Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Foundation's website at globalopportunityfoundation.org, any subdomain, the member portal, our mobile applications, programs, services, or communications (collectively, the "Services"), you agree to be legally bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which are incorporated herein by reference. If you do not agree, do not access or use the Services.

If you accept these Terms on behalf of an organization (including a company, nonprofit, school, government agency, or other legal entity), you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization, and "you" refers to both you and the organization.

2. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We will provide at least thirty (30) days' advance notice of material changes by email to active subscribers, program participants, and account holders. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of any change constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree with a change, you must discontinue use of the Services.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least eighteen (18) years of age to create an account or apply to most programs on your own behalf. For our youth-focused programs (including the Youth Leadership Academy), applicants under eighteen require the consent of a parent or legal guardian. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements and that all information you provide is true, accurate, current, and complete.

The Services are not available to any person or entity (a) listed on the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals or other sanctions list; (b) prohibited from doing business with U.S. organizations under applicable export control or sanctions laws; or (c) prohibited from receiving services under these Terms by any applicable court order.

4. Accounts and Registration

Certain Services require account registration. You agree to: (a) provide accurate, complete, and current information at registration and update such information as needed to keep it accurate; (b) maintain the confidentiality of your password and account credentials; (c) be solely responsible for all activities under your account; and (d) promptly notify us of any unauthorized access or security breach.

You may not (i) create an account using false information or another person's identity; (ii) sell, transfer, or assign your account to any other person; (iii) permit others to access your account; or (iv) use another person's account without their express permission. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Services for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right
• Interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Services, our servers, or any networks connected to the Services
• Use automated tools (including bots, scrapers, or crawlers) to access the Services without our prior written consent
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or qualifications
• Upload, post, or transmit any viruses, malware, or harmful code
• Harass, threaten, defame, stalk, or otherwise harm any person
• Infringe the copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, publicity rights, privacy rights, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights of any party
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent applications, donations, or other information
• Solicit business, personal benefit, or romantic relationships from other users without authorization, including from program participants whom you are mentoring or advising
• Use the Services to send unsolicited commercial communications
• Engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits any other user's use or enjoyment of the Services
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any aspect of the Services
• Use the Services in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our infrastructure

6. Program Participation

Acceptance into a Foundation program is at the Foundation's sole discretion, applying the objective selection criteria established for each program. Selection of program participants is subject to the Foundation's Equal Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination Policy. Acceptance into one program does not guarantee acceptance into others.

As a program participant, you agree to:

• Comply with these Terms and all program-specific rules communicated to you
• Attend required sessions and complete required assignments
• Treat staff, mentors, and other participants with respect
• Not use the program or your participation for commercial gain inconsistent with program objectives
• Promptly notify program staff of any change in your status, contact information, or eligibility

The Foundation may suspend or terminate a participant's involvement in a program for violation of these Terms, violation of program rules, or other conduct deemed harmful to the program, other participants, or the Foundation.

7. Applications

Information you submit in any application (for a program, scholarship, grant, mentorship, volunteer role, employment, or otherwise) must be true, accurate, current, and complete. Submission of false information may result in (a) immediate disqualification from the program for which you applied; (b) suspension or termination of your account and access to all Services; (c) revocation of any award, scholarship, or grant previously made; (d) ineligibility from future Foundation programs; and (e) referral to law enforcement where appropriate.

By submitting an application, you authorize the Foundation to verify the information you provide, including through background checks (with your written authorization where required by applicable law), reference checks, and other reasonable verification procedures.

8. Mentorship Services

Mentor matches facilitated through the Services are educational and informal in nature. Mentors are volunteers who are not employees, agents, or representatives of the Foundation, and statements, advice, or representations made by mentors are not statements, advice, or representations of the Foundation. The Foundation makes no representations or warranties regarding mentors' qualifications, advice, or services and disclaims liability for any harm arising from mentor relationships, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Both mentors and mentees agree to abide by the Foundation's Mentor Code of Conduct, including respect for confidentiality, professional boundaries, no solicitation of business or personal relationships, and prompt disclosure of conflicts of interest. Mentors are subject to background checks where required and may have their participation terminated for cause.

9. Donations and Payments

Donations to the Foundation are voluntary and tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. The Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN to be assigned upon receipt of IRS determination letter). Donations are processed by third-party payment processors (such as Stripe), and you authorize the processor to charge your payment method for the amount you specify.

Recurring donations will be charged on the schedule you select until you cancel. You may cancel a recurring donation at any time by logging into your account, contacting giving@globalopportunityfoundation.org, or following the unsubscribe procedures provided in your donation confirmation. Refunds are addressed in our Refund Policy.

Certain Foundation programs and events charge fees. Such fees are non-refundable except as expressly provided in the program or event registration terms.

10. Intellectual Property

10.1 Foundation Content

All content provided through the Services, including text, graphics, logos, designs, photographs, video, audio, software, source code, databases, trademarks, service marks, trade names, and underlying technology (collectively, "Foundation Content"), is owned by the Foundation or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws of the United States and other countries.

Subject to these Terms and any applicable license, the Foundation grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use Foundation Content for your personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not (a) reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, transmit, sell, or otherwise commercially exploit Foundation Content without our prior written consent, except as expressly permitted by law for fair use or as expressly licensed; (b) remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices; (c) use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering tools; or (d) frame or mirror any portion of the Services without our express prior written consent.

10.2 Open Source and Creative Commons

Certain Foundation Content (including selected guides, templates, and educational resources) is made available under open licenses, including Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) or similar licenses. Such licensed content is clearly marked, and use is subject to the terms of the applicable license.

11. Your Submissions

"User Submissions" means any content you submit, post, upload, transmit, or otherwise make available through the Services, including applications, profile information, photographs, videos, comments, stories, business plans, and other materials. You retain ownership of your User Submissions, but by submitting them, you grant the Foundation a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, and create derivative works of your User Submissions in any media now known or hereafter developed, for purposes of operating, promoting, and improving the Foundation's charitable mission and activities. We will use your User Submissions consistent with our Privacy Policy.

You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions in your User Submissions to grant the license above; (b) your User Submissions do not infringe or violate the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any third party; (c) your User Submissions do not contain defamatory, libelous, obscene, harassing, or otherwise unlawful material; and (d) your User Submissions comply with all applicable laws and these Terms.

We have no obligation to monitor User Submissions and assume no responsibility for them. We reserve the right (but undertake no duty) to review, edit, refuse to post, or remove any User Submission at our sole discretion.

12. Disclaimers

THE SERVICES, INCLUDING ALL FOUNDATION CONTENT, ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE FOUNDATION EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE.

EDUCATIONAL, BUSINESS, FINANCIAL, AND LEGAL INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICES IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL, TAX, ACCOUNTING, FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONSULT QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS BEFORE MAKING DECISIONS BASED ON SUCH INFORMATION.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, SO SOME OR ALL OF THE EXCLUSIONS ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE FOUNDATION, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, VOLUNTEERS, MENTORS, CONTRACTORS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE) THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE FOUNDATION'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100); OR (B) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO THE FOUNDATION IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO SOME OR ALL OF THE LIMITATIONS ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Foundation, its directors, officers, employees, agents, volunteers, mentors, contractors, and licensors from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to: (a) your access to or use of the Services; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights; (d) your User Submissions; or (e) any false or misleading information you have submitted. The Foundation reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate with the Foundation's defense of such claims.

15. Dispute Resolution

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing any formal legal action, you agree to attempt to resolve any dispute by sending a written notice describing the dispute to legal@globalopportunityfoundation.org. The Foundation will respond within thirty (30) days. The parties agree to negotiate in good faith for at least sixty (60) days before initiating any formal proceedings.

15.2 Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution is unsuccessful, except as set forth in Section 15.4 below, you and the Foundation agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising from or relating to these Terms or the Services shall be resolved exclusively through final and binding arbitration administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures or, if you are a consumer, JAMS Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures. Arbitration shall be conducted in Duval County, Florida, or, at your election if you are a consumer, in the federal judicial district of your residence. The arbitrator shall have authority to award any relief that would be available in court, except as expressly limited by these Terms.

15.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND THE FOUNDATION AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate the claims of multiple parties and may not preside over any form of class or representative proceeding.

15.4 Exceptions

The following claims are excluded from the arbitration agreement and class action waiver: (a) claims of intellectual property infringement; (b) claims for injunctive relief to enforce the foregoing arbitration agreement; (c) small-claims court actions, if eligible; and (d) any claims that cannot be arbitrated under applicable law.

15.5 Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement by sending written notice to legal@globalopportunityfoundation.org within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. The notice must include your full name, postal address, email address, and a clear statement that you are opting out of arbitration.

16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising from or related to these Terms or the Services shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without giving effect to its conflict-of-laws principles, and by applicable federal law of the United States. Subject to the arbitration provisions above, any judicial proceedings (including small-claims actions and proceedings to enforce arbitration awards) shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Duval County, Florida, and you and the Foundation each consent to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of such courts and waive any objection on the basis of forum non conveniens.

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply to these Terms.

17. Termination

You may stop using the Services at any time and may close your account by contacting privacy@globalopportunityfoundation.org. We may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Services at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including without limitation any violation of these Terms. Upon termination, all licenses granted to you will immediately terminate, and you must cease all use of the Services. Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including without limitation Sections 10 (Intellectual Property), 11 (Your Submissions), 12 (Disclaimers), 13 (Limitation of Liability), 14 (Indemnification), 15 (Dispute Resolution), and 18 (General Provisions).

18. General Provisions

18.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, the Privacy Policy, the Cookie Policy, and any program-specific or service-specific terms incorporated by reference constitute the entire agreement between you and the Foundation with respect to the Services and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications.

18.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

18.3 No Waiver

The failure of the Foundation to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

18.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any of your rights or obligations hereunder without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

18.5 Force Majeure

The Foundation shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance arising from causes beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, civil unrest, pandemics, government actions, internet or telecommunications failures, or labor disputes.

18.6 Notices

Notices to the Foundation under these Terms must be sent to legal@globalopportunityfoundation.org or by registered mail to the Foundation's principal office. Notices to you may be sent to the email or postal address you provided in your account.

18.7 Headings; Interpretation

Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation. Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing any gender include all genders.

19. Contact