The invested capital may be returned if the project performs and its terms allow, but it is at risk. Regional-center administrative fees, USCIS filing fees under the fee schedule, consular fees and professional fees are not refundable and are not part of the investment. The family should build a separate budget for them.
Only the capital is potentially recoverable, and only if the project succeeds
Hypothetical example: the regional center quotes the investment amount plus an administrative fee, and the family asks whether the total is what they will get back. The answer separates into three parts. The invested capital is at risk by design; the subscription documents describe whether and when the project intends to return it, and a promised return would itself be a problem.
The administrative fee compensates the regional center and is gone once paid. The government charges, listed in the USCIS fee schedule for the investor petition, the conditional-residence stage and the I-829 filing, plus consular visa fees, are also non-refundable. Professional fees for the source-of-funds work and the petitions are agreed separately.
The family should also budget for the possibility of a request for evidence requiring further documents, and for travel to the consular interview. None of these costs affects eligibility; what affects eligibility is that the capital itself, net of fees, meets the applicable amount and reaches the enterprise.