For the last 11 years, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has collected data on adoption benefits, including financial reimbursement and paid leave, from employers around the country for its annual 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list. American Express topped the recently released 2017 list, offering up to $35,000 in adoption expense reimbursement and up to 20 weeks of paid time off to women and men following an adoption. The company made significant improvements to its adoption benefits package over the last year, and rose 30 places in the rankings since 2016.

The Foundation also recognized employers by industry, size, weeks of leave, and companies offering the most favorable foster care benefits. See the full list here.

"We are pleased and excited to see that companies, both large and small, continue to be committed to the importance of family bonding time when a child enters a home through adoption,” said DTFA President and CEO Rita Soronen. As of 2013, 52 percent of 1,000 major U.S. employers offered adoption benefits. If your company doesn't, the Foundation can help. Download their Adoption Friendly Workplace Toolkit for Employers, with forms and sample benefit plans, and share it with your Human Resources department.

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