Financial Access Commitments

Why do I offer sliding scale options?

I am committed to collective liberation, which includes ongoing learning and practicing anti-capitalist values and economic justice. I want to start living the world I am dreaming into, alongside you.

Capitalism is an insidious and exploitive system which justifies inequitable distribution of resources through upholding other oppressive systems, such as through race and gender.  We are all impacted, albeit differently depending on our identity privilege and how we have internalized capitalist norms of scarcity and silence around money.

Providing sliding scale options is one way I contribute to a more equitable and just world that helps undermine capitalist oppression.

In short,  financial resources, including income, should not be the only determining factor in whether or not someone can access services and care.

How do I make this work?

I am able to offer various sliding scale options because I factor this into my programs’ financial budget. The sliding scale model also helps by including options for folks with wealth or ample resources to choose a Pay-it-Forward price as a way to support community access to my programs.

To be clear, I am not in a place of financial wealth or long-term stability that allows me to personally redistribute my resources this way. My capacity to do this is in my commitment to these values and budgeting this into my program pricing models, alongside the capacity for folks to discern accurately their sliding scale price and financial. (More on how you can discern this below).

For me to be able to do what I do well, I need to ensure that creating financial access points for others is also sustainable for my well-being and financial needs. This is an ongoing evolving process and liberatory practice.

How do you assess which tier to pay on my sliding scale options?

First, I find it helpful to think about Budget versus Hardship when discerning financial need and which sliding scale tier to choose because it recognizes and respects that paying for something might still be a challenge even if it is just a short-term one, while giving appropriate space for those who are dealing with financial hardship.

(Gratitude to Worts & Cunning Apothecary for informing my sliding scale descriptions and Bear Hebert for their support in my overall framing of this).

Budget: If paying for my program might be difficult, but not detrimental, it qualifies as a sacrifice that you need to budget for. You might have to cut back on other spending in your life (such as going out to dinner, buying coffee, or a new outfit), but this will not have a long term harmful impact on your life. It is a sacred sacrifice in order to pursue what you are called to do.

Hardship: If paying for my program would lead to a harmful impact on your life, such as not being able to put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your transportation to get to work, then you are dealing with hardship. Folks coming from a space of hardship would qualify for either my Reduced Cost or the Sponsored Cost tiers, depending on their situation.

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I offer four tiered prices: pay it forward, cost of program, reduced cost, and sponsored cost. These last two options have limited spots available per program. Below I have included a framework to support you in assessing which tier to choose.

Pay it Forward
(in a nutshell, you easily can afford what you want/need without much financial consideration)

• I have access to wealth (savings, investments) and/or am financially secure
• I have inherited generational wealth and/or long term financial stability
• I can pay for this program without needing to give it much financial consideration
• I have the capacity to support financial access for folks who need the reduced cost or sponsored cost to participate in this program.  

Program Cost
(in a nutshell,  you are able to pay for ‘wants’ and spend little time worried about securing necessities in your life)

• I am comfortably able to meet all of my basic needs (housing, food, health care, transportation)
• I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
• I own my home or property OR I rent a higher-end property
• I own or lease a car
• I am employed OR do not need to work to meet my needs
• I have regular access to health care
• I have access to financial savings
• I have an expendable income (I am able to buy coffee or tea at a shop, go to the movies or a concert, buy new clothes, books, and similar items each month, etc)
• I can buy new items
• I can afford an annual vacation OR take time off

 
Reduced Cost**  limited availability
(in a nutshell, you may need to budget or cut back in some other areas to make this program happen)

• I may stress about meeting my basic needs but still regularly achieve them
• I may have some debt but it does not prohibit attainment of basic needs
• I own or lease a car
• I am employed
• I have access to health care
• I might have access to financial savings
• I have some expendable income
• I am able to buy some new items & I thrift others
• I can take a vacation annually or every few years without financial burden

 
Sponsored Cost** limited availability, prioritizing BIPOC, LGBTQI+ and disabled folks who are in financial need
(in a nutshell, accessing this program at any higher tiered price would mean financial hardship to meet your basic needs)

• I frequently stress about meeting basic needs & don’t always achieve them
• I have debt and it sometimes prohibits me from meeting my basic needs
• I rent lower-end properties or have unstable housing
• I do not have a car and/or have limited access to a car but I am not always able to afford gas
• I am unemployed or underemployed
• I qualify for government assistance including food stamps & health care
• I have no access to savings
• I have no or very limited expendable income
• I rarely buy new items because I am unable to afford them
• I cannot afford a vacation or have the ability to take time off without financial burden