Update: Follow the Money Series Expands as Data Raises New Questions

The investigation into federal adoption incentives is expanding.

After publishing initial findings showing more than $1 billion in adoption bonuses and over $52 billion in Title IV-E funding, new questions are emerging about how those financial structures shape real-world outcomes inside the child welfare system.

The data already shows a clear pattern:

• Foster care caseloads are down significantly
• Adoption assistance payments are rising sharply
• Federal funding continues to scale toward permanent placements rather than reunification

What remains unclear—and now under deeper review—is how those incentives translate at the case level.

Riptide Investigations is currently:

• Breaking down state-by-state funding patterns
• Reviewing policy changes and reauthorizations since 1997
• Examining whether financial incentives align—or conflict—with stated child welfare goals

Additional reporting is also underway into the oversight gap surrounding these programs, including how outcomes are measured, audited, and challenged.

Part III of the series will return to the broader context surrounding Nancy Schaefer’s claims and the lack of sustained institutional scrutiny over the past fifteen years.

This investigation is ongoing. More data—and more questions—are coming.