> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.firstrespondershub.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Sponsored payments

> Let an employer, fire department, or agency pay for one or more students — a single payment link, seat holds, reminders, and refunds

**Sponsored payments** let a third party — an employer, fire department, government agency, or family member — pay for someone else's training. The **sponsor** (who pays) is kept separate from the **student** (who trains). A single sponsor can cover **multiple people** with **one payment link and one charge**.

Use this when a department enrolls a group of employees, when an employer covers tuition, or when you want to bill an outside payer instead of the student.

## What a sponsor can pay for

A sponsorship can cover any mix of the following:

* **A cohort seat** — reserves a seat in a cohort for a new student. The seat is **held** (counts toward capacity) until the invited student claims it.
* **A standalone course** — covers a self-paced/standalone course for someone, who then claims access.
* **An existing student's balance** — covers what an **already-enrolled** student still owes (their full remaining balance or a specific invoice).

## Setting up a sponsorship

Go to [**Program Dashboard → Sponsorships**](https://firstrespondershub.com/program-dashboard/sponsorships) and start a new sponsorship. A three-step wizard walks you through it:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Who's paying?">
    Pick an existing sponsor or add a new one. For a new sponsor you provide their **email**, **first name**, **last name**, and optionally an **organization name** (the employer, department, or agency). The sponsor gets **one payment link** covering everyone they pay for.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Who are they paying for?">
    Add the people the sponsor is covering. You can mix **already-enrolled students** (the sponsor covers what they still owe) with **brand-new people** who get a cohort seat or course invite to claim.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review & send">
    Review the people covered and the total, then **send** the sponsor a payment link by email — or **save as a draft** to send later. You can also generate a link without sending the email.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  When a program owner builds the sponsorship, you can choose to cover a **partial** amount (for example, a partial scholarship where the sponsor pays part and the student pays the rest).
</Note>

## Sponsor self-serve

Sponsors who have an account can also start a purchase themselves from the **Sponsor Dashboard** — they choose your organization, the course or cohort, and the members to cover. In self-serve mode the price is **fixed** by the selected course or cohort; the sponsor pays the set amount.

## How payment and enrollment flow

1. The sponsor receives an **invoice email with a payment link** covering everyone in the group.
2. New students are held as **pending invites** (cohort seats are reserved and count toward capacity) until payment clears.
3. When the sponsor pays, the payment is routed to your connected Stripe account. Invited students can then **claim** their seat or course; balance sponsorships settle straight into the existing enrollment's ledger.
4. Both the sponsor and the students are notified throughout.

## Managing sponsorships

The **Sponsorships** page lists every sponsorship with its status. Filter by **All**, **Waiting to be paid**, **Paid**, or **Drafts**, and switch between the **Sponsorships** and **Sponsors** tabs.

| Action              | What it does                                                                                        |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Send / Reminder** | Send a draft's payment link, or nudge a sponsor who hasn't paid.                                    |
| **Edit draft**      | Adjust a sponsorship before it's sent.                                                              |
| **Resend invite**   | Re-send a claim invite to an individual student.                                                    |
| **Cancel**          | Cancel an **unpaid** sponsorship; any held cohort seat is released and the payment link is revoked. |
| **Refund**          | Refund a paid sponsorship — per person or the whole group.                                          |

### Payment reminders

Sponsors who haven't paid are automatically reminded by email as the payment link nears expiry (around **7, 3, and 1 days** before it expires). Students whose enrollment is covered by a sponsor are excluded from the normal student invoice reminders, so they aren't billed twice.

### Refunds

You can refund a paid sponsorship for a **single person** or the **entire sponsorship**, including **partial** amounts (up to the amount paid). Refunds go back to the sponsor's original payment method, with reasons such as *Requested by sponsor*, *Duplicate*, or *Fraudulent*, and an option to revoke the student's access.

## Related

* [**Payment configurations**](/payment-settings/payment-configurations) — the per-offering payment options students see when they pay for themselves.
* [**Invoices and balances**](/payment-settings/invoices-and-balances) — invoices, balances, and manual payments.
* [**Refunds**](/payment-settings/refunds) — how refunds work across payment types.