Free, and here is the actual math.

What a seat costs

That is $26 per kid per afternoon, which is roughly what a movie ticket and a snack cost. We think that is a useful comparison, because the alternative for a lot of our families is not another enrichment program. It is a screen and an empty house.

Who pays

Individual donors cover 54% of the budget. Foundations cover 24%. Corporate sponsors 12%, government 8%, and earned income 2%. Monthly donors are the backbone: 412 people giving an average of $38 a month. Twelve dollars a month covers a kid's materials for a full term, which is the number we use in fundraising because it is true and because it is the size of gift most people can actually make.

Why not a sliding scale?

We have been asked this many times and it is a fair question. A sliding scale means asking a family to prove they are poor enough to deserve a free program. It means paperwork, pay stubs, and a conversation at a front desk that no parent should have to have. It also means the kids whose parents fill out the form wrong get billed.

We tried a $20 refundable deposit in 2013. It reduced no-shows by 4% and enrollment by 31%. We refunded everyone and wrote an apology. Since then the policy has been simple: no money changes hands between STENCH and a family, in either direction.

What is included

• Two programs per term, eleven weeks each.
• Snack every day, including allergy-safe alternatives.
• All materials, tools, and consumables.
• Transportation from four partner schools, or a TriMet pass.
• Open studio, the library, the courtyard, and the salon.
• Field trips, which happen at least once a term per program and cost families nothing.
• Free haircuts, for the kid and for any family member, at the salon.