Surrogacy Grants for Intended Parents: Can You Get Financial Help for Surrogacy?

Who Qualifies for Surrogacy Grants?

There is no single set of requirements for surrogacy grants.

Each nonprofit establishes its own criteria.

Common eligibility requirements may include:

Financial Need

Some organizations review household income, tax returns, existing fertility expenses and other financial information.

Medical Documentation

Certain fertility foundations require documentation from a reproductive endocrinologist or other medical provider.

However, not every surrogacy grant requires an infertility diagnosis.

That distinction is important for LGBTQ+ intended parents, single intended parents and people pursuing gestational surrogacy for reasons other than infertility.

Residency or Citizenship

Some grants are limited to U.S. residents or require applicants to live in certain states or regions.

Clinic or Provider Requirements

You may need to be working with an approved fertility clinic, reproductive endocrinologist or family-building provider.

Specific Applicant Criteria

Some programs prioritize or exclusively serve groups such as:

• LGBTQ+ intended parents
• Cancer survivors
• Military families
• People with diagnosed infertility
• Applicants within specific income ranges
• Residents of particular states

Always evaluate each organization's exact requirements rather than assuming you qualify based solely on pursuing surrogacy.

How to Apply for a Surrogacy Grant

The application process varies by foundation, but intended parents can generally follow these steps.

1. Identify Grants That Actually Cover Your Expenses

Do not apply solely because an organization advertises a "fertility grant."

Confirm that your intended use—such as IVF for surrogacy, agency fees or gestational carrier expenses—is eligible.

2. Review Eligibility Before Paying an Application Fee

Check:

• Income restrictions
• Residency requirements
• Medical requirements
• Relationship or family-status requirements
• Clinic requirements
• Application dates

If you clearly do not qualify, move on to another opportunity.

3. Gather Your Financial Documents

You may need documents such as:

• Recent tax returns
• W-2s
• Pay stubs
• Household income information
• Existing fertility-related bills
• Estimated treatment or surrogacy costs

4. Gather Medical or Family-Building Documentation

Depending on the program, this may include:

• A physician letter
• Fertility diagnosis
• Treatment records
• Fertility-clinic information
• Surrogacy recommendation
• Proposed treatment plan

5. Prepare Your Personal Statement

Many foundations ask why you are pursuing family building, what obstacles you have experienced and how the grant would affect your ability to move forward.

Be specific about:

• Your path to surrogacy
• What you have already invested
• The remaining financial gap
• Exactly how grant funding would be used

6. Apply Before the Deadline

Grant programs may have one or several application cycles each year.

Submitting early gives you time to correct missing documentation before the deadline.

7. Continue Building Your Financial Plan

Do not stop planning while waiting for a decision.

Grant review and award timing may not align perfectly with clinic treatment, matching or agency payment schedules.

How Competitive Are Surrogacy Grants?

Surrogacy and fertility grants can be highly competitive because nonprofit organizations have limited funding and may receive far more qualified applications than they can support.

Receiving a grant is therefore never guaranteed.

Selection committees may consider:

• Financial need
• Medical circumstances
• Family-building history
• Personal essays
• Treatment readiness
• Available foundation funding
• Whether the applicant meets the organization's mission

For that reason, it is generally safer to treat grant funding as one part of your financial strategy rather than the only way you can afford to proceed.

How Can You Improve Your Chances of Getting a Surrogacy Grant?

You cannot guarantee that your application will be selected, but you can avoid common problems that weaken applications.

Apply Only When You Meet the Requirements

A highly polished application will not overcome an eligibility mismatch.

Focus your effort on organizations whose mission and requirements align closely with your circumstances.

Follow Instructions Exactly

Provide every required document, stay within essay limits and submit your application in the required format.

Explain Your Financial Need Specifically

Instead of simply saying surrogacy is expensive, explain:

• What expenses you have already paid
• What resources you have available
• What funding gap remains
• What the requested grant would allow you to pay for

Make Your Personal Statement Specific

A clear personal narrative is usually stronger than a generic description of wanting to become a parent.

Explain why you are pursuing surrogacy and what receiving assistance would change about your path forward.

Apply to More Than One Appropriate Grant

Because individual awards are competitive, applying to several programs for which you genuinely qualify may increase your overall opportunity for assistance.

How to Compare Surrogacy Grants

Not every grant is equally useful for every intended parent.

Before applying, compare:

Question	Why It Matters
Does it explicitly cover surrogacy?	Some fertility grants only cover IVF or treatment
How much can I receive?	Determines how much of your funding gap it could reduce
What expenses qualify?	Funds may be restricted to specific services
Who qualifies?	Medical, income and residency rules vary
Is there an application fee?	Multiple applications can add costs
When are awards announced?	Timing may not align with your journey
When must funds be used?	Some awards have expiration requirements
Where is the money sent?	Funds may go directly to an approved provider

This allows you to prioritize the grants most likely to help with your specific expenses.

Do You Have to Pay Taxes on Surrogacy Grant Money?

Tax treatment can depend on the type of grant, how funds are distributed and your individual circumstances.

Do not assume that a family-building award is automatically taxable or tax-free.

A qualified tax professional can advise you on how a particular grant should be treated and whether any related fertility expenses qualify for tax benefits.

Can You Combine Surrogacy Grants With Loans?

Yes. A loan and a grant serve different purposes.

A grant reduces how much you need to pay. A loan spreads the amount you still owe over time.

For example:

• Estimated remaining expenses: $80,000
• Grant received: $10,000
• Employer benefit: $15,000
• Remaining funding gap: $55,000

You could then decide whether to use savings, financing or both for the remaining amount.

American Surrogacy partners with Sunfish to provide intended parents access to specialized family-building financing guidance.

Explore Financing Through Sunfish

What If You Don't Qualify for a Surrogacy Grant?

Not receiving a grant does not necessarily mean surrogacy is financially out of reach.

Other resources may include:

• Employer fertility and family-building benefits
• Fertility financing
• Personal loans
• Personal savings
• Family gifts or private family loans
• Crowdfunding
• Insurance coverage for qualifying medical expenses
• HSA or FSA funds for qualifying expenses

You can also evaluate additional ways to afford surrogacy based on your available resources.

The goal is to determine your total expected cost, subtract every form of non-repayable assistance available to you and finance only the remaining gap if necessary.

Applying for Surrogacy Grants After Failed IVF

Grant assistance may be particularly valuable if you are considering surrogacy after already spending heavily on fertility treatment.

If you have embryos remaining from previous IVF cycles, you may be able to use those embryos with a gestational surrogate rather than repeating every stage of embryo creation.

That can substantially change the amount of additional funding you need.

Before determining your grant or financing target, ask your fertility clinic:

• Can my existing embryos be used for surrogacy?
• Will I need another retrieval?
• Are donor eggs or sperm necessary?
• What additional clinic expenses should I expect?
• How many viable embryos remain?

Knowing which IVF expenses you will—and will not—need to repeat gives you a much more accurate funding goal.

How American Surrogacy Helps Protect the Money You Raise

American Surrogacy combines national surrogate recruitment with comprehensive pre-screening that includes medical-record review, background checks and psychological evaluation before intended parents move forward with a candidate.

Our Limited Risk Program adds another layer of financial protection.

Depending on applicable program terms and circumstances, protections can include:

• Unlimited rematching without another agency matching fee
• Protection from certain repeat screening, medical and legal costs
• Eligible refunds for certain case-management services if a journey ends without a baby and no embryos remain

A grant helps you obtain money for surrogacy. Financial protection helps preserve the money you have already committed.