TIERED FEES
The Buddhist “economy of gifts” that guides our financial approach is the exact opposite of the capitalist ethos. Current capitalism charges the most it possibly can and gives back the least it can get away with. In contrast, we aim to offer the most and charge as little as possible through set fees. Donations you offer beyond the fee you pay are absolutely vital to our ability to keep the Dharma teachings accessible to as many people as possible to as many as possible.
We offer you the ability to pay your retreat fee at three different levels depending on your financial situation. Please pay at the highest level possible for you.
GENEROSITY TIER
At this tier, your retreat fee exceeds the costs of hosting you on retreat and is an important avenue to subsidize the reduced fees paid by others who have more challenging financial circumstances.
BASE TIER
At this tier, your retreat fee is set below the cost of hosting you on retreat. The collective donations we receive allow us to offset the costs of hosting you.
SUBSIDIZED TIER
At this tier, your retreat fee is set well below the costs of hosting you on retreat. If you select this level, your retreat must be subsidized by others, either via the general donations people offer or through the additional fees paid by those selecting the Generosity tier. Please only select this tier if your financial challenges are significant.
SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE
Scholarship funds are available and happily offered for those who need additional financial help beyond the ability to pay at the Subsidized Level. See below for additional information about our scholarships.
PLEASE NOTE: Please be aware that your room assignment is not related in any way to the retreat tier you choose. We assign housing based on order of registration with respect for special needs in order to maintain an equitable system that is not a function of your relative financial abundance.
PAYMENT METHODS
If you select the Pay By Mail option on the online registration form, your space will be held for 10 business days from receipt of your online form to allow your mailed payment to reach us. After 10 business days your space will be released if your payment has not arrived.
For Canadians and international registrants: It is far more efficient for you to pay by credit card. The complexity of deposits and additional fees charged by our bank for foreign checks, even those drawn on US funds, make your payment by credit or debit card the preferred form of payment.
There is a $25 charge for returned checks.
DEADLINE
WAIT LIST
If you have excellent last-minute availability, please inform Cloud Mountain of that fact. When we have cancellations just prior to the retreat start (within 24 – 72 hours), we go directly to those individuals on the waiting list who have expressed an ability to accept such short-notice cancellations.
With the retreat listings we include a list of retreats that have filled and gone to waiting lists. Even if a retreat is full, we encourage you to join the waiting list, since we receive numerous cancellations that open up many spots along the way on all of our retreats. You may contact the Cloud Mountain office at any time to determine the exact registration status and waiting list length for any retreat in which you’re interested.
ATTENDANCE
Unless specifically noted, partial attendance on retreat is not permitted, nor are late arrivals and early departures of a non-emergency nature. (This includes early departures on the last day of the retreat prior to the final clean-up.) It is most respectful to the continuity of the group energy as a whole, for the smooth running of the retreat and the center, and for your own experience of full introduction, completion and closure that all participants plan to attend the full retreat. Special requests for partial attendance need to be made well in advance, are not guaranteed, and must be approved by both the Cloud Mountain Director and the retreat leader. Receiving permission from the teacher prior to contacting Cloud Mountain is not a guarantee of acceptance for partial attendance.
PLEASE NOTE: This is of deep enough concern to us that your early departure or late arrival may result in the loss of future retreat privileges.
A first instance of non-compliance in any of these areas will result in our sending a warning letter. A second instance will result in a one-year suspension of retreat privileges. We see these as breaches of sila; each retreatant has given their word in advance that they will abide by these expectations. Breaking these promises can be viewed as both false speech and taking what is not offered. In instances where the non-compliance is egregious, we retain the right to withdraw retreat privileges permanently.
“No shows” – those who do not alert us that they will not be arriving to attending the retreat – will not be registered for future retreats.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE
All retreats begin in the evening of the first day with check-in between 2pm and 4pm. A Newcomer’s meeting is offered at 4:30pm, and people new to Cloud Mountain are encouraged to arrive earlier rather than later. The first gathering of the full group begins with dinner served at 5pm followed by Working Meditation Trainings. Group Orientation to the retreat begins at 7pm unless otherwise noted on your confirmation letter. Most retreats end on the final day with brunch, and a final clean-up. Most participants leave the center by 12:30pm on the last day. There are some exceptions to this ending time. Your confirmation packet will specify the exact ending time for your retreat. Special arrangements can be made with advance arrangement (at least 48 hours prior to the retreat start) for those catching a flight or driving to Canada that would necessitate early departure.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The maximum scholarship amount varies depending on the length of the retreat and the subsidized rate for each retreat. For retreats of 13 days or less, the maximum scholarship amount is up to 50% of the subsidized rate. For retreats 14 – 26 days, scholarships of up to $400 are available. Retreats of 27 days or longer have a maximum scholarship of $800.
During retreats we turn to scholarship recipients for extra help when gaps appear in the roster of yogi jobs.
In cases of disability, we are happy to adjust the work-exchange responsibilities to accommodate individuals’ particular physical needs in a gentle and appropriate way.
TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP
You can apply for your scholarship as part of our online registration process. The Scholarship Form will automatically come up when you answer the scholarship question affirmatively.
If you plan to mail or fax your registration and scholarship application, you can fill in the form online, submit it, then print off the completed form that will be emailed to you.
Until the status of your scholarship is clear, we will not process your payment. If we are unable to approve you for scholarship assistance for any reason, we will place your materials on hold while we can contact you to see how you wish to proceed around registering. If you decide not to register under those circumstances, you will not have financially committed to the retreat and may easily withdraw your registration.
PEOPLE OF COLOR SCHOLARSHIPS
YOUNG ADULT SCHOLARSHIPS
CANCELLATION
To request an exception to the cancellation policy, please provide a detailed explanation in an e-mail and send to info@cloudmountain.org.
Cancellation policy for all retreats less than 5 days in length
- The retreat fee, less a $50 cancellation fee, will be fully refunded if Friends of Cloud Mountain is notified more than 6 months prior to the start of the retreat.
- The retreat fee, less a $100 cancellation fee, will be fully refunded if Friends of Cloud Mountain is notified 6 or more weeks prior to the start of the retreat.
- Half of the retreat fee will be forfeited if FOCM is notified between 2 to 6 weeks prior to the retreat.
- The full amount of the retreat fee will be forfeited if FOCM is notified less than 2 weeks prior to the retreat.
Cancellation policy for all retreats 5 - 12 days in length
- The retreat fee, less a $75 cancellation fee, will be fully refunded if Friends of Cloud Mountain is notified more than 6 months prior to the start of the retreat.
- The retreat fee, less a $150 cancellation fee, will be fully refunded if Friends of Cloud Mountain is notified 6 or more weeks prior to the retreat.
- Half of the retreat fee will be forfeited if FOCM is notified between 2 to 6 weeks prior to the retreat.
- The full amount of the retreat fee will be forfeited if FOCM is notified less than 2 weeks prior to the retreat.
Cancellation policy for retreats 13 days or longer but less than 27 days
- With notification to FOCM more than 6 months prior, you will receive a full refund, less the cancellation fee of $100.
- With notification 4 – 6 months prior, the fee for cancellation is $475.
- With notification 1 – 4 months prior, the fee for cancellation is $750.
- With notification less than 1 month prior to the start date of the retreat, the full amount of the retreat fee is forfeited.
Cancellation policy for retreats that are 27 days or longer
- With notification to FOCM more than 6 months prior, you will receive a full refund, less the cancellation fee of $150.
- With notification 4 – 6 months prior, the fee for cancellation is $600.
- With notification 1 – 4 months prior, the fee for cancellation is $900.
- With notification less than 1 month prior, the full amount of the retreat fee is forfeited.