2026 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 $75 application fee to complete their application. This Application Fee is nonrefundable and is not included as part of the listed Program Fee. This Application Fee reserves a spot on one of your preferred projects while you complete the application and deposit process. 
• In specific circumstances, the Application Fee may be waived. If you have communicated with AMIGOS staff and your application fee has been waived, select “my fee has been waived.” If you have questions about waiving your application fee, email admissions@amigosinternational.org. 

 Program Deposit

• All applicants must pay a $425 program deposit. This payment is due within the timeframe communicated to you by AMIGOS staff (typically one or two weeks) to reserve placement in the program.
• The Program Deposit shall be credited towards the applicable Program Fee and is deducted from any future billing statements. 

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:

• All pre-departure training & volunteer onboarding
• Travel support
• On-site training & orientation
• In-country food, lodging, and transportation costs 
• Full-time program staff
• 24-Hour On-Call 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 
• $200 travel admin fee for Discover, Explore and Immerse projects
• $300 travel admin fee for middle school projects

Airfare Fees

Airfare Booking and Support Fees – Volunteers Age 15 and Over

Airfare Booking and Support Fees – Volunteers Under Age 15

Volunteers under the age of 15 will be accompanied on their international travel leg from one of our gateway cities (San Francisco & Houston). AMIGOS will book the group reservation for these volunteers and will arrange for the chaperone to accompany the volunteers to and from their international destination. The volunteer’s family will be responsible for dropping their volunteer off at their gateway city by the designated time and date for their project and will be responsible for picking them up from the gateway city by the designated time and date on the return. 

Because of the level of support provided by AMIGOS for volunteer booking and travel, AMIGOS charges a $300 administrative fee, which covers services such as group travel booking, international flight chaperone, travel day support at gateway airports, and the 24-hour Travel Hotline. 
 
Once AMIGOS confirms seats with the airline, families are financially responsible for the ticket cost. If a volunteer is not able to participate due to the results of a health screening after the reservation is confirmed, the family will be billed for the ticket and will receive airline credit directly. 

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, 2026. 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)

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 
  • Paperwork deadline is April 1st for volunteers accepted before March 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.
• If all volunteer paperwork is not received by the paperwork deadline*, a $250 Late Paperwork Fee will be applied to your statement. 
• 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): https://amigosinternational.org/forms/AMIGOS-Consent-and-Release-Power-of-Attorney-and-Parent-Permission-to-Travel-for-Amigos-de-las-Americas-Under-18-Minor.pdf 

  Consent & Release (over 18 vols): https://amigosinternational.org/forms/AMIGOS-Consent-and-Release-and-Medical-Power-of-Attorney-for-Amigos-de-las-Americas-Over-18.pdf 

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

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
  • Deadlines for financial assistance in the 2025-2026 program cycle are as follows:
    • December 10, 2025: Priority Financial Assistance Deadline for Local and National Chapter applicants
    • January 21, 2026: Final Deadline for Local Chapter applications
    • March 11, 2026: 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, 2026 deadline. 

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

National Chapter

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. 

• In order to join through the local chapter, full participation in all chapter fundraising activities is required. Group fundraising allows chapters to offset the cost of program fee and makes participation in AMIGOS programs more widely accessible. 
• Please note that funds raised through Local Chapter group fundraising are not applied directly to each individual volunteer’s program fee. Donations made to 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 15

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.   

Over-fundraising (National Chapter Only)

• For donations received by May 15: 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, 2026. 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 15: Donations received after May 15 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

 Program Deposit Refundability

• The $425 Program Deposit is nonrefundable after January 1.

Personal Circumstances

Refund Related to Airfare

• Airfare Refunds
• Once your airfare has been booked, the ability to receive a full or partial refund or flight credits is entirely dependent on airline policy and the timing of notification of cancellation. Where possible, AMIGOS will facilitate a refund or credit in the volunteer’s name and return this refund or credit to you. 
• 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, should you choose..

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 full Program Deposit 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).  

   

  • If airfare has been booked, airfare payments will not be held over. See Refund Related to Airfare above.  

Travel and Program Fee Protection Insurance