Fees
Needs-based pricing
Needs-based pricing is available for eligible nonprofit and community-serving organizations working in areas where geography, poverty, or systemic barriers limit access to educational opportunities.
Eligibility is determined using the criteria below. These classifications are used only to establish eligibility and do not imply government affiliation or endorsement.
Eligible organizations
To qualify through the location-based program, an organization must:
- Be a legally registered nonprofit, charitable, or faith-based organization; and
- Deliver the proposed program primarily for learners located in an eligible Canadian or Mexican community.
Indigenous nations, communities, and organizations are covered by a separate eligibility category and do not need to meet the location or charitable-registration requirements.
Canada
Location-based pricing is available when the proposed work will primarily serve a community classified as remote or very remote under Statistics Canada's most recent Index of Remoteness Classification.
Eligibility is based on the community served — not solely on the organization's head-office location. An organization based in a larger centre may qualify when the project is specifically designed for and delivered to eligible remote communities.
The Index of Remoteness considers a community's distance from and access to population centres.
Mexico
Location-based pricing is available when the proposed work will primarily serve a municipality, locality, or urban area included in Mexico's current federal Declaratoria de las Zonas de Atención Prioritaria.
These designated areas are identified by the Mexican government using official measures of poverty, marginalization, and limited access to essential services. Because the declaration is updated annually, eligibility is assessed using the list in effect when the inquiry is submitted.
Indigenous nations, communities and organizations
Needs-based pricing is available throughout Canada and Mexico for work commissioned by or directly serving:
- Indigenous nations and governments
- Indigenous communities
- Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations
- Indigenous schools, cultural organizations, and community programs
- Organizations formally mandated by an Indigenous nation or community to deliver the proposed work
This category applies regardless of location, remoteness classification, charitable status, or incorporation type.
An organization does not qualify under this category solely because some participants are Indigenous. The project must be Indigenous-led, formally commissioned by an Indigenous nation or community, or delivered through an Indigenous organization.
Information required
Include the following in your project inquiry:
- The organization's legal or registration status
- The community or communities the project will serve
- The organization's annual operating or program budget
- The proposed program and intended learners
- The requested scope of work
- For Indigenous eligibility, the nation, community, or Indigenous organization commissioning or leading the work
Common Thread may request documentation confirming registration, project location, or community mandate.
How rates are determined
Eligibility provides access to needs-based pricing but does not create one standard discount. Fees are agreed case by case based on:
- The organization's available budget
- The project's scope and complexity
- The number of programs, levels, or modules
- The amount and condition of existing material
- Research and consultation requirements
- The number of participating stakeholders
- Deliverables and implementation support
- Timeline and scheduling requirements
After an initial conversation, the organization receives a written proposal outlining the recommended approach, inclusions, assumptions, timeline, and fixed project fee.
A note on fees
Published fee ranges are provided for planning purposes in Canadian dollars. Approximate US-dollar and Mexican-peso equivalents may also be shown, but converted amounts change with exchange rates. The written proposal will identify the project's final fee and payment currency.