Terms of Service

Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the public website at fundedyouth.org (the “Site”), operated by FundedYouth, a California nonprofit corporation (EIN 93-4090260).

These Terms cover the public marketing website only. Use of the FundedYouth Portal at portal.fundedyouth.org, course enrollment, FYBITS credit purchases, sessions, and membership subscriptions are governed by separate agreements available at docs.fundedyouth.org/agreements/.

By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

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1. Eligibility

You may use the Site if you are at least 13 years old. If you are under 13, do not use the Site without parent or guardian supervision. The portal sign-up flow handles parental consent for under-13 users; the public marketing Site is not intended for direct use by children under 13.

If you use the Site on behalf of an organization (e.g. submitting a sponsor application), you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

2. Account-free access

The Site does not require an account. You may browse, read, watch embedded videos, and submit the public forms without registering. Account-based functionality (course enrollment, donations, membership) is handled on the FundedYouth Portal, which has its own agreements.

3. Acceptable use

When using the Site, you agree NOT to:

• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information through any form
• Impersonate any person, organization, or staff member
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, any related backend systems, or any other user’s data
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Site or any related network
• Use bots, scrapers, or automated systems to access the Site at a rate or volume that materially degrades service for others
• Republish substantial portions of Site content without our written permission
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or extract source code from any part of the Site
• Upload, transmit, or otherwise distribute viruses, malware, or other harmful code
• Engage in harassing, threatening, or abusive conduct toward FundedYouth staff, volunteers, or other users
• Interfere with the Site’s normal operation

We may suspend or block access from any IP address or user agent that engages in prohibited conduct.

4. Intellectual property

4.1 Our content

All content on the Site — including the FundedYouth name and logos, course names and codes, page copy, photographs, illustrations, and curriculum descriptions — is owned by FundedYouth or licensed to us, and is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

4.2 Limited license to you

We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Site for your own non-commercial, informational use. This license does not let you:

• Reproduce or republish Site content, except short quotations with proper attribution
• Use Site content in a commercial product or service without our written permission
• Use our trademarks, logos, or branding in a way that suggests we endorse you, your organization, or your products

4.3 Third-party content

Third-party logos and trademarks shown on the Site (e.g. FIRST®, NASA, software products) belong to their respective owners. Our use is descriptive and does not imply endorsement by those parties of FundedYouth or of these Terms.

4.4 User submissions

If you send us a message, application, idea, or feedback through the Site, you grant FundedYouth a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use that submission for any lawful purpose (including improving our programs) without compensation to you. We will not publicly identify you by name without your separate written consent.

[ATTORNEY REVIEW] This is a fairly broad submission license. Decide whether to narrow it for protection of submitters (e.g. limit “perpetual” to “for the duration of our nonprofit purpose,” exclude identifiable personal stories without consent).

5. Donations

Donations are processed by Zeffy and Stripe, our payment processors. Their terms and privacy policies apply to the payment portion of any donation. FundedYouth does not store full payment card details.

Donations to FundedYouth are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law (501(c)(3) status; EIN 93-4090260). You will receive a receipt suitable for tax purposes by email.

Monthly recurring donations may be canceled at any time using the link in any donation confirmation email, by contacting us at donate@fundedyouth.org, or directly through Zeffy’s interface.

Donations are non-refundable except as required by law or at our sole discretion. To request a refund, email donate@fundedyouth.org within [ATTORNEY REVIEW — DEFAULT 30 DAYS] of the donation date.

6. Sponsorship inquiries

Submitting a sponsorship application through the Site does not create any contractual obligation on FundedYouth. Sponsorship arrangements are formalized through a separate written agreement signed by both parties.

We will use the information you submit only to evaluate and respond to your inquiry, consistent with our Privacy Policy.

7. Newsletter and email communications

By subscribing to the newsletter, you consent to receive periodic emails from FundedYouth. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email. Unsubscribing from the newsletter does not unsubscribe you from transactional emails (e.g. donation receipts, sponsor inquiry responses).

8. External links and third-party services

The Site links to external sites we do not control, including:

• portal.fundedyouth.org — the FundedYouth Portal (separate agreements)
• docs.fundedyouth.org — public documentation
• zeffy.com — donation and newsletter processor
• square.link — donation processor (if active)
• Social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube)
• Eventbrite, when sessions are listed there
• Third-party educational resources (FIRST Inspires, NASA, etc.)

We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of external sites. Your use of those sites is governed by their own terms and policies.

9. Disclaimers

The Site is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the maximum extent permitted by law, FundedYouth disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement
• Warranties that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful code
• Warranties that any information on the Site is accurate, complete, or current

The Site contains general educational and informational content. Nothing on the Site constitutes professional, legal, medical, or financial advice. Information about courses, sessions, equipment, and prices is subject to change without notice.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, FundedYouth and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, contractors, and agents will not be liable for any:

• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, revenue, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses
• Damages resulting from your access to or use of the Site, content on the Site, or external sites linked from the Site

[ATTORNEY REVIEW] Decide on a hard liability cap. Common drafting: “Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from or related to your use of the Site will not exceed one hundred dollars ($100) or, if greater, the total amount you have donated to FundedYouth in the twelve months preceding the claim.”

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitation of liability for certain damages. In those jurisdictions, the exclusions and limitations above apply only to the maximum extent permitted by law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FundedYouth, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, contractors, and agents from any claim, liability, damage, loss, or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your access to or use of the Site
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
• Any content you submit through the Site

We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, in which case you will cooperate with us at our expense.

12. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Site at any time, with or without notice or cause. You may stop using the Site at any time.

Provisions that by their nature should survive termination (intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, governing law, dispute resolution) will survive.

13. Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or related to them or the Site are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.

14. Dispute resolution and arbitration

[ATTORNEY REVIEW — IMPORTANT] This is one of the most consequential decisions in this document. Two common options:

Option A: Informal resolution + small claims + court. Most nonprofits with primarily local visitors pick this. If a dispute arises, the parties agree to attempt informal resolution first by emailing info@fundedyouth.org. If unresolved within 60 days, either party may bring an action in small claims court or in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California.

Option B: Binding arbitration + class action waiver. Provides liability protection to the nonprofit but is sometimes criticized as unfair to individuals. If chosen, draft to include: arbitration provider (AAA or JAMS), location (San Diego), individual- basis only (no class actions), 30-day opt-out for new users, exception for IP claims and small claims.

Pick one based on attorney guidance. The draft below assumes Option A.

14.1 Informal resolution

If you have any dispute with us, please contact us first at info@fundedyouth.org so we can attempt to resolve it without formal proceedings. We will respond within [ATTORNEY REVIEW — DEFAULT 30 DAYS].

14.2 Forum

If informal resolution fails, any legal action arising from or related to these Terms or the Site must be brought in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California. You and FundedYouth consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of those courts.

14.3 No class actions

You and FundedYouth agree that any claims will be brought only in your individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative proceeding.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will:

• Update the “Last updated” date at the top
• Post the new Terms at the same URL
• For material changes, provide notice (banner, email, or both) at least [ATTORNEY REVIEW — DEFAULT 30 DAYS] before the change takes effect

Your continued use of the Site after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement. These Terms, along with our Privacy Policy and any other agreements expressly incorporated by reference, are the entire agreement between you and FundedYouth concerning the Site.
• Severability. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in effect.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce a right or provision is not a waiver of that right.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms. We may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or transfer of programs to another nonprofit.
• Notices. We may give notice by posting on the Site, emailing you (if we have your email), or by other reasonable means.

17. Contact

FundedYouth 415 Parkway Plaza, Suite 519 El Cajon, CA 92020 Phone: (619) 728-5002 Email: info@fundedyouth.org

EIN 93-4090260 · 501(c)(3) Nonprofit