Ourspiral Fund

Here we go again! A member of our community has again offered a $5000 matching grant, so long as I raise the funds by December 31, 2024. We are at $700 as of Monday December 2, 2024.

The aim of the Ourspiral Fund is twofold:

1. To make it possible for those who otherwise can’t afford sustainable rates to attend Miriam’s offerings;

2. To ensure Miriam can continue receiving sustainable levels of income, so her twenty years of teaching so far can go another twenty plus years.

This project for Herspiral Arts began in early 2023, when Miriam approached a few funding sources for scholarship money for students. After receiving $2500 from one organization for local activists, Herspiral received $5000 from an anonymous donor, with the caveat that it be a “challenge grant”, encouraging Herspiral to ask others for funding.

2024 Challenge Grant

The first $5000 of donations received by December 31, 2024 will be matched 1:1 by our anonymous donor, so your gift will be doubled! We will keep you updated on this page, and via email. As well, any donations above the $5000 will go for next year’s scholarship funding.

If you would also like to provide seed money for another challenge grant in 2025, please let Miriam know.

Why Now?

For a long time now, Miriam has offered an increasingly wide sliding scale model, asking those who can pay more to help cover for those who need to pay less. The last couple of years, Miriam has increased the upper level of that scale a few times. This has often helped many folks systematically excluded from these kinds of offers: those living on disability or social security, single mothers, people with disabilities, and more.

However, since the beginning of COVID, the number of current students who can pay more has decreased, meaning Miriam has, at times, offered scholarships out of pocket.

This fund gives a chance for anyone to help out. You can give $5 or $5000; the amount is up to you, whether you took a course with Miriam when she began or just discovered her offerings last week.

This fund will give Miriam a way to fill in the spaces around those who need to pay less (or nothing), and meet her business and personal expenses.

Please Note

Ourspiral Fund and Herspiral Arts are for-profit businesses; in other words, we can’t give you a tax write-off. Hopefully, you will still be compelled to give as much as you can to help ensure these teachings and this community thrive.

You can make an offer via Stripe here in the store, or contact Miriam to send a check or pay another way. If you prefer, you can sign up to have regular withdrawals.

Thank you for supporting Herspiral Arts!