This Partnership & Sponsorship Policy ("Policy") establishes the standards and requirements governing partnerships, sponsorships, donations, strategic relationships, and other collaborations between Blacklink, Inc. ("Blacklink") and external organizations.
Blacklink believes that the organizations we work with matter. We would rather grow slower than compromise the principles that our products, users, and educational communities depend on.
Organizations that provide software, hardware, infrastructure, APIs, hosting, security services, integrations, or other technology.
Schools, school districts, universities, nonprofits, educational organizations, curriculum developers, educators, and other organizations working directly in education.
Organizations participating in substantial or long-term collaboration involving multiple Blacklink products, services, initiatives, or markets.
Organizations supporting events, educational programs, student programs, local initiatives, or other community-focused activities.
Organizations providing financial, technological, material, promotional, or other resources to support Blacklink or a specific Blacklink initiative.
Blacklink will generally not enter into or maintain relationships with organizations that, in Blacklink's reasonable judgment:
Blacklink will not knowingly partner with or accept sponsorship from organizations that materially promote discrimination or hatred against people based on characteristics including, but not limited to:
Blacklink distinguishes between legitimate disagreement or criticism and discrimination, harassment, hatred, or dehumanization.
Blacklink will not knowingly establish or maintain relationships with organizations that materially support genocide, ethnic cleansing, systematic mass atrocities, or comparable severe violations of human rights.
Blacklink does not require partners to share a particular political, religious, or philosophical ideology. The standard is whether an organization's conduct is fundamentally incompatible with Blacklink's commitment to human dignity and responsible conduct.
Blacklink recognizes that modern organizations may have environmental impacts. Blacklink does not require partners to have zero environmental impact.
However, Blacklink may reject relationships with organizations whose operations cause substantial environmental harm, particularly when that harm is significant, avoidable, persistent, or accompanied by a lack of meaningful efforts to address it.
Because Blacklink operates in education, educational integrity is a fundamental requirement of our relationships.
Blacklink recognizes the difference between misinformation and legitimate disagreement. Academic debate, competing interpretations, evolving scientific understanding, opinions, and good-faith mistakes do not automatically constitute misinformation.
Organizations working with Blacklink must recognize the additional responsibility involved in serving children and students.
Sponsors may support Blacklink financially or materially, but sponsorship does not purchase control over Blacklink.
Blacklink may provide sponsors with reasonable recognition for their support. Sponsors may not require Blacklink to:
Blacklink exercises particular caution with advertising involving children and students.
Organizations working with Blacklink must comply with applicable privacy and data-protection requirements.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, each party retains ownership of intellectual property it owned before entering the relationship.
Jointly developed intellectual property will be governed by the applicable agreement.
Partners and sponsors may use Blacklink trademarks, logos, product names, and other brand assets only as authorized.
Blacklink and its partners or sponsors should coordinate significant public announcements.
Neither party should publicly announce a relationship as an official partnership or sponsorship before the relationship has been approved and finalized.
All material financial relationships must be documented.
No individual may commit Blacklink to a material financial obligation without appropriate authorization.
Blacklink may recognize sponsors through appropriate channels, including the Blacklink website, sponsor pages, event materials, product acknowledgments, and public announcements.
Recognition should accurately describe the relationship. Blacklink will not represent a sponsor as an educational authority solely because it sponsors Blacklink.
Blacklink may decline a relationship when an actual or potential conflict of interest could materially affect Blacklink's independence or users.
Organizations should disclose relevant conflicts when proposing significant partnerships.
Partnerships and sponsorships are non-exclusive unless otherwise agreed in writing.
A sponsor does not automatically prevent Blacklink from working with competing organizations. Any exclusivity arrangement must be clearly documented and limited in scope and duration.
Blacklink may review prospective and existing partners and sponsors.
Significant partnerships and sponsorships require approval from an authorized representative of Blacklink.
Depending on the relationship, Blacklink may conduct additional legal, security, privacy, product, financial, or leadership review.
Approval of one relationship does not automatically approve another relationship with the same organization.
Blacklink may decline a proposed partnership or sponsorship for any reason consistent with this Policy and its organizational interests.
Passing the minimum ethical requirements does not guarantee approval. Blacklink may determine that an organization is technically eligible but is not an appropriate strategic or cultural fit.
Blacklink is not required to accept funding simply because an organization is willing to provide it.
Where appropriate, Blacklink may provide notice and an opportunity to resolve the issue. Blacklink may take immediate action when necessary to protect students, users, systems, or the integrity of the organization.
Blacklink will not retaliate against employees, partners, educators, students, or other individuals who raise good-faith concerns regarding a partner or sponsor.
Concerns should be evaluated based on evidence and relevant circumstances. Knowingly submitting fabricated information or making intentionally false accusations may itself be considered misconduct.
Exceptions to this Policy require approval from an authorized Blacklink representative.
Exceptions should be rare and must not compromise fundamental requirements involving student safety, privacy, security, or Blacklink's independence.
A financial benefit alone is not sufficient justification for an exception.
Blacklink reserves the right to interpret this Policy in light of the specific circumstances of a proposed or existing relationship.
The examples in this Policy are not exhaustive. The absence of a particular organization, practice, or type of conduct from this Policy does not mean that Blacklink is required to approve a relationship involving it.
Blacklink may modify this Policy as its products, services, responsibilities, and organizational needs evolve.
An individual partnership or sponsorship agreement may establish additional requirements that remain binding even if this general Policy is subsequently changed.
Our partners and sponsors are not merely names on a website. They are organizations whose association with Blacklink can affect how students, educators, families, schools, and communities perceive and trust our company.
For that reason, Blacklink will prioritize responsible relationships over convenient ones.
We would rather grow slower than compromise the principles that our products and community depend on.
Organizations interested in partnering with or sponsoring Blacklink should contact Blacklink through an official Blacklink communication channel.