Terms of Use - Robert R. Mccormick Foundation

Last Updated: April 17, 2023

These Terms of Use (these “Terms”) govern your access and use of this website located at https://www.mccormickfoundation.org (the “Site”), made available to you by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation (the “Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SITE, YOU AGREE ON BEHALF OF YOURSELF AND ANY COMPANY THAT YOU REPRESENT (TOGETHER, “YOU”) THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE TERMS AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS, DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SITE. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY.

THESE TERMS CONTAIN AN AGREEMENT BY YOU TO RESOLVE DISPUTES THROUGH BINDING ARIBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. PLEASE REVIEW THE ARBITRATION SECTION BELOW SINCE YOU ARE GIVING UP CERTAIN RIGHTS, SUCH AS THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND THE RIGHT TO SUE THE FOUNDATION IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT.

1. Changes to Terms. We reserve the right to modify or amend these Terms at any time. All changes will be effective immediately upon posting to the Site. Material changes will be conspicuously posted on the Site or otherwise made available to you. By accessing or using the Site after changes are posted, you agree to those changes.
2. Privacy Policy. We may collect certain information from your use of the Site as set forth in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by this reference. Your use of the Site constitutes your consent to the information collection, use, and sharing as set forth in our Privacy Policy.
3. Intellectual Property Rights. The Site, including its text, audio, video, graphics, charts, photographs, interfaces, icons, other content, software, computer code, data, trademarks, logos, slogans, names of products and services, documentation, other components, and the design, selection, and arrangement of content is exclusively the property of the Foundation or, as applicable, its suppliers and licensors, and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. The Site may contain references to third-party marks and copies of third-party copyrighted materials, which are the property of their respective owners. Any unauthorized use of any trademarks, trade dress, or any other intellectual property belonging to the Foundation, or any third party is strictly prohibited and may be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
4. Use of the Site; Compliance with Laws. You may download and print one copy of the Site’s visible content for your personal and noncommercial use, provided you do not modify or delete any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices. You may not otherwise copy, reproduce, display, duplicate, sell, publish, post, license, distribute, or create derivative works of the Site or any part of the Site without the prior written consent of the Foundation. You may not use the Site for unlawful purposes. You may not access, use, or copy any portion of the Site or its content through the use of indexing agents, spiders, scrapers, bots, web crawlers, or other automated devices or mechanisms. You may not use the Site to post or transmit any material that contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots, malware, adware or other computer programming routines that may damage, interfere with, surreptitiously intercept, or expropriate any system, data, or personal information. User activities that aim to render the Site or associated services inoperable or to make their use more difficult are forbidden. You may not submit inaccurate information via the Site, commit fraud or falsify information in connection with your use of the Site, or act maliciously against the business interests or reputation of the Foundation. You may only use the Site for lawful purposes. You are responsible for complying with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations that apply to your use of the Site.
5. Feedback. The Foundation welcomes comments regarding the Site. If you submit comments or feedback to us regarding the Site, they will not be considered or maintained as confidential. We may use any comments and feedback that you send us in our discretion and without attribution or compensation to you.
6. Donations. When you choose to donate online, donations must be made by credit or debit card. You may also donate by a check made out to “Robert R. McCormick Foundation Communities Fund” and mailed to: Robert R. McCormick Foundation, 205 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 4300, Chicago, IL 60601. Information about our collection and use of payment-related information is set forth in our Privacy Policy. If the credit or debit card information that you submit is incorrect or invalid, your payment will not be processed. We have no responsibility or liability if your credit or debit card is declined by your financial institution. Payments are processed by our PCI-compliant third-party payment processor. Refunds, if available, are solely the responsibility of the Foundation and are at the Foundation’s sole discretion.When making an online donation, you will be prompted to make a one-time gift or a recurring gift. If you choose to make a recurring gift, you authorize monthly payments made on the same form of payment in which you are making your initial payment. You will receive an email each month to the email address we have on file for you prior to the recurring gift being charged to your credit or debit card. If you decide to cancel your recurring gift, you may do so by responding to such email. If you have any questions about this process, you may also direct your inquiries to info@mccormickfoundation.org. The Site provides information on how to donate to the Foundation, including information on bequests, stock gifts, specific gifts, and remainder gifts. Such information is provided as a convenience and is not legal or financial advice.
7. NO WARRANTY. THE SITE IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” “AS AVAILABLE,” AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE FOUNDATION MAKES COMMERCIALLY REASONABLE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT ALL MATERIAL, INFORMATION, AND DATA ON THE SITE IS ACCURATE AND RELIABLE, BUT ACCURACY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. THE FOUNDATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE SITE. THE FOUNDATION DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT ANY DEFECTS IN THE SITE WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE SITE OR THE SERVERS THAT MAKE THE SITE AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL CONDITIONS OR COMPONENTS. THE FOUNDATION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ON THE SITE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE FOUNDATION EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THOSE REGARDING AVAILABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, FITNESS FOR ANY USE OR PURPOSE, COMPATIBILITY WITH ANY STANDARDS OR USER REQUIREMENTS, TITLE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. THE FOUNDATION HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TIMELINESS, DELETION, MISDELIVERY, OR FAILURE TO STORE ANY USER COMMUNICATION.YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU, ALONE, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, SYSTEMS, AND NETWORKS, ANY LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF ANY INFORMATION FROM THE SITE, AND FOR ANY OTHER DAMAGE THAT MAY BE INCURRED. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION THAT THE SITE IS APPROPRIATE OR AVAILABLE FOR USE IN LOCATIONS OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES. IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCESS THE SITE FROM LOCATIONS OTHER THAN THE UNITED STATES, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLYING WITH APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OR IN ANY MANNER FROM THE SITE CREATES ANY WARRANTY.
8. NO LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT WILL THE FOUNDATION OR ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, CONSULTANTS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGE, OR ANY OTHER LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE INPUT OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE AND OTHER INFORMATION INTO THE SITE), WHETHER THE CLAIM IS BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, WARRANTY, OR OTHERWISE, AND EVEN IF THE FOUNDATION HAS EXPRESS KNOWLEDGE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF THE LOSS OR DAMAGE. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO STOP ACCESSING AND USING THE SITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, IF THE FOUNDATION IS FOUND LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY AS A RESULT OF ANY CLAIMS OR OTHER MATTERS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE OR THESE TERMS, THE MAXIMUM LIABILITY FOR ALL OF THOSE CLAIMS AND OTHER MATTERS WILL NOT EXCEED $100, EVEN IF THIS REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
9. Indemnification. You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Foundation and its directors, officers, employees, representatives, consultants, agents, suppliers, and licensors from and against all losses, claims, liabilities, demands, complaints, actions, damages, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, expenses, and costs (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) that arise out of or in connection with your access to or use of the Site, your misuse of any material, data, or other information downloaded or otherwise obtained from the Site, your donations and grant applications submitted through the Site, or your violation of these Terms. We reserve, and you grant to us, the exclusive right to assume the defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you.
10. Third-Party Web Sites. The Site may link to, or be linked to, web sites not maintained or controlled by the Foundation. Those links are provided as a convenience and the Foundation is not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy of, and does not warrant or endorse, any third-party web site or any products or services made available through those web sites. When leaving the Site, the applicable third party’s terms and policies apply, and not these Terms. Please take care when leaving the Site to visit a third-party web site. You should read the terms of use and privacy policy for each web site that you visit.
11. Linking to the Site. If you operate a web site and are interested in linking to the Site: (i) the link must be a text-only link and clearly marked; (ii) the link must “point” to the URL appropriate for the subject matter of the link (for example, directly to the relevant Foundation program page); (iii) the link and its use must be in connection with a web site of appropriate subject matter that furthers the mission of the Foundation; (iv) the link and its use must not, nor have the potential to, damage or dilute the goodwill associated with the Foundation’s names and trademarks; (v) the link and its use must not create the false appearance that any program, person, or entity is associated with or sponsored by the Foundation; and (vi) the link, when activated by a user, must display the Site full-screen and not within a “frame.” The Foundation reserves the right to revoke consent to link to the Site at any time in its sole discretion, either by amending these Terms or through other notice.
12. Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the state of Illinois, without regards for its conflict of law principles. Venue is exclusively in the state or federal courts, as applicable, with jurisdiction over Cook County, Illinois, with respect to any dispute arising under these Terms unless otherwise determined by Company in its sole discretion and the parties expressly agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts. The United Nations Convention for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.
13. Arbitration Agreement; Class Waiver; Waiver of Trial by Jury. Please read the following paragraphs carefully because they require you to arbitrate disputes with the Foundation and limit the manner in which you can seek relief from us.
  1. Applicability of Arbitration Agreement. Any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity hereof, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate (hereinafter, collectively, the “Dispute”), which cannot be resolved informally, shall be resolved by binding arbitration on an individual basis under the terms set forth below (the “Arbitration Agreement”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of any actual, alleged or threatened violation of confidentiality or violation of the Foundation’s intellectual property or other proprietary rights, the Foundation may immediately resort to court proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction as set forth above in order to seek immediate injunctive relief without posting of a bond, proof of damages or other similar requirement. The institution of any action for injunctive relief shall not constitute a waiver of the right or obligation of any party to submit any claim seeking relief other than injunctive relief to arbitration. This Arbitration Agreement applies to you and the Foundation, and to any of our affiliates, agents, employees, predecessors in interest, successors in interest, and assigns, as well as all authorized or unauthorized users or beneficiaries of the Site provided under the Terms.
  2. The arbitration proceeding will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) before an arbitrator selected pursuant to the AAA rules. The decision of the arbitrator will be final and binding. Any final award or judgment may be filed and enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction. The parties shall share equally in the costs assessed for the arbitration, and each party shall bear its own attorneys’ fees and costs. Any arbitration proceeding may not be consolidated or joined with any other proceeding and will not proceed as a class action. The parties understand that they would have had a right or opportunity to litigate disputes through a court, to have a judge or jury decide their case, and to participate in a class action or other proceeding involving multiple claimants, but they instead choose and agree to have all disputes as set forth herein decided through individual arbitration.
  3. The place of arbitration shall be in Cook County, Illinois, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by all parties to the arbitration. The parties acknowledge that this Arbitration Agreement evidences a transaction involving interstate commerce, and the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Sections 1–16, shall govern the interpretation, enforcement and proceedings pursuant to this Arbitration Agreement. The parties expressly agree that any and all actions taken under the Arbitration Agreement and related provisions, including but not limited to all filings, orders, judgments, and awards made in any arbitration proceeding, are confidential and may not be disclosed to any third party.
  4. This Arbitration Agreement provision will survive the termination of the Agreement and your relationship with the Foundation.
  5. Time Limitation on Claims. The parties agree that they must initiate arbitration within one (1) year after any Dispute arose; otherwise, the Dispute is permanently barred.
14. Assignment. We may assign our rights and delegate our duties under these Terms at any time to any party without notice to you. You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent.
15. Third-Party Beneficiaries. These Terms do not confer any rights, remedies, or benefits upon any person other than you, except that our affiliates are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms.
16. Interpretation. These Terms are the entire agreement between you and the Foundation with respect to your access to and use of the Site. The Foundation’s failure to enforce any provision in these Terms will not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision. Any waiver of any provision of these Terms will be effective only if in writing and signed by the Foundation. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, void, or unenforceable, that provision will be considered severable from the remaining provisions and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. The headings in these Terms are for convenience only and do not affect the interpretation of these Terms. These Terms will inure to the benefit of the Foundation’s successors and assigns.
17. Survival. Any provisions of these Terms that are intended to survive termination (including any provisions regarding indemnification or limitation of our liability) will continue in effect beyond any termination of these Terms or of your access to the Site.
18. Electronic Communications. These Terms and any other documentation, agreements, notices, or communications between you and the Foundation may be provided to you electronically to the extent permissible by law. Please print or otherwise save a copy of all documentation, agreements, notices, and other communications for your reference.
19. Contact Us. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding these Terms, please contact us by email at info@mccormickfoundation.org or by mail at Robert R. McCormick Foundation, 205 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 4300, Chicago, Illinois 60601.