What is the Access Fund?
A simple way to describe the Access Fund is as a “sliding scale” that lets people pay what they can to participate in our programs. That’s not the whole story, though: not by a lot.
The Access Fund grows out of a set of beliefs about learning, working, and being in community. Simply put, we believe:
Everyone should get an education that serves their needs and goals
Community learning is vital to community wellness
Everyone’s time and effort are valuable and should be respected
“The Access Fund has enabled me to come to class with my grandchild; without the Access Fund I would not have been able to do it. Coming here has given this homeschooled teen something out of her home environment. She is able to be strong and independent and the learning center allows for her to be that.”
-Angela Calder
Creating and maintaining a space for community learning takes money. So does paying facilitators and educators respectfully for the effort needed to create learning experiences. As we see with the dramatically rising cost of colleges and universities, this reality can quickly price people out of access to educational opportunities.
But that’s a business model, based on everyone giving no matter their circumstances, not a community model, where we all share what we have because, ultimately, there is enough here for what needs to be done and we all benefit when more of us have opportunities for education, experience, and togetherness.
In our community model, the Access Fund creates a way for us to share what we have so that everyone gets what they need. Unlike traditional scholarships, the Access Fund is based entirely on your judgment of what you need and what you can give. If you have less right now, don’t worry: you won’t miss out on opportunities. If you have more, you can share that abundance with your neighbors and know that it’s making a difference.
Who’s eligible?
Because, as a place-centered organization, Cobscook was created to support the well-being of residents of the Passamaquoddy homeland, Washington and Charlotte Counties, the Access Fund is available for use by anyone who resides in that area. And what’s even better, you get to decide for yourself how and when you participate.
If you do not live in this region, however, you can still choose to participate by supporting access for others, which means everyone benefits in their own way and at their own discretion.
How does it work?
When you register for one of our programs with a recommended donation or payment, you can elect to provide any payment amount based on your ability or available resources. If the payment you authorize is less than the suggested amount, the Access Fund will cover the rest. If greater, the extra funds will replenish the Access Fund and make that gift immediately available to other participants across our programs.
If you choose to use the Access Fund, there are no questions asked, no documentation needed.
No, really: how does it work? Isn’t Washington County poor?
The hard reality is that, yes, Washington County is comparatively poor. We have about 50% more folks living at or below the poverty line than the national average (almost 1 in 5), and what’s more–the federal poverty measurements fall far short of describing how much money a family needs to not feel the regular pinch of unmet needs. Calculators using information from 2020 suggest that a real “living wage” income is nearly three times the federal poverty level, and that certainly would describe far more than 1 in 5 members of our local community.
That’s not the whole story, however. Alongside folks experiencing need we also have members of our community who are not, whether they reside here year-round or seasonally, or who have historical or professional ties to our region and our people and feel a stake in our well-being. Between all these people, we have enough for this to work because we are all part of one community.
“As a yoga and movement instructor, I often encounter community members who would benefit greatly from taking a movement class. However, due to financial constraints, they do not participate. The Access Fund at Cobscook Institute offers a much needed support for these community members to join a class, and contribute what they are able to, while enhancing their wellbeing.”
-Samantha Williams