Foundational Member Scholarship Application

A Collective Driven by Character

The Refinery Collective is a social impact initiative and we are deeply committed to making this work accessible. If you are ready to do the work and would love to join this community, but are currently unable to make this level of financial commitment, we invite you to apply for our limited regional scholarship program.

Scholarship rate for your region: $30 USD / month

Scholarships are for foundational memberships only and awarded for a one-year period. Please select the country below that matches the billing postal code you will use at the time of purchase and checkout.

Scholarship access is supported in part by optional Community Scholarship Contributions from paying members, plus The Refinery’s own access subsidies. Those contributions are not tax-deductible donations—The Refinery Collective is a for-profit social impact initiative of Hortiki Plants LLC.

Why is there a fee for scholarship recipients?

We charge a nominal fee for scholarship memberships to cover basic operational costs and to help you get the most out of this system. Behavioral science shows that we fundamentally devalue what costs us nothing. Researchers consistently find that user commitment, persistence, and completion rates drop dramatically when access is entirely free compared to when a minimal fee is required^1,2. Requiring a modest financial investment is not about profit—we want as many people as possible to benefit from The Collective. It’s a tool that ensures you have real skin in the game. It creates personal accountability to help you show up consistently, do the work, and get the full value out of this community.

1. Arkes, H. R., & Blumer, C. (1985). The psychology of sunk cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 35(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(85)90049-4

2. Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2014). Students’ and instructors’ use of massive open online courses (MOOCs): Motivations and challenges. Educational Research Review, 12, 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2014.05.001

Apply

First name

Last name

Email address

City / region

Country

What is your primary goal over the next 6 months?

Why do you think The Refinery Collective is a good fit for you right now?

What is one quality or perspective you bring to the community?

If selected, I can commit to the regional scholarship rate of $30 USD / month. I agree to receive application updates and communications from The Refinery Collective (including free weekly insights). Privacy Policy

Scholarships are limited. Submitting an application does not guarantee receipt of a scholarship. Applications are reviewed on a regular rolling basis. If you are selected, you will be notified by email.

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Thank you

Thank you for your submission. Scholarships are awarded on a regular rolling basis. If you are selected for an award you will be notified via email. We’ve also sent a confirmation to your inbox.

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