Terms of Service

Effective Date: April 2026

Welcome to the Baker Project for Employee Ownership ("we," "us," or "our"). We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about employee ownership, including employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), employee ownership trusts (EOTs), worker cooperatives, direct employee ownership, and any other broad-based employee ownership structures.

By accessing or using our website, tools, surveys, or any related services, you agree to comply with these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use our site.

1. Nonprofit Mission & Educational Purpose

Our website, tools, and surveys are provided as informational and educational resources. We do not offer legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. All content — including results generated by our tools and surveys — is intended to support learning and dialogue around employee ownership. Nothing on this site should be relied upon for making business, financial, or legal decisions without consulting qualified professionals such as ESOP advisors, tax professionals, and legal counsel.

Any calculations, scores, assessments, or recommendations generated by our tools are indicative estimates based on simplified assumptions. They may not reflect your actual business situation and should not be treated as a substitute for a professional feasibility study or valuation.

2. Use of Our Tools and Surveys

We offer free online tools and surveys designed to help business owners explore employee ownership options. By using these tools and surveys, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

  • All financial calculations run entirely within your browser. We do not collect, store, or transmit any financial data you enter into our tools.
  • Some tools and surveys may offer optional features — such as saving your progress or receiving results by email — that require you to provide an email address. This is entirely voluntary and only occurs with your explicit consent.
  • You may use our tools and surveys without creating an account or providing any personal information.
  • The results produced by our tools and surveys are for educational purposes only and do not constitute professional advice of any kind.
  • We make no guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of any tool or survey output to your specific situation.

3. Permitted Use

You may use this site and its content for personal, educational, or non-commercial purposes. You agree not to:

  • Use the website, tools, or surveys in any way that violates applicable laws or regulations
  • Distribute, modify, or commercially exploit any site content without permission
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, copy, or replicate our tools or their underlying logic for commercial purposes
  • Interfere with the website's operation or security features
  • Use automated systems, bots, or scrapers to access or extract content or data from our site
  • Misrepresent results from our tools or surveys as professional financial advice, formal valuations, or certified assessments

We encourage the use of our materials to further understanding and awareness of employee ownership. If you wish to redistribute or adapt any materials that may not be in the public domain, please contact us for permission.

4. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise noted, all content on this site — including text, graphics, videos, reports, downloads, tool designs, survey methodologies, and branding — is the property of the original content creator or the Baker Project for Employee Ownership and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws.

We support open access to knowledge. With proper attribution, users may quote, share, or excerpt content, provided it is not for commercial use or presented out of context. Any reproduction or adaptation of our tools, calculators, or survey logic requires prior written permission.

5. No Professional Relationship

Your use of this website, our tools, or our surveys does not create a professional, advisory, fiduciary, or client relationship between you and the Baker Project, its staff, board members, partners, or affiliates. We are an educational nonprofit, not a financial advisory firm, law firm, or accounting practice.

6. Third-Party Links and Resources

We may link to third-party websites, publications, organizations, or resources for reference and educational purposes. These links do not imply endorsement, partnership, or sponsorship. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, privacy practices, or availability of third-party websites.

Some of our educational content references or builds upon methodologies developed by partner organizations, including the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). These references are used with permission and for educational purposes only.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

The information, tools, surveys, and content on this site are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. While we strive for accuracy and timeliness, we make no guarantees about the completeness, reliability, applicability, or accuracy of any content, tool output, or survey result.

We do not warrant that the website will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. We do not warrant that any tool calculations will be accurate for your specific business circumstances.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Baker Project for Employee Ownership, its officers, directors, employees, volunteers, partners, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from:

  • Your use of, or inability to use, our site, tools, surveys, or content
  • Any decisions made or actions taken based on information, tool outputs, or survey results obtained through our site
  • Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in our content or tool calculations
  • Any unauthorized access to or alteration of your data

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Baker Project for Employee Ownership, its officers, directors, employees, and volunteers from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the site, violation of these Terms, or reliance on any content, tool output, or survey result provided through our site.

10. Privacy and Data Use

We respect your privacy. Please review our Privacy Policy to understand how we collect and use information. We do not sell or share your personal data for commercial purposes. We do not collect or store financial data entered into our tools.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. Revisions will be posted on this page with the updated effective date. Continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, without regard to its conflict of law rules. Any disputes arising under these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Pennsylvania.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, or would like permission to reuse our content, please contact us:

info@bakerproject.org
The Baker Project | PO Box 1131 Havertown, PA 19083