Terms and Conditions

Cottage Hill Excellence Foundation ("CHEF," "we," "us," or "our") Effective Date: July 28, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of cottagehillfoundation.org (the "Site"), operated by Cottage Hill Excellence Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

2. About CHEF

CHEF is a nonprofit organization that provides merit-based scholarships. Information on the Site about our programs, scholarship recipients, and eligibility criteria is provided for general informational purposes and is subject to change without notice.

3. Use of the Site

You agree not to:

  • Use the Site in any way that could damage, disable, or impair its functioning
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site or its related systems
  • Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to access the Site without our permission
  • Transmit harmful or malicious code through the Site
  • Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with CHEF

4. Donations

  • All donations made through the Site are processed by Stripe, a third-party payment processor. By donating, you agree to Stripe's terms of service in addition to these Terms.
  • Donations are generally non-refundable. If you believe a donation was made in error, contact us and we will consider refund requests case-by-case.
  • CHEF is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We recommend consulting a tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your specific donation. Our EIN is 42-1940608.

5. Scholarship Program

Information about scholarships, eligibility, and past recipients on the Site is for informational purposes only. Nothing on the Site guarantees scholarship eligibility, selection, or award. Scholarship applications and awards are governed by separate program materials and criteria provided directly to applicants.

6. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site — text, graphics, logos, images — is the property of CHEF or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from Site content without our prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.

7. Third-Party Links and Services

The Site may link to third-party websites or use third-party services (Stripe for payment processing, Google Analytics for usage tracking). We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party sites or services.

8. Disclaimers

The Site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied. CHEF does not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CHEF and its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Site.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CHEF, its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Site or violation of these Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Illinois.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Contact Us

Cottage Hill Excellence Foundation Email: john@cottagehillfoundation.org