Grindr offers fertility treatment package for employees

A California-based tech company has begun offering its workers up to $300,000 to pay for fertility treatments, including IVF and surrogacy.

In 2025, Grindr, the company behind the LGBTQ+ dating app, transitioned to a new health plan. By teaming up with Carrot Fertility, they have offered all employees with more than 18 months tenure a package of support to fund various routes to parenthood, totalling up to $300,000 over five years.

'In a recent survey across the USA, we learned that roughly 25 percent of gay and bisexual men under age 35 want to have children and that cost was by far the biggest impediment to having kids,' said Grindr CEO, George Arison, who has also become a father through surrogacy with husband Robert Luo. 'It is vital to advocate on behalf of our community by pushing to bring these costs down, which are uniquely high for gay men, whether by allowing insurance-covered IVF treatments to be accessible in cases of surrogacy or by making family formation expenses tax deductible, like other healthcare expenses'.

The new policy comes in a climate of high and rising costs for gay men who wish to become parents. More than 80 percent of expenses would be covered on each parenthood journey, with additional flexibility for the much greater costs associated with surrogacy and adoption. The group 'Men Having Babies', which has previously received support from Arison, has commended the move.

More companies are now offering financial help for family-building, but few offer such a large percentage of the total costs. An exception is graphics microchip producer Nvidia Corporation, which began offering unlimited support for adoption and surrogacy in 2021. However, this is the first time a company has offered support so clearly targeted at the LGBTQ+ community.

A new law goes into effect in California on 1 July 2025 that expands fertility insurance coverage. The new law will require some fully insured health policies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

'[The new law] expressly requires that large group policies cover IVF, including a maximum of three completed oocyte retrievals with unlimited embryo transfers,' said law firm Ogletree Deakins.