1. About These Terms
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern access to and use of FundGrid, including its website, dashboards, project pages, Impact Pool functionality, reporting tools, AI features and other services.
FundGrid is operated by North Canvas Technologies Ltd.
By accessing or using FundGrid, creating an account, submitting information or using FundGrid's services, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy.
If you do not agree, do not use FundGrid.
Nothing in these Terms limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable law, including applicable Nigerian consumer-protection law.
2. What FundGrid Does
FundGrid is a Community Impact Infrastructure Platform designed to help:
- communities surface development needs;
- organizations submit community projects;
- FundGrid and authorized partners verify claims;
- projects undergo evidence-based assessment;
- eligible projects undergo independent authentication;
- individuals contribute to a pooled Impact Pool;
- companies contribute to the pool or sponsor eligible projects;
- approved organizations implement projects;
- implementation progress and outcomes be monitored and reported.
FundGrid is not a bank, deposit-taking institution, investment platform or personal crowdfunding service.
3. Eligibility
You must have legal capacity to enter into these Terms to create a FundGrid account or enter financial transactions through FundGrid.
Unless otherwise permitted by applicable law, FundGrid accounts and financial contribution functionality are intended for persons aged 18 or older.
Organizations must act through properly authorized representatives.
4. Account Types
FundGrid may provide different account types, including:
- Individual Contributor;
- Corporate Contributor;
- NGO / Project Owner;
- Implementing Partner;
- FundGrid administrative users;
- other restricted or invited roles.
Community Reporters may be able to report needs without creating a complete FundGrid account.
Different permissions and requirements apply to different roles.
You must not create or use an account under a role for which you are not legitimately eligible.
5. Account Accuracy and Security
You agree to:
- provide accurate information;
- keep information reasonably current;
- protect your login credentials;
- not impersonate another person or organization;
- notify FundGrid of suspected unauthorized access;
- use your account only for lawful purposes.
FundGrid may require identity, organization or authorization verification.
We may restrict features while verification is pending.
6. Individual Contributions and the FundGrid Impact Pool
This is a fundamental FundGrid rule.
Individual contributors do not directly fund specific FundGrid projects.
Individual contributions are made to the:
FundGrid Impact Pool
Impact Pool resources may then be allocated among eligible, verified and independently authenticated projects according to FundGrid's applicable allocation methodology and available resources.
Individual contributors cannot require that their contribution be applied to a specific project.
Viewing, liking, following or expressing interest in a project does not earmark an individual's contribution to that project.
7. Impact Pool Allocation
FundGrid may consider factors including:
- verified need;
- urgency;
- community benefit;
- project readiness;
- expected impact;
- funding gap;
- feasibility;
- sustainability;
- portfolio balance;
- available resources.
FundGrid may update its allocation methodology as the platform develops, subject to appropriate governance and transparency.
Participation in the Impact Pool does not guarantee that a particular project, geography or category will receive an allocation.
8. Corporate Contributions and Sponsorship
Eligible corporate users may:
- contribute to the FundGrid Impact Pool; or
- sponsor specific published, independently authenticated projects.
A corporate sponsor does not acquire authority over:
- project verification;
- project scoring;
- independent authentication;
- community consent;
- FundGrid's governance processes.
A company providing funding cannot purchase or influence authentication status.
Specific corporate sponsorship arrangements may be governed by additional written agreements. Where there is a conflict between these website Terms and a valid separately executed corporate agreement, the specific agreement will govern the matters it expressly covers.
9. Contributions Are Not Investments
Money contributed through FundGrid is not:
- an investment;
- a loan to FundGrid;
- a bank deposit;
- a security;
- an equity purchase;
- an interest-bearing account.
Contributors should not expect:
- financial returns;
- interest;
- profit distributions;
- ownership in FundGrid;
- ownership in funded projects.
Do not assume that a contribution qualifies for a tax deduction unless FundGrid expressly confirms this under applicable law.
10. Payments, Charges and Fees
Where payments are enabled, transactions may be processed by third-party licensed payment service providers.
Before completing a financial transaction, users should be shown the amount payable and applicable charges where required.
FundGrid may receive platform, transaction, verification, subscription or other fees in connection with its services.
Applicable fees should be disclosed appropriately before the relevant paid service is completed.
11. Refunds and Payment Errors
Because Impact Pool contributions may be allocated or committed to community projects, completed contributions should not be assumed to be freely reversible.
FundGrid will review legitimate requests involving matters such as:
- duplicate transactions;
- unauthorized transactions;
- processing errors;
- transactions requiring refund under applicable law;
- other exceptional circumstances FundGrid determines warrant review.
Refunds, where applicable, may also be subject to payment-provider processes and applicable law.
Contact FundGrid promptly if you believe a transaction was made in error or without authorization.
Nothing in this section limits any statutory refund or consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded.
12. Community Need Reports
Anyone may be permitted to bring a community need to FundGrid's attention.
Submitting a Community Need Report:
- does not guarantee verification;
- does not guarantee development into a formal project;
- does not guarantee funding;
- does not guarantee implementation;
- does not give the reporter control over FundGrid's assessment or funding decision;
- does not automatically make the reporter the Project Owner.
Community Reporters must provide information honestly and should not knowingly submit false, misleading or fabricated evidence.
13. Organization Verification
Creating an NGO or Project Owner account does not mean the organization has been approved by FundGrid.
Organizations may be required to provide documents including:
- registration records;
- organization profiles;
- proof of address;
- identification;
- authorization;
- financial statements;
- previous-project evidence;
- additional due-diligence information.
FundGrid may approve, request clarification, suspend or decline an organization based on the applicable verification process.
Only approved organizations may submit projects where this rule applies.
14. Project Submission
A Project Owner must provide information that is accurate and reasonably complete.
Project submission does not guarantee:
- acceptance;
- authentication;
- publication;
- funding;
- corporate sponsorship;
- Impact Pool allocation.
The Project Owner must cooperate reasonably with requests for clarification, verification and supporting evidence.
15. Verification and Project Assessment
Projects may undergo processes including:
- eligibility screening;
- need verification;
- community validation;
- technical assessment;
- financial assessment;
- field verification;
- FundGrid's evidence-based project assessment;
- hard-gate review.
FundGrid's assessment system is intended to derive scores from evidence rather than arbitrary reviewer opinion.
A high score does not override unresolved critical requirements such as:
- material safety concerns;
- unresolved site rights;
- serious safeguarding concerns;
- major integrity concerns;
- material regulatory failures;
- unsubstantiated budgets.
16. Independent Project Authentication
FundGrid and an Implementing Partner do not constitute the final independent authorization layer for projects.
Eligible projects may be referred to an Independent Project Authentication Committee (IPAC) or equivalent independent authentication process.
Possible outcomes may include:
- Authenticated;
- Authenticated Subject to Conditions;
- Returned for Clarification or Rescoping;
- Deferred;
- Not Authenticated.
Only projects satisfying FundGrid's applicable publication requirements may be represented publicly as independently authenticated.
17. Meaning of “Verified” and “Independently Authenticated”
Verification and authentication represent assessments based on information and evidence reasonably available at the relevant time.
They do not constitute:
- a guarantee that misconduct can never occur;
- a guarantee of future project success;
- an insurance policy;
- a guarantee that circumstances will not change;
- a warranty that every representation will remain accurate indefinitely.
FundGrid may re-open verification or authentication where material new information arises.
18. Project Implementation
Organization-led projects may be implemented by approved Project Owners.
Community-originated FundGrid projects may be implemented by separately appointed Implementing Partners or other eligible entities.
Verification and implementation roles should be appropriately separated where necessary to manage conflicts of interest.
An organization that may financially benefit from implementation should not be the sole independent authority determining that the project should proceed.
19. Milestones and Ongoing Accountability
Project implementers may be required to:
- follow approved scopes;
- meet milestones;
- provide financial records;
- upload photographs and videos;
- submit receipts;
- submit implementation reports;
- provide location evidence;
- respond to clarification;
- cooperate with independent checks.
Future funding or disbursement may depend on satisfactory milestone evidence where staged funding is used.
20. Project Changes, Suspension and Cancellation
FundGrid may pause, suspend, re-assess or discontinue a project where circumstances materially change, including where:
- important information proves inaccurate;
- required permissions are lost;
- safeguarding concerns arise;
- implementation becomes unsafe;
- fraud or misconduct concerns arise;
- project conditions materially change;
- implementation becomes impossible;
- authentication assumptions no longer remain valid.
Where appropriate, FundGrid may redirect uncommitted Impact Pool resources to other eligible projects consistent with its allocation framework and applicable law.
21. User-Submitted Content
You may submit:
- text;
- images;
- videos;
- documents;
- project evidence;
- reports;
- feedback;
- community information.
You retain ownership of content you lawfully own.
By submitting content, you grant FundGrid a non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, store, process, review and, where appropriate, publish that content as reasonably necessary to:
- operate FundGrid;
- verify projects;
- assess projects;
- authenticate projects;
- monitor implementation;
- report impact;
- investigate concerns;
- comply with law.
This licence does not authorize FundGrid to publish confidential personal information unnecessarily.
22. Your Responsibility for Submitted Content
You must have appropriate authority or lawful basis to upload content involving other people.
You must not knowingly submit:
- fabricated evidence;
- stolen material;
- defamatory content;
- unlawfully obtained personal information;
- manipulated project evidence intended to deceive;
- illegal content;
- unnecessary sensitive information;
- photographs or recordings that unlawfully violate another person's privacy.
Special care should be taken when submitting information involving children or vulnerable people.
23. Acceptable Use
You must not:
- hack or attempt to compromise FundGrid;
- bypass access controls;
- access another user's account without authorization;
- scrape protected information unlawfully;
- manipulate project scores;
- fabricate verification evidence;
- impersonate organizations;
- abuse contribution/payment systems;
- use FundGrid for money laundering, fraud or illegal activity;
- interfere with independent authentication;
- bribe or improperly influence reviewers, partners or volunteers;
- submit malware;
- misuse Grid or other AI functionality.
FundGrid may investigate suspected misuse.
24. Grid and Artificial Intelligence
Grid and other AI features are intended to assist users and FundGrid personnel.
AI-generated information may contain errors and should not be treated as independent legal, financial, engineering, medical or professional advice.
FundGrid's principle is:
AI prepares. Humans decide.
AI should not independently authenticate projects or exercise final authority over consequential governance decisions.
25. Intellectual Property
FundGrid's software, trademarks, logos, designs, interfaces, methodologies, documentation and original content may be owned by or licensed to North Canvas Technologies Ltd.
Except where expressly permitted, users may not copy, reproduce, commercially exploit or misrepresent FundGrid intellectual property.
Nothing prevents users from retaining ownership of content that they independently own and upload to the platform.
26. Third-Party Services
FundGrid may integrate services provided by third parties, including:
- payment providers;
- cloud infrastructure;
- messaging services;
- maps;
- analytics;
- identity providers;
- AI providers.
Third-party services may have their own terms and privacy practices.
FundGrid is not responsible for independent third-party services beyond obligations imposed on FundGrid by applicable law.
27. Communications
By using FundGrid, you agree that we may send necessary service communications relating to matters such as:
- account security;
- verification;
- transactions;
- Community Reports;
- project status;
- clarifications;
- authentication;
- allocations;
- milestones;
- important platform changes.
Marketing communications, where used, should provide appropriate consent or opt-out mechanisms as required.
28. Suspension and Termination
FundGrid may restrict, suspend or terminate an account where reasonably necessary, including for:
- serious Terms violations;
- fraud;
- false documentation;
- security threats;
- misuse of FundGrid;
- unlawful activity;
- interference with verification;
- non-compliance with project obligations;
- regulatory requirements.
Where appropriate and legally required, FundGrid will provide notice or an opportunity to address the issue.
Certain records may remain retained after account closure where necessary for financial, legal, audit, fraud-prevention or project-accountability purposes.
29. Availability of the Platform
FundGrid aims to provide reliable services, but uninterrupted availability cannot be guaranteed.
Services may temporarily be unavailable because of:
- maintenance;
- upgrades;
- outages;
- cybersecurity incidents;
- third-party failures;
- circumstances beyond reasonable control.
FundGrid will take reasonable steps to restore affected services.
30. No Guarantee of Project Funding or Outcome
Publication of a project does not guarantee that it will receive:
- a full Impact Pool allocation;
- corporate sponsorship;
- complete funding;
- implementation within a particular timeframe.
Community-development projects may also face risks outside FundGrid's control.
FundGrid will seek to maintain transparent status information where circumstances change materially.
31. Limitation of Liability
To the extent permitted by applicable law, FundGrid is not responsible for losses arising solely from matters outside its reasonable control or from a user's unlawful or unauthorized use of the platform.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability, consumer rights or statutory obligations that may not legally be excluded or limited.
This section must not be interpreted as excluding liability where Nigerian law prohibits such exclusion.
32. Indemnity for Misconduct
To the extent permitted by law, a user may be responsible for losses or claims caused by that user's:
- fraud;
- intentional misconduct;
- unlawful activity;
- knowing submission of false evidence;
- infringement of third-party rights;
- material breach of these Terms.
This provision does not waive statutory rights available to consumers.
33. Consumer Rights
These Terms operate subject to applicable consumer-protection laws.
FundGrid intends material service information, fees and conditions to be communicated clearly before relevant transactions.
34. Complaints and Disputes
If you have a complaint, please contact FundGrid first so we can attempt to resolve it.
Support Email: [Insert official support email]
Nothing prevents a user from exercising rights through an appropriate regulatory authority or court where applicable.
35. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Subject to applicable statutory rights and any valid alternative dispute-resolution arrangement agreed between the parties, disputes may be submitted to courts of competent jurisdiction in Nigeria.
36. Changes to These Terms
FundGrid may update these Terms as the platform, regulatory environment or services evolve.
Material changes will be reflected through an updated effective date and, where appropriate, notice to affected users.
Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance where legally permissible.
Where applicable law requires explicit consent to a material change, FundGrid will obtain it.
37. Contact
FundGrid
A product of North Canvas Technologies Ltd.
Email: [Insert official support email]
Privacy Email: [Insert official privacy email]
Business Address: [Insert official address]