100,000+
children waiting for adoption from US foster care
Dave Thomas FoundationAdoption & fostering
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Finding permanent, loving families for children who are most at risk of leaving foster care without one.
The organisation
Purpose, challenge and response.
Overview
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a public charity dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1992 by Dave Thomas, who was adopted and later founded Wendy's.
The challenge
More than 100,000 children are waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. Teenagers, sibling groups and children with special needs are too often overlooked, and thousands of young people leave care each year without the security of a permanent family.
How it responds
Through Wendy's Wonderful Kids, the Foundation funds specialist recruiters who use an evidence-based, child-focused model. Recruiters build a complete picture of each child, reconnect supportive adults where appropriate, and search persistently for the family that is right for them.
Key data points
20,000
young people leave US foster care without a permanent family each year
Dave Thomas Foundation15,000+
adoptions achieved through the programme by 2025
Dave Thomas Foundation, Our historyUp to 3×
more effective than traditional recruitment for children longest in care
Dave Thomas Foundation, programme evaluationFigures are drawn from the organisation's published information and retain the reporting period shown.
Leadership role · Trustee
Our relationship.
Michael Welch joined the Foundation's Board of Trustees in January 2024 for a three-year term. The appointment brings both governance experience and his own lived experience of foster care and adoption to an organisation whose mission closely mirrors the Trust's founding purpose.
This is a personal leadership role rather than a grant made by The Welch Trust.