The Foundation of Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 33-5003265.501(c)(3) nonprofit EIN 33-5003265
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The Second Chance Fund
The Second Chance Fund waives the program fee in full for people who qualify, from $28.99 to $214.99 depending on your hours. You get the same coursework, records, and certificate as everyone else.
Eligibility is objective: no essays and no judgment calls. If one of these applies to you, the fee is waived in full, as fund capacity allows.
Individuals represented by a public defender or court-appointed attorney have already been determined by the court to meet financial eligibility thresholds. Clients of recognized legal aid organizations, legal defender associations, and pro bono legal clinics are eligible too.
How it is confirmed: your attorney or legal aid office emails us a short referral with your name and account email.
Probation officers, caseworkers, social workers, and attorneys who use our referral portal can be approved to confirm eligibility, for example that you receive SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or TANF, or that a court waived your fees.
How it is confirmed: your referrer marks you eligible when they refer you, and your enrollment email arrives with the waiver already applied.
If you are enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or TANF, or a court granted you a fee waiver (in forma pauperis status), upload one document through our secure form. Cover everything except your name, the program, the agency that issued it, and a date.
How it is confirmed: our team reviews it and emails you. We delete the document as soon as we decide, and you never send it by email. Request a fee waiver.
The program fee, in full, at every level. Everyone pays the same fee for the same hours; a waiver brings it to zero.
| Hours required | Program fee | With a waiver |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 hours | $28.99 | $0 |
| 6 to 10 hours | $78.99 | $0 |
| 11 to 25 hours | $105.99 | $0 |
| 26 to 50 hours | $134.99 | $0 |
| 51 to 75 hours | $154.99 | $0 |
| 76 to 250 hours | $174.99 | $0 |
| 251 to 500 hours | $194.99 | $0 |
| 501 to 1000 hours | $214.99 | $0 |
There are three ways a waiver reaches you. Each one covers the whole fee.
Your referrer enters your name and email in our referral portal and marks you eligible for the fund.
You receive an email from us with an enrollment link. The waiver is already attached, so there is no code to enter and no paperwork.
Create your account with that same email address, choose your hours, and start. There is nothing to pay.
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Our team reviews the referral and sends you enrollment instructions with a waiver code.
Choose your hours at start now, then enter the code on the payment page under “Add promotion code.” The fee is waived in full.
Sign in or create your account, then open our secure fee waiver form.
Choose your program, cover the private details, and upload one photo or PDF. It is never sent by email.
We review it, delete it, and email you. If approved, the email has your link to choose your hours and start for free, with no code to enter.
Eligibility documents only go through our secure upload, never email, and we delete each one as soon as we review it.
How we handle what you send is described in our privacy policy.
No. You get the same coursework, the same recorded coursework time, the same certificate and detailed activity report, and the same verification code as a participant who paid.
Your certificate, hour log, and activity report do not show what you paid or whether your fee was waived, and neither does the verification portal. If a partner referred you, they already know, because they requested the waiver.
No. A waiver covers the whole program fee for that enrollment. There is nothing to pay, now or later.
Yes. If you receive SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or TANF, or a court waived your fees, sign in and upload one document through our secure fee waiver form. If you have a question first, email info@thefoundationofchange.org with your name and account email, and please do not attach documents.
It goes straight to private storage, never email. Only our staff can open it, and our review tool logs each time they do. We delete it as soon as we approve or deny your request, or after 7 days if we have not reviewed it. We keep only a record of the program, our decision, and the date.
Yes, through our free referral portal. Partners start without fee-waiver permission, and we approve it partner by partner. If the person referring you is not approved for waivers yet, a referral from your attorney or legal aid office still works.
Make sure you are signed in with the email address your referrer used, or the account you uploaded your document from, because waivers are matched to that address. If you are still asked to pay, stop before paying and email us.
Program fees are generally final because access starts right away, but refund requests are reviewed case by case. Email us with your account details and see our refund policy.
No. A waiver covers the program fee only. Many courts, probation departments and schools accept online community service, and each sets its own rules, so check with yours. We provide a letter of introduction and a verification code to make that easy.
Read the refund policy or see every question.
If you represent clients who qualify, a short referral email is all we need. Send only the participant's name, account email, and confirmation of the referral, without benefit, identity, or medical attachments. Contact us about current availability and allow time before any external deadline.
Probation officers, caseworkers, and social workers can refer clients through our free portal and follow their progress. Once we approve your account for fee waivers, you can mark eligible clients as fee-waived, and they receive an enrollment link with the waiver applied.
The Foundation of Change identifies its organization using EIN 33-5003265. You can look up available organization information using the links below. Nonprofit status and a Candid profile do not establish court acceptance or independently verify participant activity.