Welcome

The SeedMoney Challenge gives community food garden projects a place to raise money and compete for grants. These Terms are the agreement between you — the person and organization running a campaign — and SeedMoney. They apply to Campaign Leaders.

Donations themselves are processed and hosted by GiveButter, and donors agree to GiveButter's own terms. By creating an account or submitting an application, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. Please read them before you apply.

1. Your Affirmations

By creating an account and submitting a campaign application for the SeedMoney Challenge, you affirm that:

• You are at least 18 years old and are authorized to raise funds on behalf of the garden project described in your application.
• All information you provide about your project — in the application and on your campaign page — is accurate and true.
• You have the consent of any individuals featured in your project photos. Where a person pictured is a minor, you have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
• Funds raised will be used only for the nonprofit garden purposes described in your application and on your campaign page.
• Funds raised will not be used for political activities or for private benefit.
• You may contribute to your own campaign; however, for the purpose of grant eligibility, only the first US $100 of a Campaign Leader's own contributions will be counted by SeedMoney. SeedMoney reserves the right to adjust fundraising totals or grant eligibility if it determines that donations were made primarily to influence grant outcomes rather than to reflect genuine community support.
• If your project receives donations or a SeedMoney grant, you will provide SeedMoney with a brief progress report on your project if we request one.

2. Your Account and Application

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and your contact information current, and for activity that occurs under your account. Please create only one account and one campaign per garden project.

SeedMoney reviews each application and may approve it, decline it, or ask for changes, at our discretion. We may correct obvious errors and make minor formatting adjustments, and may ask you to revise text for clarity or length; we will not rewrite your submission in a way that changes its meaning or voice. Submitting an application does not create a campaign until SeedMoney approves it.

3. How SeedMoney May Use Your Campaign Content

You keep ownership of the text, photos, and progress reports you submit. By submitting them, you give SeedMoney and its grant partners permission to display, adapt for formatting, and republish this content — on your campaign page, the public leaderboard, social media, newsletters, promotional materials, and impact reports — in order to run and promote the Challenge and SeedMoney's charitable mission. This permission continues after the Challenge for SeedMoney's ongoing reporting about its programs.

4. AI-Assisted Proofreading

During the application, you choose whether to allow SeedMoney to use AI tools to proofread your campaign text. If you opt in, those tools correct objective errors such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation — they are instructed to fix errors only, not to rewrite your text for style or change its meaning. Whether you opt in or out, you remain responsible for reviewing and approving the final published version of your campaign text.

5. Donations and Funds

All donations to Challenge campaigns are processed and hosted by GiveButter, which provides the payment and fundraising infrastructure; your use of that process is also subject to GiveButter's terms. SeedMoney administers the Challenge and is responsible for disbursing grants and donations. GiveButter's current pricing offers 0% platform fees and covered processing fees when optional donor tips are enabled; if tips are disabled, platform fees and standard payment processing fees may apply.

Donations are received by SeedMoney, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Scarborough, Maine, United States. SeedMoney cannot transfer funds to individuals — funds are disbursed only to the nonprofit or community-based organization running a garden project, by check (for U.S.-based organizations) or by electronic transfer to a bank account in the organization's name (for organizations outside the U.S.). After the Challenge concludes, SeedMoney disburses the funds your campaign raised, together with any grant awarded, to that organization. International projects must raise at least US $50 to be eligible for a disbursement; if a project does not reach this minimum, the funds it raised are returned to its donors. You agree to provide any information we reasonably need to make a disbursement.

SeedMoney does not provide tax or legal advice. You are responsible for any tax or reporting obligations that apply to your organization and the funds it receives.

6. Grants

SeedMoney offers grants to qualifying campaigns based on the criteria in the then-current How It Works grant guidelines, which may change from year to year. Reaching a ranking or fundraising threshold does not by itself guarantee a grant — your campaign must also comply with these Terms and with any verification we request. SeedMoney may withhold, reduce, or revoke a grant if it determines that a campaign violated these Terms or provided false or misleading information.

7. If a Campaign Breaks the Rules

If we have concerns about a campaign — for example, suspected fraud, manipulated or misleading content, coordinated donations, or a compliance issue — SeedMoney may temporarily suspend the campaign and pause disbursement while we review. We may also remove or modify specific campaign content that violates these Terms or that we believe is misleading, inappropriate, or inconsistent with the purposes of the Challenge.

If we determine that a Campaign Leader has violated these Terms or provided false information, SeedMoney may disqualify or remove the campaign or close the account. Where a campaign that has already collected donations is disqualified, SeedMoney may return those donations to the donors.

8. The Basics

The service. The SeedMoney Challenge website is provided “as is.” SeedMoney does not guarantee uninterrupted service or any particular amount raised, donor traffic, ranking, or grant. To the fullest extent permitted by law, SeedMoney is not responsible for losses arising from use of the website or from third-party services such as GiveButter.

International Campaign Leaders. The Challenge welcomes garden projects in many countries and is administered from the United States. If you are based outside the United States, you are responsible for complying with the laws that apply to you, including any fundraising, charity registration, data protection, and tax laws.

Changes. SeedMoney may update these Terms from time to time. We will take reasonable steps to notify Campaign Leaders of significant changes, and continued use of the website after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maine, United States.

Contact. Questions about these Terms can be sent to challenge@seedmoney.org.