Course Fee Structure – Sliding Scale
Are gs courses financially accessible?
gs is committed to economic justice and to challenging white supremacy, capitalism, ableism and all systems of oppression in every aspect of our work. As part of that, we have a commitment to making our programs accessible and affordable to poor and working class people and people of color who are on the frontlines of social and environmental justice movements. We are committed to making sure that money is not a barrier to participation.
How much does it cost to run a gs course?
The costs to run gs courses include teaching teams and the general operating costs it takes to run a strong organization that can support strong programs. For in person programs, costs also include space rental, food, production and shipment of supplies, etc.
The costs of gs courses are covered in multiple ways:
- Course participants contribute to gs course fees from their own financial resources.
- Organizations and foundations sponsor participants by contributing part or all of their gs course fees.
- Participants fundraise their gs course fees from friends and family.
Much of the cost of gs courses (Over 50%) is covered by foundation grants and individual donations (including Solidarity Fund donations made by other gs course participants) and other sources of support.
How do I decide where on the sliding scale I am?
Please find the sliding scale for 2021 below. Our intention is for participants to contribute to covering course costs at a level and in a way that is meaningful, significant and affordable for you.
We ask that all applicants consider if there is an organization that you could ask to sponsor your participation in a gs course by contributing part or all of the fee; or if you can fundraise part or all of your course fee from friends, family, or community members. And we ask any applicant who has class privilege, especially those who were raised upper-middle or owning class, to pay as high on the scale as possible in order to support participation by poor and working class leaders.
Assess at what level course fee you or your organization can pay.
STEP 1
This sliding scale is a starting point to help assess at what level course fee you or your organization. Place yourself or your organization on the income scale in Table 1, and see actual amounts for each course in Table 2.
TABLE 1
| Sliding Scale Rate |
Individual Annual Net Income |
Organization Annual Budget |
|
100% |
$65,000 or more | Over $1 Million |
| 75% | $55,000 – $64,999 | $750,000+ |
| 50% | $40,000 – $54,999 | $300,00+ |
| 25% | $25,000 – $39,999 | Under $300,000 |
| You tell us |
Can you pay more? Do you need to pay less? If you need to contribute less than 25%- that works! If you’d like to give an amount in between the amounts listed above, that works too. If you can contribute more than the highest end of the sliding scale, that’s awesome- that will go toward the solidarity fund which helps make the course accessible to majority poor and working class participants. Next step: After you complete the application, please email the contact listed on your application with an amount you can pay and add some background context. We will then get back to you to let you know if it’s approved. |
|
TABLE 2
| Sliding Scale Rate | BIPOC Embodied Leadership (online) | Embodied Leadership for Donors & Funders (online) |
| 100% |
$1238.00 This covers less than 50% of costs per course participant. If you can give at this rate – please also consider giving to solidarity funds. |
$3000 – $6000 (sliding scale range based on organizational budget and individual capacity) If you need flexibility around this fee and/or would like to propose an alternative amount, contact: development@staging.gs-dev.mysites.io with “ELFD fee” in the subject line. If you are applying with a group or team and your organization will be paying for the full team to attend, we can create a contract with your organization reflecting the full amount due. Please make sure a point of contact at your organization is in touch with us about this. Contact: development@staging.gs-dev.mysites.io Participant fees for ELFD cover the costs of this program and also support gs to make all of our other programs accessible to poor and working class movement leaders.
|
| 75% | $928.40 | |
| 50% | $619.20 | |
| 25% | $310.00 |
STEP 2
Each individual and organization have many factors that affect their budget other than income. When determining where on the sliding scale you will pay, we ask that you ask yourself this series of questions that may move you up or down the range from Step 1.
Individual Sliding Scale things to Consider
-
- Do you support your family or other dependents?
- Do you have outstanding debt?
- Do you have chronic health needs or disabilities that have financial implications?
- What other costs will be related to your participation in this course? (lost wages, childcare, travel, etc.)
- Are you connected to an organization that you could ask to sponsor your participation in this course?
- Who are the individuals, communities, and networks you are connected to? Please reflect on the relationships you have access to, and consider fundraising toward your course fees or toward the gs Solidarity Fund. For more information about fundraising for your fees – click here or contact: development@staging.gs-dev.mysites.io.
- Do you have direct access to financial resources? We ask that people who have class privilege, especially those who were raised upper-middle or owning class pay at the highest level in order to support the participation of poor and working class leaders.
- It is common for all of us to over- or under-assess our access to resources. This guide about class categories is a further helpful resource to help assess. Class is complicated and many people will see their class experience reflected in several different categories.
Additional considerations if you are a part of an organization that might be able to contribute to your course fee:
- Who can you talk with at your organization about what the organization can contribute for your fee?
- How many participants are attending from your organization?
- What budget does your organization have set aside for professional development budget do your organization have set aside?
- Do you have access to grants that could support your participation in this course (grants for healing justice, transformative organizing, professional or leadership development or otherwise)?
STEP 3
Based on the previous 2 steps, in the course application, please choose at what level in the sliding scale you are able and willing to pay. Please also let us know if you plan to contribute an additional donation to the Solidarity Fund, or if you plan to do fundraising for your own fees or for contributions to the Solidarity Fund. We ask that you use your best judgment, and once accepted, if needed, the gs staff can make time to talk through your final course fee commitment with you.
Be a part of gs!
Get involved with Transformative Resourcing—an embodied and values-aligned way to contribute and fundraise.
