Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption statistics

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption statistics at a glance

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is built around one core idea: children waiting in foster care need more than awareness; they need sustained, measurable adoption work.

Its own reporting gives a useful way to see that scale in numbers, from long-term history to annual operating results and adoption outcomes. The statistics below show not just what the Foundation says it does, but how large the effort has become.

Table of contents

• What the Foundation says its mission is
• A short history in numbers
• How big the adoption challenge is
• Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in 2025
• The PSA campaign reach
• The 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list
• What the audited financial statements show
• How to read these statistics together

What the Foundation says its mission is

The Foundation says its mission is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions of children waiting in North America’s foster care systems (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption About Us).

That statement matters because it frames every other number in the article. The Foundation is not presenting adoption as a side initiative or a one-time campaign. It is defining its work as an ongoing effort to move children from waiting into permanent families.

A few mission-level facts help set the stage:

• The Foundation says it was created in 1992 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Learn More).
• The Foundation says Dave Thomas was accepted by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and later created the Foundation in 1992 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Our History and Dave’s Story).
• The Foundation says it works with more than 140,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States and Canada (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption About Us).

That last figure is the first sign of the scale involved. “More than 140,000” waiting children is not a narrow operational challenge. It is a broad, multi-system need that requires recruitment, matching, funding, public awareness, and continued advocacy.

A short history in numbers

The Foundation’s history is easy to summarize, but the numbers give it texture.

It says the organization was created in 1992 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Learn More). It also says Dave Thomas met with President George H.W. Bush in 1990 before creating the Foundation in 1992 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Our History and Dave’s Story).

That two-year span matters because it shows the Foundation’s origin story is tied to a specific period of public attention and then to a formal institutional response. The 1992 date is the start of a long time horizon, not a temporary campaign.

A more recent milestone is also useful. The Foundation says it co-founded National Adoption Day nearly 25 years ago (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2024). National Adoption Day has recognized the adoptions of more than 85,000 children across the U.S. to date (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2024).

Those two facts show the Foundation working on two timelines at once:

• A long-running institutional timeline that began in 1992.
• A public event timeline that has already helped recognize more than 85,000 adoptions (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2024).

The combination matters. Organizations in this space often need both: sustained program work and high-visibility moments that keep adoption in public view.

How big the adoption challenge is

The Foundation says it works with more than 140,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States and Canada (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption About Us).

That single figure sets the scale for the rest of the statistics. It also explains why the Foundation’s annual reporting emphasizes both program outcomes and awareness campaigns. If the need is that large, then incremental progress still has to be measured against a very large base.

One way to think about the challenge is to separate it into three layers:

1. Children still waiting.
2. Families and employers who can support adoption and foster care.
3. The systems and funding needed to connect the two.

The Foundation’s statistics speak to all three. Wendy’s Wonderful Kids addresses direct adoption recruitment. The Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list reflects employer support. The PSA campaign reflects public awareness and donor visibility. The audited financial statements show what it costs to keep those efforts running.

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in 2025

The Foundation’s most outcome-focused program statistic in the 2025 annual report is straightforward: more than 15,500 children and youth had been adopted through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids across the U.S. and Canada (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).

That number appears in two forms in the source set:

• More than 15,500 children and youth had been adopted through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids across the U.S. and Canada (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).
• The annual report says the Foundation reached a special milestone in fiscal 2025 with more than 15,500 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids adoptions (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).

The repetition is useful because it reinforces that the program outcome is not peripheral. It is a milestone.

Two other 2025 details matter because they show program expansion rather than just a static count:

• In fiscal 2025, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids began fully scaling in West Virginia (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).
• In fiscal 2025, recruiters began serving youth in Puerto Rico for the first time (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).

Those facts show geographic growth in the program. West Virginia reaching full scale and Puerto Rico being served for the first time both indicate that the program is still extending its footprint.

What the adoption milestone suggests

A milestone like more than 15,500 adoptions is best read as a program execution indicator, not a final endpoint. It suggests the model has enough maturity to show repeatable outcomes while still needing further expansion.

The structure of the annual report also suggests the Foundation is trying to balance direct service with public engagement. The adoption total sits alongside PSA impressions, workplace rankings, and financial statements. That mix shows the organization is measuring both inputs and outputs.

The PSA campaign reach

The Foundation reports that its 2025 PSA campaign drew a record 4.6 billion impressions (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).

That is one of the largest numbers in the dataset, and it is the clearest measure of broad public reach. It is also specific enough to tell you something about the campaign’s distribution: the impressions spanned 6 channels, including TV, radio, out-of-home, digital media, movie theaters and publications (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025).

For a quick view of the campaign-related numbers, this table pulls together the most concrete 2025 facts:

Metric	Value	Source label
PSA campaign impressions	4.6 billion	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025
PSA channels	6	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025
Wendy’s Wonderful Kids adoptions	more than 15,500	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025
West Virginia scaling	fully scaling in fiscal 2025	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025
Puerto Rico coverage	first time in fiscal 2025	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025

The campaign numbers matter because adoption work is partly a visibility problem. A child waiting in foster care does not need impressions by themselves, but awareness can support funding, volunteer interest, policy attention, and employer participation.

The six-channel spread is also important. It shows the Foundation is not relying on a single media lane. Instead, it is using a mixed distribution model that reaches people in different places and contexts.

The 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list

The Foundation’s workplace list is one of the most data-rich parts of the dataset. It is also one of the easiest places to see year-over-year movement in employer support.

The 2024 list includes 100 workplaces (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List). It is the 18th annual edition and represents 22 industries (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).

The average benefit figures are especially useful:

• The average financial reimbursement for adoption costs among survey participants was $16,422 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
• That average reimbursement was up 10% from 2023 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
• The average paid leave amount was 9.6 weeks (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
• The average paid leave amount was up 6% from 2023 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
• The average paid leave for foster parents was 9.7 weeks (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
• Foster-parent paid leave was up 3% from the prior year (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).

Compact comparison of workplace metrics

Workplace metric	2024 value	Year-over-year change	Source label
Adoption-cost reimbursement	$16,422	+10%	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List
Paid leave for adoptive parents	9.6 weeks	+6%	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List
Paid leave for foster parents	9.7 weeks	+3%	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List

The list itself also gives a useful ranking snapshot. The top 10 workplaces on the 2024 list were:

1. Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
2. NVIDIA (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
3. Liberty Media Corporation (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
4. American Express (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
5. MongoDB Inc. (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
6. S&P Global Inc. (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
7. Bloomberg (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
8. NewYork-Presbyterian (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
9. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).
10. Diageo North America (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).

The list also breaks out category groupings. One group is led by Citizens Financial Group, Inc. at No. 1, followed by E. & J. Gallo Winery, Development Dimensions International, American Century Investments, General Electric Company, Western Union, Foley & Lardner LLP, Boston Scientific, PeoplesBank, The Fetzer Institute, The TCW Group, Walker & Dunlop Inc., 3M Company, and Safety National Casualty Corporation (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).

Another group is led by National Futures Association at No. 1, followed by Franklin International, MetLife, Inc., New York Life, Yale University, Olympus Corporation of the Americas, First Horizon Corporation, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Wellmark Inc, Expand Energy Corporation, Daniel J. Edelman Holdings, Inc., Domino, Aster Brands, Baker Tilly US, LLP, and Qualtrics, LLC (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List).

The useful takeaway is not just which employers ranked highest. It is that the Foundation is benchmarking benefits across a large, multi-industry sample and showing employers where policy support is moving.

What the audited financial statements show

The audited financial statements add a different kind of scale: organizational capacity.

For the year ended June 30, 2024, the Foundation reports total program expenses of $64,449,195 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).

The same statements report:

• Fundraising expenses of $4,218,442 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• General and administrative expenses of $3,038,551 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Total expenses of $71,706,188 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Net assets increased by $15,737,445 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Net assets at June 30, 2024 totaled $100,281,140 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).

The balance sheet-style numbers also show where resources sat at year-end:

• Cash and cash equivalents ended at $21,450,297 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Beginning cash and cash equivalents were $18,618,098 in 2023 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• The Foundation’s endowment investments were $4,697,013 as of June 30, 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• The quasi-endowment alone was $4,325,589 as of June 30, 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Donor-restricted endowment funds totaled $371,424 as of June 30, 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Time-restricted net assets were $28,778 as of June 30, 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Blue Meridian Partners - Wendy’s Wonderful Kids expansion held $2,638,249 in donor-restricted net assets as of June 30, 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).

The audited statements also break out some especially large program categories:

• Donated PSA broadcasting totaled $28,500,865 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Grants and allocations totaled $25,298,626 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).
• Other program expenses totaled $10,649,704 in 2024 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).

A simple financial snapshot

Financial item	2024 value	Source label
Program expenses	$64,449,195	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
Fundraising expenses	$4,218,442	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
General and administrative expenses	$3,038,551	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
Total expenses	$71,706,188	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
Net assets	$100,281,140	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
Donated PSA broadcasting	$28,500,865	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements
Grants and allocations	$25,298,626	Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements

These figures are useful because they show a large operating base behind the Foundation’s public-facing results. The PSA campaign, grants, and program expenses are not abstract efforts; they are line items with real scale.

How to read these statistics together

The strongest way to understand the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption statistics is to read them as a system rather than isolated facts.

The mission statement says the goal is to increase adoptions of children waiting in foster care (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption About Us). The history shows the organization has been working since 1992 (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Learn More). The program data shows more than 15,500 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids adoptions in fiscal 2025 and continued geographic expansion into West Virginia and Puerto Rico (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025). The awareness data shows a 4.6 billion-impression PSA campaign across six channels (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Annual Report 2025). The workplace data shows employers are still increasing adoption reimbursements and leave (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List). The financials show the infrastructure that supports all of it (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption 2024-23 Audited Financial Statements).

Put together, those numbers tell a coherent story:

• Large need.
• Long time horizon.
• Measurable program outcomes.
• Broad public reach.
• Employer policy progress.
• Major operating capacity.

That combination is what makes the Foundation’s reporting useful. It does not rely on one headline metric. Instead, it shows adoption work from multiple angles, which is the only practical way to understand a mission this broad.