I’ve got a working stipend matrix and a bilingual (English/Spanish) independent contractor agreement we use to compensate culture-bearers and community historians fairly. It covers travel, prep time, and interpretation, with tiers from $150–$600 per engagement, piloted July–September during our neighborhood series. Happy to share the Google Doc; what are you using, and what would you tweak to better support multilingual and intergenerational presenters?
We use tiers too and add a ‘prep cap’ and a ‘48-hour cancellation = 50% fee’ clause, plus reimburse mileage at the IRS rate rather than folding travel into the fee. Small tweak that helped: a separate optional line for childcare or materials up to $50 so folks aren’t choosing between showing up and covering costs.
Quick tip: we added a separate line for “recording rights” with a 25% uplift if we ask to film or archive — like labeling leftovers so everyone knows what can be reused and what needs a fresh fee. We also include a $50 materials microgrant for consumables and pay by same-day ACH on invoice to avoid fronting costs. For benchmarking, we glance at W.A.G.E. guidelines https://wageforwork.com and then bump rates when interpretation is involved.
Hello! What part of the country are you in? I know rates can sometimes vary depending on the market. And I’d be very glad to have access to this doc, if you don’t mind sharing.