Sliding Scale Rates

AiA centers racial and economic justice based on care for all – understanding that profit is not the answer – in our goals for collective liberation. In an intentional effort to distribute resources equitably, we use a sliding scale for our services.

The idea of a sliding scale is to honor organizational access points, understanding we all have different resources, both material and community. Thank you to the wisdom of AORTA, We Are Finding Freedom, and Both / And whose sliding scale models supported the development of our sliding scale.

Sliding Scale Framework

AiA has developed the assessment below around organizational type, budget and employee compensation as a way to view an organization’s access to financial resources. We know this assessment is much more nuanced than the numbers we have shared below and that nonprofit organizations, government institutions, and for profit corporations have widely varying experiences. We work with organizations to identify a rate that reflects their access to financial resources and the value of our work together.

Solidarity Rate

This rate is typically provided to small businesses and less resourced nonprofit organizations. We reserve the lower end of our Solidarity Rate for organizations that provide culturally specific services led by folks from the communities they serve and/or whose mission has deep alignment with AiA’s theory of social change.

  • Has an annual budget up to $499,999
  • The highest paid staff member is paid up to $74,999 (FTE) or there are no staff members
  • For nonprofit organizations, the scope of work will be paid out of unrestricted operating budget funds

$75 – $150/hour per consultant

Sustain Rate

This rate is typically provided to medium sized businesses, less resourced philanthropic foundations, and nonprofit organizations whose work will be supported by grant funding.

  • Has an annual budget between $500,000- $999,999
  • The highest paid staff member paid between $75,000- $99,999/year (FTE)
  • For less resourced nonprofit organizations, the scope of work will be grant funded

$150 – $200/hour per consultant

Full Cost Rate

This rate is typically provided to larger business, more resourced philanthropic foundations, and more resourced nonprofit organizations whose work will be supported by grant funding.

  • Has an annual budget between $1M – $4.99M
  • The highest paid staff member is paid between $100,000 – $149,999/year (FTE)
  • For more resourced nonprofits, the scope of work will be grant funded

$200 – $250/hour per consultant

Redistribution Rate

This rate is typically provided to government institutions, large corporations, well resourced philanthropic foundations, and well resourced nonprofit organizations whose work will be supported by grant funding.

  • Has an annual budget above $5M
  • The highest paid staff member is paid more than $150,000/year (FTE)
  • For well resourced nonprofits, the scope of work will be grant funded

$250 – $350/hour per consultant