children from China, aims to:
– CONNECT & SUPPORT Chinese adoptees, adoptive parents, and families formed through adoption from China
– EMPOWER adoptees to explore their unique identities, race, and Chinese heritage; empower families to understand and support them
– EDUCATE about adoptee experiences, parenting adoptees, and issues related to adoption and the Asian diaspora
– ADVOCATE for adoptees and adoption communities
Learn More: https://fccny.org/
Also Known As Inc.

The mission of Also-Known-As is to build a community that empowers the voices of adult international adoptees, while providing resources and space to acknowledge the loss of birth country, culture, language, and biological family.
At the heart of Also-Known-As, Inc., are adult adoptees and friends who envision a community that empowers the adoption experience, provides resources for bridging cultural gaps and transforms conversations about race. In celebrating the community of people, whose lives, through adoption, bridge nations, cultures and races, we ignite the possibility of a future that celebrates our common humanity and enjoys our human diversity.
Throughout Also-Known-As, we are committed to generating a space in which people can know their cultures and begin the adventure of being profoundly related. In stepping beyond the traditional boundaries of family, race and culture, we are a clearing for a new conversation that shatters racial and cultural stereotypes. As we distinguish our own assumptions, we empower others to see the dignity of the individual. Pioneering boldness for all people, we say identity is a choice, freely created unbounded possibility. As we embrace the paradoxes and contradictions that arise from our different identities, we are given the unique opportunity to serve as bridges of cultural understanding.
Learn More: https://www.alsoknownas.org/
InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV)

Intercountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV) aims to educate, support, connect, collaborate, galvanise and give voice to intercountry adoptees from around the world.
ICAV achieves this through:
– Providing a safe, supportive and respectful forum for adoptees to form their views and opinions while they grow throughout their lifelong adoption pathway.
– Encouraging intercountry adoptees and intercountry adoptee-led groups to speak out and advocate for the rights of intercountry adoptees and biological families.
– Raising awareness in the community and to the public about the complexities involved in intercountry adoption on both the micro and macro levels.
– Speaking out about the negative effects of intercountry adoption especially those of identity loss, trafficking, rehoming, deportation / citizenship and abuse.
Learn More: https://intercountryadopteevoices.com/
Adoptees United

Adoptees United is led by adoptees in the United States. We are committed to a diverse board and organization that represents the interests of all adoptees, whether domestic, intercountry, transracial, or former foster youth.
Learn More: https://adopteesunited.org/
Adoptees for Justice

Adoptees For Justice is an intercountry adoptee-led organization which formed in 2018. Many of its members have been working for justice in adoptee, immigrant, racial, and social justice spaces for years. Adoptees For Justice’s first project is to educate, organize and advocate for an Adoptee Citizenship Act that is inclusive of all adoptees, including those with criminal backgrounds and who have been deported. Adoptees For Justice firmly believes that ALL intercountry adoptees should have U.S. citizenship, and that no adoptee should be left behind. We view this commitment as part of the larger immigrant justice and human rights movements.
Learn More: https://www.adopteesforjustice.org/
China's Children International
Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN)

Founded in 1998, KAAN is an all-volunteer organization that is a special project under The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. Our mission is to improve the lives of Korean-born adoptees by connecting the community and providing opportunities for dialogue, education, and support.
Learn More: https://www.wearekaan.org/
Adoptee Hub

Adoptee Hub’s mission is to connect, collaborate, and preserve adoption legacies through community, culture, and post-adoption services. Adoptees deserve the opportunity to know their history, have a sense of belonging, experience their birth culture, and have access to services in a supportive safe space throughout their adoption journey.
Learn More: https://www.adopteehub.org/
Adoptee Mentoring Society
The Adoptee Rights Law Center
Adoption Mosaic
AIRE Roots

Feeling a need for an inclusive space for BIPOC adoptees (of all genders, identities, and experiences) to build community and collaborate, AIRE Roots was created. We believe that In the process of rooting ourselves in our collective and individual stories, we not only find healing and liberation, but as we come together we begin to mobilize gaining power, voice, and recognition.
Learn More: https://aireroots.com/aire-roots
BIPOC Adoptees
National Association of Adoptees & Parents (NAAP)
Right to Know
Adult Adoptees of the UK

Adult Adoptees of the UK are a group of adult adoptees who gave evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) inquiry into The right to family life: adoption of children of unmarried women 1949-1976. For some, this was a moment when we thought we were being heard and our struggles were being acknowledged. We were therefore willing to share our stories and open up about the ways in which adoption has affected us.
Learn More: https://adultadoptee.org.uk/
More Adoptee-Led Organizations Coming Soon!

Would you like your organization to be included?

Contact [email protected] with the following information:

– Name of Organization

– Location of Organization

– Organization Website

– Organization Social Media

– Organization Description

– What country of origin does your program serve?

– Does your organization serve adoptees of all ages? (Yes/No) (Please Specify Ages)

– Does your organization serve adoptive parents/families?