Terms of Use

Semaformfoundation Terms of Use

Last updated: October 2025

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and the Gates Foundation, a charitable trust existing under the laws of the State of Oklahoma, U.S.A. and our affiliates and subsidiaries (together, “Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) that governs your use of this website, any other Foundation registration, website, mobile application, online portal, electronic form, survey, interactive exhibit, and any other channel or mobile feature that is managed or operated by the Foundation (collectively, “Sites”). The words “user,” “you,” and “your” refer to entities or individuals that access or use the Sites. These Terms do not alter in any way the terms or conditions of any other agreement you may have with us.

1. Eligibility

The Sites are only available to users who can form legally binding contracts under applicable law. By accessing or using the Sites, you represent and warrant that (a) you are at least 18 years of age, or over the age of majority in the state or country where you are a resident or citizen, and (b) if you are using the Sites on behalf of an entity, you are authorized to accept these Terms on that entity’s behalf.

2. Additional Terms

Any new or additional features, tools, sites, portals, or content that are added to the Sites will also be subject to these Terms unless expressly stated otherwise. Certain features of the Sites (“Additional Sites”) may be subject to additional terms (“Additional Terms”) presented within the Additional Sites. You must agree to any applicable Additional Terms before using those Additional Sites. Unless otherwise specified in any Additional Terms, the Additional Terms supplement and are incorporated into these Terms. If you do not agree to the Additional Terms, you may not use the Additional Sites. If any of the Additional Terms are inconsistent with these Terms, the Additional Terms will govern solely with respect to those Additional Sites.

3. Restricted Use

(a) General Use Restrictions. The Sites may contain (without limitation) information, materials, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, instructional documents and any other materials (collectively, the “Content”). The Content is the sole and exclusive property of the Foundation or its licensors. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant to you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Content and the Sites solely for your own noncommercial and internal purposes. Except as set forth in this Section, you may not download, copy, duplicate, sell, print, rent, lease, issue, distribute, transmit, broadcast, modify, perform, display, transfer, upload, post, create derivative works of, exploit, sublicense or otherwise assign to any third party the Sites or Content.

In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, with respect to the Sites, Content, and User Contributions (as defined below), you are not permitted to:

  • remove any proprietary notices, or attempt to disable, bypass, modify, defeat, or otherwise circumvent any digital rights management, authentication, or security system used as part of the Sites, Content, or User Contributions or any host, network, system, or account related thereto;
  • interfere with or disrupt the proper functioning of the Sites, Content, User Contributions, or of any Foundation networks or systems, including those used by the Foundation or Foundation Third Parties (as defined below) to host or provide the Sites;
  • infringe, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property, proprietary, or privacy rights of any third party;
  • use the Sites, Content, or User Contributions for any purpose or in any manner that is unlawful or violates any applicable local, state, national, or international law;
  • provide or upload any content, data or information to the Sites that contains viruses or malicious code or is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy or right of publicity, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;
  • provide or upload through the Sites or User Contributions information, including personal data, of others that you are not authorized to provide;
  • use the Sites, Content, or User Contributions to develop applications, websites, or any other functionalities that leverage the Sites, Content, or User Contributions;
  • provide the Sites, Content or User Contributions to the public, or otherwise make available any links, hypertext (Universal Resource Locator (“URL”) address) or otherwise grant access (other than a “bookmark” from a web browser) to the Sites, or any part thereof;
  • link or shortcut to our Sites from your website, blog or similar application;
  • use the Sites, Content, or User Contributions in a way that suggests you are a representative of the Foundation or for any lobbying or political activities; or
  • cause damage to the Foundation’s business, reputation, employees, members, facilities, or to any other person or legal entity.

Any scraping, automated access, or other unauthorized access to, and storage of, Sites or Content may, in our sole discretion, result in immediate suspension or termination of your access to the Sites, Content, your Credentials or your Account (as defined below). Use of the Sites or Content for any purpose other than what is described in this Section is prohibited.

We reserve the right to monitor and exercise all other rights of ours, and to modify or remove any Content or User Contribution (as defined below) at any time, but do not undertake any duty to do so. Any opinions, advice, statements, assistance, services, offers, or information expressed or made available by third parties, including users, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of the Foundation.

(b) Charitable or Governmental Use. We may provide Content that, if so designated (“Designated Content”), may be downloaded and used by you for additional purposes pursuant to this Section. YOU MAY REVIEW, DOWNLOAD, COPY, DISTRIBUTE AND USE DESIGNATED CONTENT SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF FURTHERING YOUR CHARITABLE OR GOVERNMENTAL PURPOSE AND IN THE ORDINARY COURSE OF ANY ATTENDANT OPERATIONS. YOU MAY NOT SELL OR EXPLOIT DESIGNATED CONTENT OR OTHERWISE DISTRIBUTE IT FOR A FEE. YOU WILL NOT USE OR DISCLOSE DESIGNATED CONTENT TO ANY THIRD PARTIES EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PERMITTED BY THESE TERMS.

4. Ownership and Intellectual Property

The Sites and Content are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, and other intellectual property and proprietary right laws. All title, ownership rights, and intellectual property rights in and to the Content and Sites are owned by the Foundation or our licensors. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved. The Sites and Content may contain certain licensed materials, and our licensors may protect their rights in the event of any violation of these Terms. All trademarks, service marks, logos, trade names, and any other proprietary designations of the Foundation used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Foundation, our affiliates, or suppliers. You may not use any of our trademarks, logos, or trade dress without our express written consent. 

5. Account Registration

Access to and use of some areas of our Sites may require you to create a profile or register for a user account (“Account”). For example, when you respond to a request for proposal you may need to create an Account through our proposal submission portal. If you register for an Account, you will create an Account username and password (“Credentials”). You must provide us with accurate, complete, and current information during Account registration and at all other times and update all information provided to us so that it remains accurate. You agree to keep your Credentials confidential and not provide them to or allow any third party to use your Credentials or Account. You are solely responsible for all use of your Account and your Credentials, whether it occurs with or without your knowledge. You agree that all uses of the identifier established for you during a registration or similar process will be attributed to and legally bind you and may be relied upon by us and any Foundation Third Party as being a use made by you, even if someone else used your identifier. “Foundation Third Party” means any third-party partner or service provider with whom we work to provide the Sites, Content, and any related services, or to pursue our mission including, but not limited to, their respective affiliates, officers, employees, partners, representatives, and agents. If you suspect any unauthorized use of your Account or Credentials or any other breach of security. You may not sell or otherwise transfer your Account. We have the right to cancel or suspend your Account for any reason or for no reason at any time, as determined in our sole discretion.

6. User Contributions

You may provide photographs, images, information, comments, data, text, or other materials, opinions or tips, all of which may be published or displayed (hereinafter, “posted”) in public areas of the Sites or transmitted to other users of the Sites or third parties, including, for example, third-party websites and services like social media services that are integrated into or linked to the Sites (collectively, “User Contributions”). Your User Contributions are posted on the Site and transmitted to others at your own risk. We cannot control the actions of other users of the Sites or third parties with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Such third parties may have their own policies and terms that apply to your User Contributions, and we are not responsible for any third party’s policies or terms. We cannot and do not guarantee that unauthorized persons will not view your User Contributions.

You acknowledge, represent, and agree that all User Contributions that you post are provided voluntarily and that if you provide a User Contribution to any area of the Sites that is available to others, the Foundation and Foundation Third Parties do not control and are not responsible for the use of your User Contribution by others. If you post your User Contributions on one of our online community Sites, such User Contributions are subject to the guidelines set out in Section 8 (Online Community Sites Guidelines). If you elect to submit, provide, or make available your User Contribution to the Foundation, Foundation Third Parties, or the Sites, you:

(a) grant to us a worldwide, royalty-free, transferrable, sublicensable, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable license under all of your intellectual property rights to make, use, copy, modify, adapt, create derivative works of, publicly perform or display, import, broadcast, transmit, distribute, license, publish, translate, offer to sell and sell, rent, lease or lend copies of your User Contribution (and derivative works thereof) in any form or medium (whether now known or later developed), without credit or compensation to you, and in the Foundation or any Foundation Third Party’s sole discretion, to publish your name and other information about you in connection with your User Contribution;

(b) acknowledge and agree that, subject to applicable law, we may keep User Contributions indefinitely and disclose them for any purpose, including but not limited to: (i) comply with legal process; (ii) enforce these Terms; (iii) respond to claims that any User Contribution violates the rights of third parties; or (iv) without undertaking a duty to do so, protect the rights, property, or personal safety of the Foundation, its users, and the public;

(c) acknowledge and agree that you receive no licenses to the Sites or Content except as expressly provided in these Terms. We are under no obligation to allow you to post your User Contributions on the Sites and may, in our sole discretion, use automated or other means to edit, block, refuse to post, or remove any User Contribution (including your User Contribution) at any time; and

(d) represent and warrant that you have the rights necessary to grant the rights in this Section and that your User Contributions do not infringe the rights of the Foundation or any third party or violate these Terms or any applicable law.

If we suspect violations of the foregoing, we may institute legal action and cooperate with law enforcement authorities in bringing legal proceedings against violators. You are solely responsible for your User Contribution and any other User Contribution you provide to us or make available through the Sites. You are responsible for backing up your User Contribution and information that you upload to the Sites. To the extent applicable, you unconditionally and irrevocably waive (and to the extent that a waiver is not permissible under applicable law undertake not to assert) with respect to the User Contributions, all moral rights to which you may now or at any future time be entitled under applicable law.

THE FOUNDATION TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR ANY USER CONTRIBUTION, INCLUDING LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM YOUR RELIANCE ON INFORMATION OR OTHER MATERIALS CONTAINED IN USER CONTRIBUTIONS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE YOU ENTITLED TO PAYMENT FOR YOUR USER CONTRIBUTIONS. ALL USER CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NON-CONFIDENTIAL AND NON-PROPRIETARY.

7. User Feedback and Submissions

(a) General. You may provide to the Foundation or a Foundation Third Party feedback, ideas, remarks, data, reports, surveys, or other suggestions regarding the Sites, Content, or any service of the Foundation (“Feedback”). Separately, for the purposes including, responding to a request for proposal, seeking funding for a grant, proposing or otherwise providing information regarding actual or potential research, or for the general furtherance of our mission, you may submit to the Foundation or a Foundation Third Party proposals, documents, communications, and associated materials (“Submissions”). You acknowledge, confirm, and agree that: (i) your Feedback or Submissions do not infringe or violate the rights of others or contain confidential or proprietary information of you or any third party; (ii) we are not under any obligations of confidentiality with respect to the Feedback or Submissions; (iii) we may freely use, reproduce, distribute, and otherwise exploit the Feedback or any Submission for any purpose; and (iv) you are not entitled to any compensation or funding of any kind from us for your Feedback or any Submission. You hereby grant to the Foundation a worldwide, royalty-free, transferrable, sublicensable, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable license under all of your intellectual property rights to make, use, copy, modify, adapt, create derivative works of, publicly perform or display, import, broadcast, transmit, distribute, license, publish, translate, offer to sell and sell, rent, lease or lend copies of your Feedback or any Submission (and derivative works thereof) in any form or medium (whether now known or later developed), without credit or compensation to you, and in the Foundation or any Foundation Third Party’s sole discretion, to publish your name and other information about you in connection with your Feedback or Submissions. The foregoing license is in addition to any licenses (if any) that you may be required to provide under any separate agreement between us and you (including grants or other agreements).

(b) Communications Regarding Submissions. As related to any Submission, you may receive information, comments, feedback, recommendations, and/or other inquiries from the Foundation or a Foundation Third Party (collectively, “Submission Comments”). Submission Comments are expressly subject to the disclaimers and limitations of liability in Sections 13-16. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, SUBMISSION COMMENTS ARE SOLELY AND EXCLUSIVELY INTENDED TO FACILITATE CLEAR COMMUNICATION AND ASSIST THE FOUNDATION OR ANY FOUNDATION THIRD PARTY IN EVALUATING A SUBMISSION. SUBMISSION COMMENTS ARE NOT INTENDED IN ANY WAY TO PROVIDE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ADVICE, COUNSEL, OR GUIDANCE ON THE DESIGN AND/OR CONTENT OF A SUBMISSION AND THE FOUNDATION AND ANY FOUNDATION THIRD PARTY TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DESIGN, LEGAL OR REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, AND/OR CONTENT OF ANY SUBMISSION. YOU ARE COMPLETELY AND EXCLUSIVELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ASPECTS OF ANY SUBMISSION AND ALL RELATED ACTIVITIES.

(c) Global Access. The concept of global access to intellectual property rights plays an important role in achieving the Foundation’s goals.

8. Online Community Sites Guidelines

When you visit, join, or interact with any of our online community Sites, we expect that you will treat others with respect. These Sites are intended to provide space for meaningful, inclusive, and safe dialogue, and these Sites must not be used in a manner inconsistent with that purpose. In accordance with these Terms, you are solely responsible for your conduct and all of your User Contributions and for your compliance with the requirements of Section 3 (Restricted Use) above. Without limiting any of our rights or remedies under these Terms, we reserve the right to terminate your access to our Sites if you fail to interact with other users in a respectful or appropriate manner (for example, if you threaten, bully, or harass others, or if you intentionally spread false information). If you would like to report another user’s conduct, please contact us at semaformfoundation.org/contact-us

9. DMCA Copyright Notice and Takedown Policy

If you are a copyright owner and you believe your work has been copied and used improperly on the Sites, please contact our copyright compliance officer as outlined below. Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c), to be effective, the notification to us must include the following information: (a) physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner; (b) description of the work you claim has been infringed and the description and location of the alleged infringement the Sites; (c) your contact information including address, telephone number and email address; (d) a written statement that you have a good faith belief the accused usage is infringing; and (e) a statement by you under penalty of perjury that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are duly authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Please note that under Section 512(f) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, any person who knowingly materially misrepresents that material is infringing may be subject to liability. If you are unsure whether material on the Sites is infringing, we suggest that you contact an attorney prior to sending notice. You may have similar rights under other local laws. Please also direct all such concerns to the address above.