Maine Local Living School

​

Application Process

Dates for 2024 to be announced.

In the online application, we ask for some information about you, why you want to join The Understory, and two references.  We will then invite you to schedule an interview, via Zoom or phone, with the admissions team.  Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full, and we will notify you of acceptance within 3 weeks of completing the application process.

​

After acceptance, we will ask you to complete a financial information form about your and your family's (if applicable) financial situation.  This will help begin a conversation, if needed, about where you land on the tuition sliding scale and scholarship support.

​

Program Cost

Tuition includes ecological housing, nourishing and delicious food, a full curriculum led by accomplished teachers and mentors, your own local resilience toolkit (knife, pack-basket materials, sharpening stone, and sewing kit), in-course travel, and all materials and supplies for handwork projects. Not included are personal items such as toiletries, bedding, weather-appropriate clothing, travel to and from MLLS, and other items on the packing list.

 

The full cost of the program is $700/week, $6,300 for 9 weeks.  To increase financial accessibility we offer a sliding scale from $350 to $700 per week. We also offer scholarships for Black, Indigenous and people of color if the low end of the sliding scale is not accessible. Payment plans are available.

​

We are working hard to make our programs financially accessible to everyone who wants to participate--so cost is not a barrier for anyone. In particular we want our program to be accessible to BIPOC and folks with other marginalized identities.  And the reality for us as a small nonprofit organization is that we rely on participant fees to pay modest wages to our teachers and cover basic costs of the farm and school operations. So we ask for your collaboration in finding a balance between financial accessibility for you and financial sustainability for the school.