Catalyst Website Terms of Use

Updated

1. Who We Are and What These Terms Cover

This website (the “Site”) is operated by Catalyst Inc., a nonprofit organization (“Catalyst,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Catalyst also operates through affiliated entities in Canada (Catalyst Canada Inc.) and the United Kingdom (Catalyst UK), but the Site is provided by the US entity.

These Terms of Use (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Catalyst governing your access to and use of the Site and its content. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

If you use the Site on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to accept these Terms for that organization, and “you” includes that organization.

The Site is intended for users who are at least 18 years old. By using the Site, you confirm that you are 18 or older.

2. Who These Terms Are For

The Site has two kinds of content:

  • Public content — articles, research summaries, and general resources available to anyone. All visitors are bound by the general provisions of these Terms.
  • Network Member Content — content, tools, and resources made available only to organizations that hold an active Catalyst Network Membership (a “Network Membership”) and only to their authorized users (“Network Members”). Network Memberships are governed by the Catalyst Network Membership Terms and Conditions (the “Network Membership Terms”) and access to Member Content is additionally subject to them (see Section 3).

These Terms of Use do not create or modify the paid Network Membership relationship. The commercial relationship is governed exclusively by the Membership Terms and the applicable order form or invoice.

What these Terms do and do not cover. These Terms govern this website. They do not govern your use of other platforms, even where those platforms carry Catalyst content or link to these Terms:

  • Social media. Your use of Catalyst’s pages on third-party social media platforms is governed by the terms and privacy policies of each platform, not by these Terms.
  • Events and other third-party platforms. When you register for a Catalyst event or use another third-party platform (for example, our event registration provider), that platform’s own terms and privacy policy apply, together with any event-specific terms Catalyst provides at the time.

3. Relationship to the Network Membership Terms

Access to Network Member Content depends on an active Network Membership in good standing and is subject to the Network Membership Terms and any benefit-specific terms referenced there.

If there is any conflict between these Terms and the Network Membership Terms in respect of a Network Membership, the Network Membership Terms control. Nothing on the Site — including these Terms or any online notice, banner, or click-through — modifies, supplements, or supersedes a signed order form, the Network Membership Terms, or any other negotiated agreement between Catalyst and a Network Member.

4. Using the Site

Subject to these Terms, Catalyst grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and view public content on the Site for your own informational purposes and –for Network Members only - internal business purposes.

You agree not to:

  • Use the Site in any way that breaks the law, infringes the rights of others, or could damage Catalyst's reputation or the integrity of its work;
  • Copy, republish, resell, sublicense, distribute, or publicly display Site content except as expressly permitted, or remove any proprietary notices;
  • Use the content to build a competing product, program, or resource, or to develop, improve, or train any artificial intelligence or machine-learning model;
  • Scrape, harvest, data-mine, or use automated means to extract content or data from the Site;
  • Interfere with, disrupt, probe, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, its systems, or other users' accounts; or
  • Circumvent any access controls or use another organization's or user's credentials.

Access to Member Content is additionally subject to the use restrictions in the Network Membership Terms, including the restrictions on sharing, redistributing, and retaining Catalyst content after Network Membership ends.

5. Accounts and Login Credentials

Some areas of the Site require an account. You agree to provide accurate information, keep it up to date, keep your login credentials confidential, and remain responsible for activity that occurs under your account. Notify us promptly at [email protected] if you believe your credentials have been compromised. For Network Members, account provisioning and authorized users are managed under the Membership Terms.

6. Intellectual Property

Catalyst owns or licenses all intellectual property in the Site and its content, including its name, logos, text, research, tools, materials, graphics, and recordings. These Terms do not transfer any ownership or grant any license except the limited right to use the Site expressly set out here or, for Network Members, in the Network Membership Terms.

“Catalyst,” the Catalyst logo, and other Catalyst marks are trademarks of Catalyst. You may not use them without our prior written permission, except that Network Members may identify themselves as such in accordance with the Membership Terms and our brand guidelines.

7. Third-Party Content and Links

The Site may contain links to third-party websites and may feature third-party content. We provide these for convenience and do not endorse, control, or accept responsibility for third-party sites or content. Your use of them is at your own risk and subject to their terms.

You may not link to the Site in any way that suggests any association, approval, or endorsement by Catalyst where none exists.

8. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal data through the Site is described in the Catalyst Privacy Notice, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, the Privacy Notice describes how the GDPR and UK GDPR apply to your personal data.

9. Donations

Catalyst accepts charitable donations through the Site. Donations are voluntary, are not membership fees, and do not confer Network Membership benefits. Unless otherwise required by law or expressly stated at the time of the donation, donations are non-refundable. Online donations are currently received by Catalyst Inc., a US nonprofit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and are used to further its mission. Depending on your location and how you give, your donation may be received by a different Catalyst entity, and the tax treatment of any donation depends on your jurisdiction and the receiving entity. We do not provide tax advice.

10. Disclaimers

The Site and its content are provided for general informational purposes and do not constitute legal, financial, employment, or other professional advice. You should obtain your own professional advice before acting.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Site and its content are provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that content is accurate or complete. We may perform maintenance and make operational changes to the Site.

11. Limitation of Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability to the extent it cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation and, where applicable, for death or personal injury caused by negligence. Nothing in these Terms limits any statutory rights that apply to you as a consumer and that cannot be excluded by agreement.

Subject to the paragraph above, and to the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses, or for lost profits, revenue, data, or goodwill; and
  • our total liability arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site will not exceed US $100. This cap does not apply to a Network Member's paid membership, whose liability terms are set out in the Membership Terms.

12. Your Responsibility for Misuse

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to be responsible for reasonable losses, damages, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) we incur arising from your breach of these Terms or your misuse of the Site. This Section does not apply to the extent a loss is caused by us, and it does not apply to consumers except to the extent permitted by law.

13. Additional Rights for Consumers in the EU and UK

If you are an individual accessing the Site for purposes outside your trade, business, or profession and you are resident in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you benefit from mandatory provisions of the law of your country of residence. Nothing in these Terms affects your rights as a consumer to rely on those mandatory provisions, including your data-protection rights and your right to bring proceedings in your local courts where applicable law so provides.

14. Changes to the Site and These Terms

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue all or part of the Site at any time. We may also update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated Terms with a new effective date. Changes are not retroactive, and your continued use of the Site after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms. For Network Members, changes to the Network Membership Terms are governed by the Network Membership Terms.

15. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, USA, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and the state and federal courts located in New York shall have jurisdiction over disputes relating to the Site. This does not deprive you of any mandatory protections under the law of your country of residence that cannot be excluded by agreement, including, for EU and UK consumers, the right to bring proceedings in your local courts. For Network Members, the governing law and forum for the Network Membership relationship are set out in the Network Membership Terms and, where they differ, control for that relationship.

16. General

  1. Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Notice and (for Network Members) the Network Membership Terms, are the entire agreement about your use of the Site and replace any earlier understanding on that subject.
  2. Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest continues to apply.
  3. No waiver. If we do not enforce a provision straight away, we do not give up the right to enforce it later.
  4. Assignment. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent. We may transfer ours to an affiliate or successor.
  5. No partnership. Nothing in these Terms or your use of the Site creates any joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship between you and Catalyst.
  6. Contact. Questions about these Terms can be sent to [email protected].