Home > Terms of Service
Terms of Service
Effective Date: Sunday, June 30, 2025
1. Acceptance of the Terms
Welcome to The Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, Inc., doing business as Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation (“we,” “us,” or “our”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our website, https://www.mattiespeacefoundation.org (the “Website”), and our associated community platform located at https://community.mattiespeacefoundation.org (the “Community”). These Terms apply to all content, functionality, and services offered.
By accessing, browsing, or using the Website or Community, including making a donation, purchasing a membership, or using any services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Community Guidelines, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. If you do not agree to all of these terms, you must not access or use our Website or Community.
2. Privacy Policy
Our Privacy Policy provides a detailed explanation of our practices for collecting, using, and disclosing your information. Please review it carefully to understand how we protect your data. By using our Website, you consent to the data practices described in our Privacy Policy.
3. Communications from the Foundation
When you provide us with your email address, you consent to receive electronic communications from us. These may include newsletters, acknowledgements of your contributions, information about your Community status, and other updates related to our mission. You may opt-out of promotional emails at any time by following the “unsubscribe” link in the email or by contacting us directly. You will continue to receive essential transactional or administrative messages (e.g., payment receipts, password resets).
4. Use of the Website and Prohibited Conduct
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to use our Website and Community for your personal, non-commercial use in support of our non-profit mission. As a condition of your use, you agree not to:
As a condition of your use of the Website, you agree not to:
Use the Website or Community for any unlawful purpose.
Violate the Community Guidelines.
Use any robot, spider, or other automated means to access the Website.
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of our systems.
Impersonate the Foundation, a Foundation employee, a Foundation volunteer, or any other person or entity.
Post or distribute any content that is defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, or infringes on the rights of any third party.
Introduce any viruses, trojan horses, worms, or other malicious material.
Engage in any conduct that could disable, damage, or impair the Website or Community.
Violate any applicable federal, state, local, or international law.
5. Intellectual Property Rights
The Website, Community, and their entire contents, features, and functionality are owned by the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, Inc., its licensors, or other providers and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. The Foundation name, our logo, and all related names and slogans are our trademarks. You must not use such marks without our prior written permission. All original materials by Mattie J.T. Stepanek are the copyrighted property of Jeni Stepanek, Ph.D., and are used with permission.
6. Donations, Memberships, and Financial Transactions
Our Website and Community allow you to make financial contributions, including one-time donations and the purchase of memberships, which may involve recurring payments.
Payment Processing: All financial transactions are processed through secure third-party payment providers. By providing payment information, you represent that you are authorized to use the payment method and you authorize our payment processor to charge your payment method for the total amount of your transaction.
- Recurring Payments: If you purchase a membership with a recurring payment, you authorize us to charge your payment method automatically at the interval you selected until your membership is canceled. You may manage or cancel your recurring payments through your account settings or by contacting us.
Strict No-Refund Policy: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all funds received by the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation are considered donations. To ensure we can confidently fund our peace mission and programs, our policy is absolute:
All transactions are final and non-refundable. This includes, but is not limited to, one-time donations, recurring donations, membership fees, event registration fees, and any purchases made through our Website or Community
- Once a payment is processed, it cannot be refunded for any reason, including if your membership or Community access is suspended or terminated for a violation of these Terms or the Community Guidelines.
- By making a payment, you acknowledge and agree that you will not be entitled to a refund. If you believe a billing error has occurred, please contact us immediately.
7. Community Platform and Guidelines
Your access to and use of our Community is a privilege conditioned on your adherence to the Community Guidelines, which are an integral part of these Terms.
- User Content: You are solely responsible for any content you submit to the Community (“User Content”). By posting User Content, you grant the Foundation a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, and non-exclusive license to use, display, and distribute your User Content in connection with the Foundation’s mission.
- Moderation and Enforcement: We reserve the absolute right to manage and moderate the Community to maintain a safe and positive environment. We may edit or remove any User Content and may suspend or permanently terminate your access to the Community at any time, with or without notice, for any reason or for no reason, at our sole discretion. This includes, but is not limited to, violations of the Community Guidelines or these Terms. As stated in our No-Refund Policy, no refund will be issued in the event of such a termination.
8. Third-Party Links
Our Website and Community may contain links to third-party sites. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites. You acknowledge and agree that the Foundation shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services available on or through any such websites or services.
9. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE WEBSITE, COMMUNITY, AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT OUR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE. WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
10. Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL THE FOUNDATION, ITS EMPLOYEES, OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE OR COMMUNITY.
11. Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Foundation from any claims, liabilities, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your violation of these Terms or your use of the Website or Community.
12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
All matters relating to the Website and these Terms, and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Maryland, USA, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision.
Any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms or the Website shall be instituted exclusively in the federal courts of the United States or the courts of the State of Maryland, in each case located in Montgomery County.
13. Age Restriction
Our Website and Community are not intended for children under the age of 16. By using our services, you represent that you are 16 years of age or older.
14. Changes to These Terms
We may revise these Terms at any time in our sole discretion. All changes are effective immediately upon posting. Your continued use of the Website or Community following the posting of revised Terms means you accept and agree to the changes.
13. Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at:
Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation
402 King Farm Boulevard #125
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Email: info@mattiespeacefoundation.org
Phone: +1 (202) 888-MJTS (6587)