Equity Accelerator

License, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

 

Equity Accelerator, a partner project of the National Center for Civic Innovation (“Equity Accelerator”), welcomes You to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use (“Terms”), which applies to our online professional development courses (the “Platform” or “Services”).   Instructors, educators, and other participants (each, a “User” or “You”) access the Platform in connection with registration for one or more of our professional development courses.

By using the Platform, the User agrees to these Terms.  Each User’s use and access to the Platform is conditioned upon the User’s acceptance of the Terms, as they may be amended from time to time without notice. 

If You have a disability that prevents You from accessing this electronically and requires an alternate format (e.g., audio, large print) or if You wish to correct, update or delete Your personal information or otherwise opt out, You may contact us by sending an email to [email protected] or send regular mail to Equity Accelerator, A Project of the National Center for Civic Innovation, 121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013.

SECTION 1 - PLATFORM USE AND RESTRICTIONS

You may not use the Services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose, including but not limited to violating intellectual property laws or transmitting malicious code.  A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in the immediate termination of your Services. 

By registering for the course, you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account credentials confidential.  You are solely responsible for all activity related to your account and must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access or misuse.

Accounts and access to course materials are managed through the Thinkific platform, and use of the platform is subject to Thinkific’s own terms and conditions, including data transmission and platform limitations.

Equity Accelerator does not store or access your credit card details.  All payments are securely handled via Stripe and comply with Stripe’s terms and PCI-DSS standards.

You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell, or exploit any portion of the Course Content, use of the Services, or access to the Services without express written permission.

The headings in this agreement are for convenience only and do not limit or affect these Terms.

We reserve the right to deny or suspend access to the Services at any time, for any legal reason, including violations of these Terms.

SECTION 2 – ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, AND TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION

We make every effort to ensure the course materials and supporting information on this site are accurate and current. However, we are not responsible if any information here is not accurate, complete, or up to date.  The content is meant for general information and professional development only.   It should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, complete, or current sources.  Any reliance on materials on this site is at your own risk.

This site may contain references to previous courses, examples, or past practices.  Such information may not be current and is provided for reference only.  We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any specific content unless required by law or program policy.  You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site.

SECTION 3 - LICENSE

You are granted a limited non-exclusive non-transferable license to use the Platform solely for your personal, educational, and non-commercial use in connection with your participation in Equity Accelerator’s professional development course.  You agree that:

This license automatically terminates upon the expiration of the applicable course or upon termination of our agreement with your sponsoring institution, if applicable.  We also may terminate this license if You fail to comply with the Terms. Upon termination of the license, Your ability to access the Platform and course materials will also terminate. 

You may not assign this license to any third-party. We may assign this license in accordance with agreements with your sponsoring institution, if applicable.   

The contents of the Platform are intended solely for the personal, educational, and noncommercial use of its Users. The use of the Platform is restricted to the purpose and terms outlined in these Terms and any applicable agreements between Equity Accelerator and your sponsoring institution, if applicable.

Your use of the Services indicates your agreement to the License, as in effect at such time.  

SECTION 4 – COURSE CONTENT AND ACCESS TERMS

Access to Equity Accelerator’s professional development course is available exclusively through this platform.  All sales are final and non-refundable.  Exceptions may be granted at the sole discretion of Equity Accelerator in cases of technical errors or documented billing disputes.   We do not provide refunds for course registrations, digital content, or services purchased through the website unless expressly stated in writing or required by law.

We reserve the right to limit access to the course or related services to any person, institution, geographic region, or jurisdiction.  We may exercise this right on a case-by-case basis.  All descriptions of the course and any pricing are subject to change at any time without notice, at our sole discretion.   We reserve the right to discontinue or modify course offerings at any time.

We do not guarantee that the course content or learning experience will meet your expectations, nor do we guarantee that any errors in the platform or materials will be corrected.

Bulk or institutional purchases may be subject to separate agreements, including custom pricing, access terms, or support arrangements.

Equity Accelerator does not guarantee any specific instructional results, teaching success, or student performance improvements from this course.   Outcomes may differ based on individual implementation and context.

SECTION 5 - ACCURACY OF BILLING AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION

You agree to provide current, complete, and accurate information during the account registration and checkout processes, including your name, email address, and any payment-related information required by our payment processor. 

All payments are securely processed through Stripe on the Thinkific platform.  Equity Accelerator does not store or access your credit card information.  You are responsible for updating your contact details to ensure you receive course-related communications.

We reserve the right to deny or cancel access to the course if any information provided during registration or payment is inaccurate, incomplete, or fraudulent.

SECTION 6 - THIRD-PARTY LINKS

Certain content, resources, or tools available through the course platform might include materials or links from third parties.   We do not review or guarantee the accuracy or policies of any third-party websites, and we are not responsible for any third-party materials, services, or content.

We are not responsible for any loss, harm or damages arising from your use of third-party websites, services, or transactions. Please review carefully the third-party's policies and terms before engaging with them.   All complaints or concerns regarding third-party content should be directed to the relevant third- party.

SECTION 7 - USER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, GRANT, AND CONDITIONS

If you choose to provide feedback, including ideas, suggestions, concepts, processes, techniques, questions, answers, codes/scripts, and other comments related to our Services, website, proposed services, documentation, or business (“Feedback”), you agree that we may use such Feedback without restrictions or obligation to you.  You also waive any claims to ownership or compensation, monetary or otherwise.

We may, but are not required to, monitor, edit, or remove User content that we determine in our sole discretion to be unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable, or that violates any party’s intellectual property or these Terms.

You agree that your comments will not infringe on any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality, or other proprietary rights.  You also agree that your comments will not contain illegal, abusive, obscene material, or any malware or code that could disrupt the operation of the Service or platform. You may not use a false email address or misrepresent your identity.  You are solely responsible for the comments you post and their accuracy.  We assume no liability for comments made by you or any third-party.

If the course includes opportunities for written reflections, activity submissions, or other user-generated assignments, you agree that these submissions must be your original work, appropriate for a professional development setting, and must not infringe on the rights of any third-party.  Equity Accelerator may review or analyze submitted content in anonymized form for program evaluation or instructional improvement.

SECTION 8 - ERRORS, INACCURACIES, AND OMISSIONS

Occasionally, there might be typos, errors, or omissions related to course content, descriptions, scheduling, or availability on our site or in the Service.  We reserve the right to correct any errors and update information at any time without notice.

We are not required to update, amend, or clarify information on the Service or any related website, including without limitation, pricing details, except as required by law.  No specific update or refresh date on the Service or related websites should be interpreted as indicating that all information has been changed or updated.

SECTION 9 - PROHIBITED USES

You agree to use the Services only for lawful and authorized purposes.  You may not use the Services in any manner that:


We reserve the right to terminate your access if you violate any of these terms.

SECTION 10 - PRIVACY POLICY

This Privacy Policy is designed to explain the types of information obtained by Equity Accelerator through the Services and how that information is used by Equity Accelerator  and/or shared with others.  The examples given are intended to be for illustrative purposes only and, therefore, should not be considered to be a complete representation of the Project’s practices.  

This Privacy Policy applies to all information received by Equity Accelerator through Your use of the Platform.  This may include information You submit when You create and manage an account, respond to course surveys, or interact with the course content or platform features.  This may include data You input through discussion, prompt, assignments, or optional feedback activities. 

Your use of the Services indicates Your agreement to the Privacy Policy, as in effect at such time, and Your acknowledgement that any personal information collected will be subject to this Privacy Policy.  Equity Accelerator reserves the right to modify the Privacy Policy at any time, without notice.  Such changes will be incorporated into this document and posted on the Platform and will become effective as soon as they are posted.   The current version of the Privacy Policy supersedes any prior versions.

10.1 Personal Information Collected From Queries, Data Campaigns and Online Forms

Equity Accelerator may collect and maintain certain personal information about You that You provide when You use Services, such as Your email address, username and password, and all information provided by You within a query, data campaign or otherwise through the Platform.  We will retain Your personal information on our systems for the duration of the applicable course or as otherwise agreed in our agreement with your sponsoring institution, if applicable; and to the extent otherwise legally required. 

If You choose not to provide us with the personal information that we require for the Services, Your access and use of the Services may be limited.

10.2 Information Collected from Devices

We and third-parties also may collect certain information automatically from Your device, which may be considered personal information under applicable data protection laws.   For example, we or third-parties may collect the domain name or URL from which You accessed the Platform, Your IP address, browser types and anonymous demographic information (such as ZIP codes), date and time You accessed each page of the Platform, and the web browser or mobile device You used and pages You accessed, and may use this data for system administration, troubleshooting, and to examine overall traffic trends. 

10.3 Cookie Policy

The Platform may use “cookies” or other tracking technology such as pixels, in order to enhance a user’s experience when viewing the Platform and to compile statistical information regarding the use of the Services.  A cookie is a file that is transmitted by a website or app to a user’s browser or device.  The browser or device then saves that file in a designated file for cookies on the user’s computer or device.  We use cookies to personalize the User’s experience with the Platform as well as to compile statistics about how the Service is being used. 

The Platform is hosted by Thinkific and may also incorporate tools such as Qualtrics to support surveys or analytics.  These third-party platforms may use cookies or similar tracking technologies as part of their standard operations.  These tools do not collect personally identifiable information unless it is submitted directly by the User. 

Equity Accelerator may also collect limited technical data from your browser or device, such as IP address, browser type, operating system, and access times, for analytics and platform performance monitoring.  This data is collected anonymously and used only to improve functionality and ensure secure access to the course platform. 

You may have the ability to change your browser or device settings to refuse to accept cookies. Please note, however, that without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of all our Platform’s features.

10.4 Use and Disclosure of Information

We use information that is collected through the Platform for delivery of the Services, administration of the Platform, security purposes, and compliance with our legal obligations and policies and procedures.  

We may use and share Your personal information with third-party subprocessors who support the delivery of services for Equity Accelerator and/or are subject to appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.  These include but are not limited to Thinkific, Stripe, and Qualtrics.  We reserve the right to change any of our third-party processors without notice.   We may update or change our service providers from time to time as needed to maintain or improve our Services.   All such providers are required to meet the same privacy standards described here.

If required under applicable law, we may use the information collected to respond to requests from governmental or legal authorities.  We may also use information collected to ensure these Terms are being followed and/or to prevent or stop activity we may consider to be posing a risk of being illegal, unethical, or legally actionably activity. 

We will not sell or rent Your personal information.  

Equity Accelerator may use data for various research, evaluation, and reporting purposes. Equity Accelerator reserves the right to use these data to assess the effectiveness of our professional development programs or for future research purposes. All data utilized or analyzed by EA will be de-identified and/or aggregated, and will not identify individual users. We also reserve the right to share de-identified or aggregated data with our institutional partners for quality improvement purposes.      

If your license was purchased through an institutional bulk purchase, your institution may want to know if you signed up for or completed the course, e.g., to confirm professional development credits or for their own internal assessments.   By using the Platform, you authorize use to share this information with your institution, which will be limited to your institution-issued email address, and whether you’ve signed up for or completed the course. 

Equity Accelerator may use Qualtrics or similar platforms to conduct user surveys or quizzes as part of the course experience.  Some surveys may include optional demographic questions, such as faculty role, academic field, or race/ethnicity, for research and program evaluation. Participation in these questions is voluntary, and responses will only be shared in aggregate or anonymized form.

We also may transfer Your information to a third-party as necessary to provide services or comply with legal or our agreement with your sponsoring institution, if applicable. 

10.5 Children 

The Platform is not intended or designed to be used by any individual under the age of 13 years.  We do not intentionally collect personal information from anyone under 13.  If such data is discovered, it will be removed promptly.

10.6 Information Security

We have implemented reasonable measures to protect the security of personally identifiable information that a User provides through the Platform, including encryption and secure data hosting.  The course platform is hosted on Thinkific, and payments are processed through Stripe, both of which maintain safeguards such as encryption, secure environments, and compliance with PCI-DSS standards.  However, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure and as such, we cannot guarantee the security of Your personal information.  All payment information is securely collected and handled by Stripe and is never stored by Equity Accelerator.  We do not have access to Your full payment details.

User data is retained only as long as needed to deliver the course, support program evaluation, and meet legal or institutional requirements.  Users can request the deletion of their personal information at any time, subject to applicable legal or contractual obligations.

10.7 Claims of Copyright Infringement

If You believe Your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected] or send regular mail to Equity Accelerator, A Project of the National Center for Civic Innovation, 121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013.

10.8 Privacy Laws

To the extent that Your information collected is subject to privacy laws or as otherwise required by our agreement with your sponsoring institution, if applicable, we will comply with the requirements of those laws and their regulations, and applicable institutional privacy obligations.

10.9 Your California Privacy Rights

The California Consumer Privacy Act grants residents of California the right to know about Your personal information collected, used, and shared; right to delete such personal information; right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of Your personal information; right to correct inaccurate personal information; and right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.  To make such a request(s), please send an email to [email protected] or send regular mail to Equity Accelerator, A Project of the National Center for Civic Innovation, 121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013. 

10.10 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Compliance

Where applicable, personal information is processed based on one or more lawful grounds under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  These may include Your consent; the necessity of processing to deliver the course and related services; compliance with a legal obligation; or the legitimate interests pursued by Equity Accelerator.

10.11 Opt Out

You can opt out of receiving non-essential communications from us at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any message or by contacting us at [email protected].

SECTION 11 - TERMS OF USE

11.1 Modifications to the Services

We reserve the right, from time to time, to make modifications and changes to the Platform, including, but not limited to, discontinuing any service or functionality offered by us or through the Platform, with or without notice.  Prices for course access and related services may also change at any time without notice.  You agree that neither Equity Accelerator nor National Center for Civic Innovation nor the Fund for the City of New York (together, the “Provider Parties”) shall be liable to You or to any other party for any changes and modifications to the Platform.

11.2 Your Representations and Warranties

You represent, warrant and covenant that no material of any kind submitted by You to the Platform will: (i) violate, plagiarize or infringe upon the rights of any third-party, including without limitation copyright, trademark, privacy or publicity, moral rights, contract or other personal or proprietary rights; (ii) contain unlawful material; (iii) constitute false or misleading indications of origin or statement of fact; (iv) slander, libel or defame any person or entity; (v) cause injury of any kind to any person or entity; or (vi) violate any applicable laws, rules, regulation or other governmental order or these Terms. 

11.3 Limitation of Liability

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS", "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS.  WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

ANY MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE PLATFORM IS DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM, MOBILE DEVICE, OR ANY COMPONENT CONNECTED THERETO, OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD (INTENTIONAL OR OTHERWISE) OF ANY SUCH MATERIAL.

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT NONE OF THE PROVIER PARTIES SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED IN ANY WAY TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM, WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARE DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, LOST OPPORTUNITY, LOST SALES, LOSS OF GOODWILL OR REPUTATION, OR ANY OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS, AND WHETHER ARISING UNDER THEORIES OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY OF THE PROVIDER PARTIES HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSSES.

TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF THE PROVIDER PARTIES FOR ANY CLAIM RELATING TO YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID (IF ANY) FOR ACCESS TO THE PLATFORM IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

THE PLATFORM MAY OCCASIONALLY BE UNAVAILABLE DUE TO MAINTENANCE, TECHNICAL ISSUES, OR THIRD-PARTY OUTAGES. NCCI AND THE FUND ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DELAYS, DISRUPTIONS, OR LOSSES RESULTING FROM SUCH UNAVAILABILITY.  THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, DISRUPTIONS CAUSED BY HOST PLATFORM FAILURES, INTERNET SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS, OR THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDER OUTAGES.

THE PROVIDER PARTIES ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY FAILURE OR DELAY IN PERFORMANCE CAUSED BY EVENTS BEYOND OUR REASONABLE CONTROL, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ACTS OF GOD, NATURAL DISASTERS, POWER OUTAGES, LABOR STRIKES, INTERNET FAILURES, OR GOVERNMENT ACTIONS.

BECAUSE SOME STATES OR JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, IN SUCH STATES OR JURISDICTIONS, OUR LIABILITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

11.4 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Provider Parties and their affiliates, partners, officers, directors, agents, contractors, licensors, service providers, subcontractors, suppliers, interns, and employees from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third-party arising from your breach of these Terms or any related documents, any content you submit through the Services or Platform, or your violation of any law or third-party rights.

11.5 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall still be fully enforceable to the extent allowed by applicable law.  The unenforceable part shall be regarded as severed from these Terms, and this decision shall not impact the validity and enforceability of the other provisions.

11.6 Termination

These Terms remain in effect until either you or Equity Accelerator terminates them.  You can terminate these Terms at any time by notifying us that you no longer want to use our Services or by stopping your use of the course platform.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time, without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms or applicable law.  Upon termination, you remain responsible for any fees or obligations incurred prior to the termination date, and we may deny you access to the Services or any part thereof.

Any provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination, including but not limited to ownership rights, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability, will continue to apply after termination.

11.7 Miscellaneous 

Our failure to insist upon or enforce strict performance of any provision of these Terms shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right.  

You acknowledge that You have read and understand these Terms and that You have had the opportunity to seek legal advice prior to agreeing to it.  You agree to be bound by these Terms. 

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between us, govern your use of the Platform, and supersede any prior terms of use or other agreements concerning your use of the Platform.  These Terms and any separate agreements through which we provide you with Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the course platform shall first be resolved through good-faith negotiations.   If the dispute cannot be settled informally, it will be submitted to binding arbitration or brought before a court of competent jurisdiction in New York, as determined by Equity Accelerator.

Any ambiguities in these Terms shall not be construed against the drafting party.

11.8 Contact Information

Questions about the Terms should be sent to Equity Accelerator at [email protected].

Equity Accelerator

A Project of the National Center for Civic Innovation

121 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10013

United States of America

 

Date: 7/30/25