Assistance for Businesses:

The Small Business Support Program offers up to one year of partially or fully subsidized membership to local businesses. 

OVERVIEW: The Small Business Support Program offers up to a 75% reduction in Professional Maker membership dues. Members also will receive discounts on space rentals, machine use, and mentorship hours.

REQUIREMENTS: Program participants are required to credit TVCOG as a sponsor, and must provide a limited amount of media for use in promotional materials.

ELIGIBILITY: This program is for pre-revenue startup businesses based at a Troy address, small businesses that have been established at a Troy address for 4 years or less and independent artists that have demonstrated a need for more affordable access to TVCOG.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Currently accepting applications. Online application form required. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and reviewed by TVCOG Staff upon receipt; applicants will be contacted regarding application status within 5-7 business days of submission. Approved applicants start the program on the 1st of the next month. 

Apply for the SBS Program

This program is made possible thanks to the Troy Now Intiative.

Assistance for Individual Memberships:

The Pay-What-You-Can Program offers up to one year of partially or fully subsidized membership to individuals with demonstrated financial need. 

OVERVIEW: This program offers up to a 100% reduction in Super Maker membership dues (offered in 25% increments) for a period of up to 12 months.

REQUIREMENTS: Volunteer hours are required. Each program participant must complete one 4-hour shift per month for each 25% reduction in membership cost, e.g a 50% reduction in membership would have an 8-hour per month volunteer requirement, whereas a 75% reduction would have a 12-hour per month volunteer requirement. Volunteer positions vary, but options include operating the front desk/check-in station, basic organizational tasks, etc. Program members will work with the Volunteer Coordinator and TVCOG staff to determine which volunteer position best suits them.

ELIGIBILITY: Qualifying applicants must make below current Troy AMI ($39,526). No residential restrictions, but priority is given to Troy residents. All TVCOG members must be 18+.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Currently accepting applications. Online application form required. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and reviewed by TVCOG Staff upon receipt; applicants will be contacted regarding application status within 5-7 business days of submission. Approved applicants start the program on the 1st of the next month. 

Apply for the PWYC Program

This program is made possible thanks to the Troy Now Intiative.

Assistance for Workshops & Classes:

The Class Discount program partial and full discounts for TVCOG classes to individuals with demonstrated financial need.

OVERVIEW: This program offers discounts to adults with demonstrated financial need for TVCOG classes.

ELIGIBILITY: Qualifying applicants will have either lost 25% or more of your income since March, 2020 or make below current Troy AMI ($39,526). No residential restrictions. Ages 18+.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Please fill out a request form here. Requests should be submitted at least 5 days prior to the class date.

If you are currently a TVCOG member participating in one of our Community Access Programs, you are automatically eligible for class discounts. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the class information and requested discount amount in order to receive your online registration discount code.

This program is currently supported by the New York State Council on the Arts.

The STEAM Education Assistance Fund provides significant discounts on workshops, classes, after-school clubs and field trips for Troy schools and other educational organizations in Troy who serve primarily low-income students. 

OVERVIEW: This program offers discounts on educational programs for K-12 students. Offered rates are based on the number of low-income students recorded at that school by the NYS Education Department.

For example, if NYSED indicates 85% of a school's population is low-income, TVCOG offers an 85% discount on fees for that school. Further assistance may be available; school administrators are encouraged to contact us with a statement of need if this is the case. 501(c)(3) organizations requesting discounts will be required to provide this data if it is not publicly available in order to determine discount eligibility.

ELIGIBILITY: At this time, this fund is only available to Troy-based schools and 501(c)(3) organizations in Troy that serve primarily low-income youth. Programs are available for all students in grades K-12.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Please read our School Trip Guide to get an idea of what kind of experiences we can offer your students, and contact our Programs Manager directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss further. All field trip/workshop requests must be submitted at least 30 days in advance, and all after-school club requests must be submitted at least 60 days in advance. 

This program is currently supported by the Troy Now Initiative.

We are currently actively fundraising to expand this program. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the STEAM Education Assistance Program, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Educator Opportunity program offers up to six months of fully subsidized membership to qualified educators for grades K-12.

OVERVIEW: We are looking to grow our pool of instructors and volunteers for the THINQubator, our children’s makerspace. The THINQubator’s mission is to cultivate a community that focuses on mitigating barriers to creativity by providing affordable and accessible STEM programming to the youth of our community. The Educator Opportunity program is designed to provide resources to local educators in the hopes of helping them pursue that mission, both here in the THINQubator and in their own classroom.

The program offers up to six months of fully subsidized membership at the Super Maker level for educators working with students in grades K-12. Approved applicants will have access to the THINQuabtor, our children’s makerspace, for their own curriculum development purposes, as well as access to the general makerspace and coworking area for their own personal use. Approved applicants will also be added to our list of THINQubator instructors, and will be contacted about both potential paid instruction/curriculum development possibilities and educational volunteer opportunities.

REQUIREMENTS:  Volunteer hours are required. Program members will be asked to spend their volunteer time developing curriculum for our children’s makerspace. Curriculum topics will be decided in concert with staff members, based on instructor’s preference. The curriculum developed will be used in a number of our children’s programs, and should be designed to be easy for other instructors to follow; the instructor writing the curriculum will always be given first right of refusal for instruction of that particular class. Other volunteer opportunities may arise when we return to in-person events as well, e.g assisting at STEAM-Powered Saturdays, our free monthly STEAM education event, volunteering with our First Lego Robotics League etc. Volunteer hours are expected to be between 10-15 hours per month.

ELIGIBILITY Qualifying applicants will have significant teaching experience for any grades within the K-12 range in STEM or a STEM-related field. Preference will be given to applicants who currently hold a teaching certificate or CDA. Preference will also be given to instructors who have experienced significant revenue reduction since March, 2020.

Applicants should be community-driven and enthusiastic about expanding the minds of young learners. Those interested who are not STEM instructors are encouraged to email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss potential opportunities. Those who are not currently certified but are pursuing a teaching certification, or a degree in related fields are welcome to apply as well.

APPLICATION PROCESS  Currently closed. Please check back soon.  Application form required; form is available both online and at the TVCOG offices. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and reviewed by our Executive Director upon receipt; applicants will be contacted regarding application status within 5-7 business days of submission. Approved applicants start the program on the 1st of the next month. Those who choose to do instruction hours for TVCOG will be asked to complete a background check first.

CODE OF CONDUCT: All program participants are expected to abide by our Member Code of Conduct, and to follow the guidelines regarding COVID-19 safety measures listed here.

RIGHT OF REFUSAL: TVCOG reserves the right to dismiss any application to any program if the applicant is deemed ineligible. TVCOG also reserves the right to offer applicants entry into a different program than the one denoted as preferred on their application. 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION: TVCOG reserves the right to request additional proof of income upon application receipt. 

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN/HARDSHIP MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM OFFERS: Final decisions on program offers (including program type, program length and membership level) are determined by our staff based on available program funds and the applicant’s demonstrated need. While individual preferences are taken into consideration, the final program offer may not reflect the preferences denoted in the application process. Program offers are included in notification of program acceptance, and are non-negotiable. We encourage applicants to provide a detailed statement of need on their application in order to increase the chances of being accepted into their preferred program.