How payment works.
Fees are fixed and milestone-triggered — you always know the number before work begins. Payment runs on invoices with secure online payment; no card details are ever taken by phone or email.
1 · When invoices arrive
Your first milestone invoice is issued within one business day of the signed engagement, and work begins on its receipt. Later milestones invoice as their gates are signed off — each invoice names the milestone it triggers. Retainers invoice monthly in advance. Invoices are due within seven days.
2 · How to pay
Every invoice arrives by email with a secure Pay this invoice link (processed by Stripe): bank transfer / ACH is preferred for engagement milestones, and cards are accepted. Institutional and international clients may pay by wire — instructions are printed on the invoice. Receipts are automatic, and a W-9 is available on request for your vendor file.
3 · What we never do
We never take payment before a signed engagement, never bill hourly, never charge a percentage of any grant or award, and never request payment by gift card, crypto, or peer-to-peer apps. If a request for payment ever looks unusual, verify by calling us before paying — invoice fraud targets professional firms, and we would rather take the call.