How does sliding scale work?
We use our sliding scale system as a way to increase access to families in financial need. Those who are able to pay a little more will directly subsidize the scholarships for those who cannot to pay full price. Sliding scale operates on an honor system, and we will not ask you for proof of financial need, so please accept the level of support that matches your level of need.
What do the tiers mean?
There are a limited amount of sliding scale slots available. If more students are able to pay full price, we can add additional spots. We will also never turn away students for lack of funds, so please contact us if you require more financial aid than is currently available.
Full Price: Paying full price supports all of the costs of our program, from training on new systems to developing and implementing up-to-date safety protocols. Higher tiers support the lower tiers for those with more limited means. This tier also supports The Movement Creative’s other work, including large-scale public events and subsidized school programming. Payment at this level includes our administrative and digital overhead, insurance, and equipment upkeep.
Tier 1 Support (typically ~20%): This is the actual cost of running the program and allows the company to break even, though does not include any general expenses like our insurance policies and fees we pay for things like our website and file hosting.
Tier 2 Support (typically ~40%): This helps us cover the basic cost of paying our coaches, but it will not cover our operating expenses. It is also part of our commitment to provide accessible movement education for everyone.
Why offer sliding scale?
Many of our team members have been training parkour for a long time (10+ years). In the early days, parkour classes and gyms did not exist. Instead, we relied on the community members with more experience to coach us. Sliding scale is our way of honoring the scrappy, grassroots history of parkour instruction in NYC. If our coaches had not been able to afford to learn parkour when they started, we would not have such a vibrant and diverse crew of athletes who are truly passionate about this sport.
On the flipside, we are committed to creating jobs and security for our team members. We are experts in parkour instruction, and we believe that the prices of our program reflect the level of dedication and care we put into each and every class. Your support has already paved the way for us to build more sustainable futures for our team members.