Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using GrantHub ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service. The Service is operated by Kickstart Ventures Inc., operating as GrantHub ("we", "us", "our"), a company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, Canada, with its mailing address at 997 Seymour Street, Suite 250 - #1370, Vancouver, BC V6B 3M1, Canada.

2. Description of Service

GrantHub provides a searchable database of Canadian business grants and funding programs, along with tools to help users discover, evaluate, and apply for grants. The Service includes:

• A database of grant and funding programs aggregated from government, corporate, and private sources
• An AI-powered Grant Advisor for personalized grant recommendations and application assistance
• Application tools including draft builders, compliance rubrics, and templates
• A document library for storing and reusing business documents
• A credit and referral rewards system
• Email alerts for grant deadlines and new matching programs
• Access to Canada's Proactive Disclosure data showing government funding recipients

We are an information and productivity service, not a grant provider, financial advisor, or legal advisor.

3. User Accounts

You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and use the Service. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 18 years old and that the information you provide is accurate and complete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us promptly of any unauthorized use of your account.

4. Subscriptions and Payments

GrantHub offers free and paid subscription tiers. Paid subscriptions (Starter and Pro) provide access to premium features including full grant details, application tools, and AI-powered assistance.

• All payments are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store your credit card details. See our Privacy Policy for details on how Stripe handles your payment data.
• Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period (monthly or annual). We will send you a renewal notice by email before each renewal date, including the renewal price and instructions for cancellation.
• You may cancel your subscription at any time through your Account Settings or via the Stripe billing portal, without cancellation fees or penalties. If you cancel before the end of your current billing period, you retain access until the period ends. If you cancel after a renewal charge has been processed, contact [email protected] for a partial refund for the unused portion.
• Prices are listed in Canadian dollars (CAD) and may be subject to applicable taxes.
• We may adjust subscription pricing for future billing periods with at least 30 days' written notice. Price changes take effect at the start of your next billing period following the notice. If you do not agree with a price change, you may cancel before the new price takes effect. Annual subscribers retain their current pricing for the duration of their paid term.

5. Per-Grant Purchases

Individual grant details and templates may be purchased on a per-grant basis for a one-time fee. Per-grant purchases provide permanent access to the full details and application template for that specific grant program. Per-grant purchases are generally non-refundable. If you believe the grant information received is materially inaccurate at the time of purchase, contact [email protected] within 14 days for a review.

6. Refunds and Guarantees

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on new Starter and Pro subscriptions. If you are not satisfied within the first 30 days of your initial subscription, contact us at [email protected] to request a full refund.

• The 30-day guarantee applies only to the first subscription period for new subscribers.
• After the initial 30-day period, cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. Partial refunds for post-renewal charges may be issued upon request.
• Per-grant one-time purchases are generally non-refundable (see Section 5).
• Grant writer booking deposits are subject to the cancellation policy disclosed at the time of booking.

7. Credit and Referral Program

GrantHub offers a credit system where users can earn credits through specific actions (such as completing a business profile, referring other users, or sharing grants) and spend credits to unlock grant details or access premium features.

• Credits have no monetary or cash value and are non-transferable.
• Referral credits are awarded when the referred user creates an account. Additional credits are awarded if the referred user subscribes to a paid plan. If the referred user cancels within 30 days and receives a refund, referral credits may be clawed back.
• We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the credit and referral programs at any time, with or without notice.
• Credits may be revoked if earned through fraudulent, abusive, or automated means, including self-referral, creating fake accounts, or bulk referral spam.
• A maximum of 50 referral credits may be earned per user per month.
• Unused credits remain on your account for as long as your account is active.

Referral invitations are sent on behalf of the referring user. By using the referral feature, you confirm that the person you are referring has a personal or business relationship with you and would reasonably expect to receive such a communication. We send a maximum of one referral invitation per referred email address.

8. AI-Powered Features

The Service includes AI-powered features such as the Grant Advisor, application draft generation, and application scoring. To provide these features, your data (including business profiles, uploaded documents, and application drafts) is sent to Azure OpenAI (operated by Microsoft) for processing.

• AI-generated content is provided as a starting point only. It does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice and is not intended to be submitted directly to any grant provider or government agency without review.
• AI-generated application content may contain inaccuracies, fabricated details, or outdated information. You must independently verify all grant eligibility criteria, program requirements, deadlines, and funding amounts with the original grant provider.
• AI drafts are intended to be reviewed and finalized by a qualified grant writer or professional before submission. We strongly recommend consulting with a grant professional before submitting any application.
• We are not responsible for any consequences arising from the submission of AI-generated content to any grant provider or government agency, including the submission of inaccurate information.
• We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of AI-generated outputs.
• See our Privacy Policy for details on how your data is processed by AI services.

9. User Content and Documents

You may upload documents, create business profiles, write application drafts, and store other content through the Service ("User Content"). You retain all ownership rights to your User Content.

• By uploading User Content, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to store, process, display, and transmit your content solely for the purpose of providing the Service (including AI processing features).
• You are responsible for ensuring that your User Content does not violate any laws, infringe on third-party rights, or contain fraudulent or misleading information.
• Uploaded files are stored on Firebase Storage (operated by Google). See our Privacy Policy for details.
• You may delete your User Content at any time through the Service. Upon account deletion, your User Content will be removed within 30 days unless otherwise required by law.
• You may request a copy of your data in a portable format by emailing [email protected].

10. Commercial Electronic Messages (CASL)

In accordance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), we send commercial electronic messages only with your consent. We may send you the following types of emails:

• Transactional emails: Account confirmations, password resets, payment receipts, subscription changes, and booking confirmations. These are sent without additional consent as they are required to operate the Service.
• Grant alerts: Notifications about new grants matching your preferences, deadline reminders, and application status updates.
• Marketing emails: Product updates, feature announcements, weekly digests, promotional offers, and educational content about Canadian grants.

Express consent for marketing and grant alert emails is collected via opt-in checkboxes during account registration or through email capture forms. Consent checkboxes are unchecked by default. You may withdraw your consent and unsubscribe from non-transactional emails at any time using the unsubscribe link included in every email, or by updating your notification preferences in Account Settings. Unsubscribe requests are processed within 10 business days. The unsubscribe mechanism in each email remains functional for at least 60 days after the email is sent.

We maintain records of your consent, including the method of collection, the date and time consent was given, and the purpose for which consent was obtained. These records are retained for the duration of your account and for 3 years after our business relationship ends, as required by CASL.

Sender: Kickstart Ventures Inc., 997 Seymour Street, Suite 250 - #1370, Vancouver, BC V6B 3M1, Canada. Contact: [email protected].

11. Information Accuracy

We strive to keep grant information accurate and up-to-date. However, grant details, eligibility criteria, deadlines, and funding amounts are subject to change by the original grant providers at any time. We recommend verifying all information directly with the grant provider before applying. GrantHub is not responsible for inaccuracies in third-party grant information.

12. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Scrape, crawl, or automatically collect data from the Service
• Share your account credentials with others or allow others to use your account
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
• Upload illegal, fraudulent, or misleading content
• Submit fraudulent grant applications using the Service
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts
• Redistribute, resell, or commercially exploit grant data, templates, or rubrics obtained through the Service
• Use automated tools (bots, scripts) to interact with the Service
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service

13. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, original content, application templates, compliance rubrics, enrichment data, and AI-generated content frameworks, is owned by Kickstart Ventures Inc. Grant information sourced from third parties (including government databases) remains the property of the respective providers. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from our proprietary content without prior written consent.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Kickstart Ventures Inc., its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your misuse of the Service in violation of these Terms or applicable law
• Your User Content, including any illegal, fraudulent, or infringing material you upload
• Fraudulent grant applications submitted using the Service
• Your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights

15. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, for any reason, including but not limited to violation of these Terms, uploading illegal content, or submitting fraudulent grant applications. You may cancel your account at any time through your Account Settings.

• Upon termination, your access to the Service will cease immediately.
• Your data will be retained on our servers unless you request deletion. To request deletion of your data, email [email protected]. Data deletion will be completed within 30 days of your request, unless otherwise required by law.
• Marketing emails will stop upon account termination or when you unsubscribe, whichever occurs first.
• Any unused credits are forfeited upon account termination for cause (violation of Terms).

16. Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

• We are not liable for any unsuccessful grant applications, missed deadlines, funding decisions, or actions taken based on information provided through the Service (including AI-generated content).
• In no event shall our total aggregate liability exceed the greater of $100 CAD or the total fees paid by you to GrantHub in the 12 months preceding the claim.
• We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of revenue, profits, data, or business opportunities.
• The limitations in this section do not apply to liability arising from our gross negligence, willful misconduct, or breach of our obligations under applicable privacy legislation (including PIPEDA and BC PIPA).

17. Force Majeure

We are not liable for delays or failures in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, third-party service outages (including Cloudflare, Stripe, Azure OpenAI, and Firebase), internet disruptions, or cyberattacks.

18. Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Before initiating any legal proceeding, both parties agree to attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting the other party in writing and allowing 30 days for resolution. Any legal action that cannot be resolved informally shall be brought exclusively before the courts of British Columbia, Canada, and you consent to the jurisdiction of such courts. Claims eligible for small claims court may be brought directly without the informal resolution requirement. Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief to prevent irreparable harm.

19. General Provisions

• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Kickstart Ventures Inc. regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements.
• Assignment: We may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, to any successor entity, affiliate, or acquirer without your consent. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms.
• Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of the right to enforce it in the future.

20. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email at least 30 days in advance. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Service and cancel your account.

21. Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, contact us at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Support: [email protected]
• Mail: Kickstart Ventures Inc., 997 Seymour Street, Suite 250 - #1370, Vancouver, BC V6B 3M1, Canada