information about
FINANCIAL AId

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Rites of Passage Journeys (ROPJ) offers tiered equity scholarships in order to be accessible to people of various financial capacities and life situations.  We do this as long as scholarship funds remain in our working budget. We do ask that families applying for financial aid submit a deposit in any amount that currently works for your family in order to hold your spot in the program. We also retain the full deposit amount for each program as non-refundable, regardless of initial deposit amount paid.

We aim to give as much of our scholarship funds as possible to youth to attend our trips. This means that we are rarely able to give more than 50% financial aid to adult participants, regardless of annual income or family size. For our Community Programs, we encourage our participants to use our sliding scale payment options whenever possible, as scholarships for Community Programs come directly out of our operating budget. We intend for scholarships for Community Programs to go to those who are most impacted by marginalization or financial hardship. You can find more information about how to determine what sliding scale tier is appropriate for your income level and financial circumstances below under ‘Financial Aid for Community Programs’. 

We currently have scholarship funds available for some community programs* and for Summer 2025 Programs. Please read below to understand the how and why of our financial aid system.

*Please note that we have a minimum payment of $40 for all Community Programs. You are welcome to apply for Financial Aid to cover the balance of your remaining tuition. All Financial Aid applications for Community Programs must be received at least 48 hours before the start date of the program.

Financial Aid & Our Programs

● We believe in the power of reciprocity. Our intention is both to make our Rites of Passage programs available to anyone who is called to participate, and to run a viable, healthy organization.

● We use an equity-based scholarship system that recognizes that we do not all start from the same place when it comes to money, and that a fixed program fee that is easily affordable to one person is a barrier to participation for another.

● We ask families or individuals to stretch financially to make the program possible. We run on a tight budget and stretch our funds to meet the needs of as many as possible.

● We ask that you thoughtfully determine the amount you are asking for scholarships based on your access to money. We offer some guiding questions to ask yourself (see below) to help you locate yourself on the scholarship tier.

● We ask that, if possible, you invite extended family, friends and your close community to support you in this rite of passage or training experience. In addition to asking for financial contributions, past participants have also shared success with creative forms of fundraising, such as lawnmowing, dog walking/pet care, and bake/craft sales. All these efforts will also cultivate an expanded circle of people holding you in their heart while you quest, who will welcome you back, eager to hear the story of who you are discovering yourself to be.

● We expect that individuals who can pay more without enduring hardship, will pay more. And those that can do some fundraising on their own, do so, as this also reinforces resourcefulness in an individual or in your child.

● If helpful, we can also arrange a payment plan, to schedule regular payments that are manageable for your situation.  

● Rite of passage work includes the practice of investing in yourself as a means of investing in the health of the community. 

● It’s okay not to have a lot of money; it’s okay to be wealthy. We just ask that the price you pay is consistent with your financial reality.

ROPJ Financial Aid Income Tiers

Rite of Passage Journeys provides the guidelines below for finding you and/or your family’s Income Tier. Knowing your tier can help you know what to expect from a Financial Aid determination.  You do not have to do this to apply; it is optional.  We provide this information for transparency into the process. 

To calculate an estimate of your award, you will need to reference the HHS Poverty Guidelines for 2024* to establish what Tier you/your family can expect to be placed in. Your final financial aid award determination will be based on your Income Tier as well as the answers to your Financial Circumstances Questionnaire. You will receive a Financial Circumstance Questionnaire when you request financial aid at the time of registration.

Apply for Financial Aid

Applying for financial assistance is part of your program registration process. Please go to your Program Page, and register for your program. When you fill out the payment information, please choose the option to apply for financial aid. We will email you the link to apply, and thus begin the process to make sure you have the financial support you need to participate in your journey.

Step 2 - register for your program & submit a Financial Circumstances Questionnaire

After you apply for your program and request financial aid, you will receive a link to the questionnaire with the following questions:

• What is your family size? Include the number of adults and children.

• What is your/your family’s combined annual income (include incomes from any working adults in your family)?

• Do you/your family have difficulty meeting your basic needs for food and/or shelter?

• In addition to—or in place of—you/your family’s annual income, do/does you/your family have safety-nets, privileges, and security in the form of family support, assets, investments, retirement funds, inheritance, and/or trust funds?

• Do you/your family have monthly expenses for child or elder care (daycare, in-home or assisted living etc…)?

• Are you/your family in debt? Can you/your family afford the debt that you have?

• Do you/your family have regular discretionary money/disposable income?

• What amount would be a bit of a stretch for your current financial situation but not so much that you will suffer longer term consequences for having paid more than is within your means?

• Is there any other information you would like us to consider?

Financial Aid for Community Programs

For our Community Programs, we encourage our participants to use our sliding scale payment options whenever possible, as scholarships for Community Programs come directly out of our operating budget. We intend for scholarships for Community Programs to go to those who are most impacted by marginalization or financial hardship. You can use the info graphic below to help determine where you fall on the sliding scale tier