Belmont Recognized in Education Sector for Paid Adoption Benefits
Belmont University has once again been recognized as an Adoption Advocate by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Now in its 20th year, the Foundation’s Adoption-Friendly Workplace program honors organizations that offer financial reimbursement, paid leave or both to employees pursuing adoption and foster care, making these pathways to family-building more accessible for working parents.
This year, Belmont was also recognized among education sector participants for paid adoption leave. Belmont offers six weeks of paid leave for adoption, consistent with the education industry average among participating organizations.
“At Belmont, our commitment to vulnerable children isn’t just a policy, it’s woven into who we are as a Christ-centered community,” said Todd Lake, vice president for faith-based engagement and church relations. “Supporting our employees as they open their homes and hearts through adoption and foster care is one of the most tangible ways we can live out that calling. This repeated recognition is a reminder that these benefits aren’t just good HR practice, they’re an expression of our deepest values.”
The Foundation partnered with RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute, to survey employers and recognize those providing meaningful adoption and foster care benefits. This year’s survey included 159 participating organizations across 22 industries.
Belmont’s benefits reflect its broader “Leave to Care for Vulnerable Children Policy,” which provides time off for employees caring for children through foster parenting, kinship arrangements and guardianship. The University also offers wraparound services coordinated by employee volunteers — including meals, gift cards, respite care and childcare support for families with foster and kinship placements.
“Year after year, we're heartened to welcome new organizations to this list and recognize their leadership and support for adoption and foster care benefits in the workplace,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “I am always filled with hope and gratitude when I see employers choosing to invest in their employees and the families they love.”
As part of its ongoing commitment to vulnerable children, Belmont launched a Foster Care Team in June 2023 and has become an Every Child Campus, partnering with organizations like Every Child Tennessee, the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, and Crowded Table to address Tennessee’s foster care crisis.
This recognition also comes on the heels of significant research and investment from Belmont's Innovation Labs, which in 2025 published a landmark impact case identifying critical gaps for Tennessee youth aging out of foster care. In December, the Labs partnered with organizations across the state to launch the Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge, a $1 million initiative to find and scale solutions for those youth across Tennessee.
About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns, and innovative grantmaking. Through its Adoption-Friendly Workplace program, the Foundation promotes the importance of providing adoption and foster care benefits and offers employers a toolkit to help develop their policies. Learn more at davethomasfoundation.org.
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