2027 Summer Program Finance Policy

Applies to National & Local Chapter Volunteers

This Finance Policy outlines the various payment, refund, and other financial policies that apply to AMIGOS. By submitting a Program Deposit, you consent to the Finance Policies described in this document. If you have any questions or concerns, please email admissions@amigosinternational.org.

 Program Fees 

Application Fee

All applicants must submit a non-refundable $100 application fee to submit their application. This Application Fee is not included as part of the listed Program Fee.

Program Deposit

All applicants must pay a $500 program deposit. This payment is due within the timeframe communicated to you by AMIGOS staff (typically 3 business days) to save and confirm placement in the project.  

The Program Deposit shall be credited towards the applicable Program Fee and is deducted from any future billing statements. 

National Chapter Financial Assistance & Project Confirmation

Applicants applying for financial assistance will wait until the admissions team reviews their application. They will receive an offer within 3 business days, if the volunteer and family accept the offer to join AMIGOS, they will then be required to pay the Program Deposit ($500) to confirm their participation and secure their project spot.

Local Chapter Financial Assistance & Project Confirmation

Local Chapter participants applying for financial assistance will wait until the Local Chapter Board of Directors reviews their financial assistance application and supporting documentation. Some Local Chapters review financial assistance applications on a rolling basis, while others wait until the Local Chapter application deadline has passed to review all financial assistance applications at once. The Local Chapter will advise applicants of the financial assistance award, after which the applicant will have five (5) business days to accept their award and confirm their participation in AMIGOS by paying the $500 Program Deposit.  

Program Fees The below table indicates the Program Fees for all projects before any financial assistance or discounts. Program Fees vary based on the length and location of your project.  

What does my Program Fee include? Your Program Fee includes the following:

• Full time volunteer Onboarding
• All pre-departure training
• On-site training & orientation
• In-country food, lodging, and transportation costs
• Full-time program staff
• 24-Hour On-Call Health and Safety team
• Program excursions
• Service hours 

What is not included in my Program Fee? The following items are not included in your Program Fee:

• International and domestic airfare (learn more about travel support and flight costs here: https://amigosinternational.org/flights-and-travel-information/
• Transportation to/from your home airport
• Airline baggage fees
• Notary fees
• Required immunizations and medical examinations
• Passport/Visa Fees
• Personal equipment (this may include a mosquito net, backpack, water purification bottle, additional clothing, etc.)
• Food and discretionary purchases during travel to and from the project site (this may include souvenirs or food/snacks outside of provided meals)
• College Credit
• Supplemental Health Insurance
• Travel and/or Program Fee Protection Insurance fees 
• $225 travel support & coordination fee
• $300 Unaccompanied Minor service for the Montañas y Mar project 

Airfare and Travel Support & Coordination Fee 

Payments and Billing 

Payment Instructions

You will receive your AMIGOS Billing Statement via email from admissions@amigosinternational.org. The first billing statements will be sent on February 1, 2027. Volunteers accepted after that date will receive their billing statement on the 1st or 15th of the month following their acceptance (whichever falls first). 

• Payments may be paid by four different sources:
• The volunteer or their family members (ACH Payment)
• The volunteer or their family members (529 plan)
• Individual donors, or
• Third party organizations (AMIGOS partner organizations)

Every family’s financial journey is unique, and we are happy to accommodate flexible payment plans to fit your schedule. Beyond payment options, we offer support with setting up fundraising accounts and providing resources to help meet your program balance. Please contact admissions at admissions@amigosinternational.org to get started. 

Payment Schedule and Deadline 

Please see the table below that outlines payment deadlines based on your acceptance date to AMIGOS. If payment in full is not received by the payment due date, the volunteer will not be able to participate in the program. 

Additional Fees

• Late Paperwork 
  • Late Paperwork Fee  - By April 15th: If all paperwork [including additional forms] is not received by the priority deadline, a $250 late paperwork fee will be applied to your statement on April 15th.  
    • Paperwork deadline is April 15th for volunteers accepted before April 1st. Volunteers accepted after April 1st have 30 days or less to complete onboarding paperwork (to be communicated by Admissions upon acceptance), depending on proximity to project start. 
  • Late Paperwork Fee  - By June 1st: If all paperwork [including additional forms] is not completed by June 1st, a $500 final late paperwork fee will be applied to your statement. For volunteers accepted after April 15th, this fee applies if any required forms, including additional health forms, remain missing by June 1st. Late onboarding volunteers who miss the revised deadline communicated by Admissions will also be assessed this fee.
    • This increased fee accounts for the additional resources required for late clearance, including on-call medical screening, to support the Health and Safety team in safely clearing volunteers for their projects. 
• Volunteer Early Return
  • In the case of an early return related to a Standards of Conduct violation or if you choose to return to your home residence under your own volition, you will be responsible for paying the administrative fee of $350, as well as any costs associated with this travel to your home residence. 

    For more information, please reference the Consent and Release Agreement. 

    • Consent & Release (under 18 vols) here!
    • Consent & Release (over 18 vols) here!

     

• Reimbursement for Medical Care
  • In the case of certain medical care expenses, you are responsible for reimbursement for all costs incurred in excess of $300. 

Paying for your AMIGOS Program Fee with a 529 College Savings Plan

AMIGOS accepts funding from 529 College Savings Plans to pay for some or most of your Program Fee for eligible programs*. Airfare costs, program deposits, and other fees are not eligible for payment from a 529 College Savings Plan. 

• In order to pay via a 529 Plan, you must enroll to receive college credit for your AMIGOS experience with our partners at Western Colorado University. Please note that you do not need to be a current Western Colorado University student (or in college at all) to use a 529 College Savings Plan to pay for your AMIGOS Program Fee. 
• Two-week projects are not eligible for College Credit. 
• For more information about receiving College Credit through Western Colorado University, visit this link: https://www.amigos.fyi/college-credit-through-western-colorado-university 

Financial Assistance

• Financial assistance is available for AMIGOS applicants. In order to be considered for financial assistance, you must do the following:
  • Complete an Application for AMIGOS Programs
  • Complete the Financial Assistance Application on your AMIGOS Dashboard (available after completing your AMIGOS Application). This Financial Assistance Application includes:
    • Annual gross family income
    • Most recent 1040 tax form
    • Total dependents claimed by parents/guardians
    • Any special financial circumstances
    • Short essay about the importance of Financial Assistance and its impact on your ability to participate in an AMIGOS program 
  • Deadlines for financial assistance in the 2027 program cycle are as follows:
    • December 10, 2026: Priority Financial Assistance Deadline for Local and National Chapter applicants
    • January 20, 2027: Final Deadline for Local Chapter applications
    • March 11, 2027: Final Deadline for National Chapter Financial Assistance applications
• Award notifications vary based on whether you are joining AMIGOS through the National Chapter or your Local Chapter. Please see below. 
• You are not required to make a deposit or to begin making program fee payments until you are notified of your financial assistance award .

Local Chapters

Local Chapters distribute financial assistance to volunteers within their local chapter area. Awards will be communicated to you directly by your local chapter, on a timeline that is specific to your local chapter. Final decisions will be shared no later than two weeks after the January 21, 2027 deadline. 

• Please contact chapters@amigosinternational.org if you have question about your specific chapter’s financial assistance process or notification timeline.

National Chapter

Awards are distributed based on funds availability and family’s financial need. Packages will be awarded on a rolling basis, with priority given to those who applied before the December 10th Deadline. Applicants who receive Financial Assistance by Dec 10th are not eligible to receive the Early Bird Discount, as the Financial Assistance award already incorporates the benefit of applying early. Please contact admissions@amigosinternational.org if you are a National Chapter volunteer with questions about your financial assistance application. 

Fundraising 

Fundraising options vary based on whether you are joining AMIGOS through our National Chapter or through your Local Chapter. If you are unsure whether you are a National Chapter or Local Chapter volunteer, please contact the Admissions team at admissions@amigosinternational.org.

Please read the section that corresponds to your chapter type closely. Key differences between National and Local Chapter fundraising policies are outlined in the table below.

Local Chapters

By joining the local chapter, you agree to participate in the chapter’s group fundraising. Specific details about this fundraising commitment are outlined in your Chapter Participation Agreement, which will be shared with you by your local chapter. 

Group fundraising allows chapters to offset the cost of the program fee and makes participation in AMIGOS programs more widely accessible.

Please note that funds raised through the Local Chapter group fundraising are not applied directly to each individual volunteer’s program fee. Donations made to the Local Chapter group fundraising campaigns are tax-deductible. 

National Chapter

Volunteers in the National Chapter are not required to fundraise, but AMIGOS encourages fundraising to offset the costs of your Program Fee. Any donation made to your personal fundraiser directly reduces the cost of your Program Fee.

• Should you choose to fundraise for your AMIGOS experience, please reach out to admissions@amigosinternational.org for further instructions. We encourage volunteers to set up individual fundraising pages on CauseVox, a peer-to-peer fundraising platform which AMIGOS supports and administers.
• Note that donations made for a particular volunteer are generally not tax deductible. Should you or your donors have questions regarding tax deductibility, please consult a tax professional for advice. It is the responsibility of each volunteer to notify their potential donors of these conditions prior to the submission of donations. 
• If you choose to use a third-party fundraising website other than CauseVox (such as GoFundMe), your account will only be credited with the amount received by AMIGOS (processing fees not received by AMIGOS will not be credited to your account). 
• AMIGOS can only credit the volunteer’s account for funds received by AMIGOS by May 17.

Fundraising Refunds (National Chapter Only)

Fundraised donations are not refundable except in the case of Program Cancellation. If a volunteer fundraises for their AMIGOS experience and is later not accepted to the program or drops out of the program, fundraising donations received on behalf of the volunteer will not be returned. However, if a volunteer is eligible to hold over funds per the Finance Policy, fundraised donations can be held to be applied to their Program Fee the following calendar year. Held funds must be used in the next calendar year for a program for which the volunteer meets the eligibility requirements, or they will be forfeited to AMIGOS.   Fundraising refunds will start July 1st, 2027

Over-fundraising (National Chapter Only)

• For donations received by May 17: If a volunteer fundraises more than their program fee total, they may be eligible for a refund of payments made directly by their immediate family. This refund cannot exceed the amount their family contributed and must be requested by July 31, 2027. To request a refund due to over-fundraising, please email admissions@amigosinternational.org with a filled-out copy of the Volunteer Refund Request Form, which can be found in your welcome packet.  

  Over-funded accounts will be notified ahead of your project start date. Refunds will be issued by September. 

  For donations received after May 17: Donations received after May 17  will not be applied to the volunteer program fee. They can either be converted to a general AMIGOS donation or can be refunded to the donor.  

Refunds

• Application fee of $100 is non-refundable*
• Travel Support fee of $225 in non-refundable* 

 Program Deposit Refundability

The $500 Program Deposit is nonrefundable after January 1st 2027.

Funds collected during the enrollment process are immediately deployed to cover crucial upfront operational investments and support our partner agencies in-country. These non-recoverable funds are used directly to secure project logistics—including dedicated staff, regional transportation, community lodging, field excursions, and host community resources. For this reason,any cancellation represents an immediate financial loss to both AMIGOS and our local partner organizations. 

Refund Related to Airfare

• Airfare Refunds

Once airfare has been booked, eligibility for a full or partial refund or flight credit depends on the airline's policies and the timing of the cancellation. FlightFox can assist families with coordinating applicable refund or credit requests with the airline

• Responsibility for Delayed or Cancelled Flights

AMIGOS is not responsible for delayed, diverted, cancelled, or otherwise interrupted flights or travel experiences that result in delayed arrival to your project site. No Program Fee refunds will be issued if your arrival is delayed for any reason. If you experience delays or cancellations but ultimately arrive at the project site, you may pursue compensation from the airline directly.

Refunds for Volunteers Screened Out for Medical Reasons

Volunteers who are screened out for medical, mental health, behavioral health, or any other reasons may receive a Program Fee refund (including the Program Deposit) if your health paperwork was received by the deadline communicated to you by AMIGOS.

If your health paperwork is not received by the deadline communicated to you by AMIGOS, you are eligible for a Program Fee refund, less the program deposit of $500 as well as incurred costs such as airfare, lodging deposits, excursion deposits. Please note that incurred costs increase closer to project start date. 

If you have concerns about your medical, mental health, or behavioral health eligibility for the AMIGOS Program, please reach out to admissions@amigosinternational.org before submitting payment. You may also review our General Health Criteria

Program Cancellation, Suspension, or Reassignment

AMIGOS reserves the right to suspend, relocate, or change a project for any reason, including, but not limited to, safety, health, political, natural disasters, weather, or force majeure-related events. If AMIGOS is unable to carry out a project for which a Volunteer has been accepted, AMIGOS will make every attempt to offer, and the Volunteer agrees to make every effort to accept and participate in an alternative option, within the same or the next available AMIGOS Service Program calendar year. In this event, Volunteers may carry over any fees paid and funds raised to this alternative option or another AMIGOS project in the current calendar year or the next available AMIGOS Service Program calendar year.  

AMIGOS does not guarantee a refund in the event of a project's suspension, relocation, or change. This provision shall supersede any conflicting refund polices stated in this document. 

Holding Over Funds for Future AMIGOS Programs

• If you are unable to attend your AMIGOS project as planned, you may be eligible to hold over funds for the next available program cycle. Requests to hold over funds must be made in writing to admissions@amigosinternational.org no later than 30 days before your project start date, unless a project is cancelled within that period, and at which point written requests shall be made within 30 days of notification of cancellation.

  Please note the following: 

  • The application fee ($75) and application deposit ($425) are not eligible to be held over and must be paid again in the next cycle amount and must be paid again in the following program cycle. 

  • Hold over funds must be used in the same or the next available calendar year.

  • Hold over funds are only applicable to the same volunteer or to another volunteer within the same household (i.e., funds may be applied to a sibling’s account).  

  • Travel Support fee cannot be hold over and must be paid again in the next application cycle

  • Hold-over requests must be submitted at least 30 days prior to the project start date. Any request submitted within 30 days of start is non-refundable and non-transferable

Travel and Program Fee Protection Insurance