Free education, your own work, and a shared responsibility to use these resources thoughtfully.
These terms apply when published on bigleverinstitute.org and replace earlier Institute program terms for future participation. Please read the liability and dispute-resolution provisions below.
1. Scope and participation
These terms cover Big Lever Institute Inc.’s website, lessons, curriculum and community activities, and the Guide Me and Your Learning Path educational guides published by Big Lever Ventures LLC. The Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Ventures is an in-kind donor and guide publisher. By accessing or participating in these resources after these terms are published, you agree to these terms to the extent permitted by applicable law. If you do not agree, do not participate.
Programming is intended for adults. Participants must be at least 18 or have parental or guardian consent and legal capacity to agree. This does not override a platform’s minimum age, account eligibility or other requirements. Third-party services have their own terms.
2. Free educational resources
Institute programming and both guides are free. We offer practical opportunities to learn AI, ask questions and develop your knowledge and skills. AI providers set their own subscription prices, features and usage limits; we do not provide a paid AI subscription.
Resources are educational and provided “as is” and “as available.” To the extent permitted by law, we disclaim express and implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not guarantee a particular skill level, job, funding, income or business result. AI may make errors. Check consequential claims, calculations and actions, protect confidential information and use your own judgment. Educational content is not personalized legal, medical, financial or other professional advice.
3. Risk, release and liability
Participation is voluntary. You assume the risks of using educational and technology resources, including mistakes, data loss, equipment or connectivity failures and time spent without a particular result.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and covenant not to sue the Institute, Big Lever Ventures LLC and their officers, directors, employees, agents, volunteers, mentors and instructors (the “Released Parties”) for claims arising from your participation in these programs. To that same extent, the Released Parties are not liable for direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data or business interruption, and their total liability is limited to $0, reflecting the free nature of the programs.
These exclusions do not apply to liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including mandatory consumer rights and any liability for fraud, intentional misconduct or gross negligence that applicable law does not permit us to exclude. Nothing in these terms waives rights you cannot legally waive.
4. Respectful participation
Respect other people, their privacy and their intellectual property. Do not harass others, share credentials, disrupt services or use Institute resources unlawfully. You are responsible for what you submit and for having the rights needed to share it. We may remove content or restrict participation for violations of these terms or community rules.
5. Your work and Institute materials
Your original work remains yours, subject to other people’s rights and the terms of tools you use. You may apply your learning and use your own work for personal, educational, professional or commercial purposes. Learning with us does not prevent you from charging for your own work or services.
Institute and guide materials remain the property of their respective owners. You may use the free resources for your own learning. You may not repackage, resell, charge for access to, or bundle our guides, curriculum or other free materials into a paid offering. Share links so others can access the resources directly. No general redistribution license or right to use our name or logo to imply endorsement is granted. Any explicitly stated license for a particular resource controls that resource.
Using a guide or lesson does not give us access to your private conversations or a license to reuse your work. We obtain separate permission before using learner work for educational examples, research or promotion. Community posts remain subject to the platform’s terms and visibility settings.
6. Privacy and feedback
Our privacy policy explains website processing, community administration, voluntary surveys and support. We do not grade learners or keep individual outcome records. Current skills-only guides do not automatically transmit your conversations to us. Voluntary support and feedback help us improve resources; we retain that information only while useful and delete it on request, subject to legal obligations.
7. Availability and program changes
We may update, suspend or discontinue resources or activities. Some courses are coming soon; previewing a course does not mean it is available. Guides contain a dated curriculum snapshot and may lag later revisions. We aim to communicate significant changes, but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. Participation creates no employment, partnership or agency relationship. Because we charge no program fees, there are no program fees to refund.
8. Indemnification
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold the Released Parties harmless from third-party claims, liabilities, losses and reasonable costs, including legal fees, arising from your participation, conduct, unauthorized use of resources or submitted content. This obligation does not extend to liability arising from a Released Party’s own misconduct or any obligation that applicable law does not permit us to impose.
9. Governing law and disputes
Subject to mandatory rights under applicable law, these terms are governed by South Carolina law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. To the extent enforceable, disputes arising from these terms or program participation will be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its applicable rules in Charleston, South Carolina. Where applicable, the AAA’s Consumer Arbitration Rules and consumer protections apply, including their rules about fees, hearings and available remedies.
To the extent permitted by law, disputes proceed individually rather than as a class or representative action. These provisions do not prevent a claim in small-claims court where applicable AAA rules allow it, a complaint to a government authority, or the exercise of nonwaivable legal rights. If the arbitration or class-action provision cannot lawfully apply to you or your claim, it does not bar an available court remedy.
10. Updates and contact
These terms are the agreement for the activities within their scope, subject to any explicitly applicable resource license or separate agreement. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply. We will date updated versions and provide notice of material changes on the website or through the community. Changes apply prospectively; continued participation after they take effect indicates acceptance to the extent permitted by law.
Questions about terms or participation: help@bigleverinstitute.org.