Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions

1. About the Program

These Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) apply to the Academy Safe Affiliate Program (the “Program”), operated by Academy Safe, Inc., a nonprofit organization (“we,” “us,” or “our”). By applying to or participating in the Program, you (“Affiliate” or “you”) agree to these Terms. These Terms are separate from, and in addition to, our general Terms and Conditions.

2. Joining the Program

• You must be at least 18 years old to join the Affiliate Program. We do not accept affiliates under 18. Young athletes under 18 may take part only through the Youth Ambassador Program described in Section 14, which is managed by a parent or legal guardian.
• PayPal is our standard payout method. If you need a different method, you may request one, and we will review it at our discretion.
• Applications are reviewed personally. We may approve or decline any application at our discretion.
• You are responsible for keeping your contact and payment information current in your affiliate dashboard.

3. How Referrals Are Credited

A referral is credited to you when a new academy comes to us through any of the following, and we can reasonably confirm it:

• They visit our website through your personal referral link and later enroll or contact us, for up to 365 days after their visit.
• They tell us you referred them.
• You introduce them to us directly by email, phone, or in person.

To qualify, the referred academy must be new to Academy Safe. Academies that are already enrolled, or that we are already in active conversation with, do not qualify. If more than one person refers the same academy, credit goes to the first referral we can confirm. Our records are used to determine credit, and we will always be glad to walk you through them.

4. What You Earn

The Program covers Academy Safe academy memberships only. That includes owner, coach, and staff memberships for an academy you refer, coaches and staff the academy adds later, and annual renewals.

Our standard commission rate is 5%. Any different rate is agreed with you individually, confirmed when your application is approved, and shown in your affiliate dashboard.

Commissions are calculated on the amount we actually receive from your referred academy, after subtracting sales tax, invoice and payment processing fees, and any discounts or credits. Commissions do not apply to amounts that are refunded, disputed, or charged back.

Merchandise and donations never earn commission. Purchases from the Academy Safe store, including apparel and other merchandise, are not part of the Program. Charitable gifts, grants, and sponsorships made to Academy Safe are also not part of the Program unless we agree otherwise in writing.

5. How Long You Earn

You continue to earn on a referred academy, including on coaches and staff they add later, for as long as that academy keeps renewing with us and you remain an Affiliate in good standing. If the academy lets its enrollment lapse, commissions pause or end with it.

6. Getting Paid

• Commissions are recorded in your affiliate dashboard after your referred academy’s payment is received.
• We pay earned commissions monthly by PayPal to the account on file, or by another method we have approved for you in writing.
• Balances under $20 roll over to the next month.
• If a payment we received is later refunded or charged back, we may deduct the related commission from future payouts.

7. Taxes

You are responsible for any taxes on the commissions you earn. Commissions are payments for referral services and are not charitable contributions. We may ask you for a completed IRS Form W-9 before paying commissions, and we will issue tax forms where required by law.

8. Promoting Academy Safe

We want you to share Academy Safe with confidence. When you do, please:

• Describe Academy Safe accurately. Do not say that an academy is verified, accredited, approved, or endorsed by Academy Safe unless Academy Safe has assigned that status.
• Do not promise that enrollment, a background check, or a registry listing makes an academy safe, or guarantee any outcome, approval, or pricing on our behalf.
• Make it clear that you may earn a commission when you recommend us, as required by the Federal Trade Commission.
• Do not send spam, unsolicited texts, or robocalls, and follow all applicable laws, including CAN-SPAM and the TCPA.
• Do not bid on our name or confusingly similar terms in paid search ads.
• Do not refer yourself, your own academy, or academies you own or control for a commission.
• Use our name and logo only as we provide them, and only to promote the Program.

9. Our Relationship

You are an independent referral partner, not an employee, agent, or representative of Academy Safe. You may not make commitments, sign agreements, or accept payments on our behalf. Pricing and enrollment are always handled directly between Academy Safe and the academy. Your participation has no effect on how Academy Safe reviews, verifies, or accredits any academy.

10. Changes and Ending Participation

• Either of us may end your participation in the Program at any time, for any reason, by letting the other know.
• If your participation ends, we will pay commissions earned on payments we received up to that date.
• If participation ends because of fraud, misrepresentation, or a serious violation of these Terms, unpaid commissions may be forfeited.
• We may update these Terms or commission rates from time to time. We will post changes on this page and let active Affiliates know before rate changes take effect.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, our total liability to you related to the Program is limited to the commissions owed to you under these Terms. We are not responsible for indirect or consequential damages, or for delays caused by PayPal or other payment providers.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida. Any dispute will be handled in the courts located in Broward County, Florida. Before going that route, we commit to talking it through with you first.

13. Ambassador Program

This section applies to Affiliates approved as Academy Safe Ambassadors, in addition to the rest of these Terms.

• Eligibility. Ambassadors must hold a paid Academy Safe membership and have gone through the 8 Pillars of Protection (academy owners) or the 5 Essential Safety Pillars (coaches and staff). They must also have at least 1,000 followers on Instagram, live in the United States or Canada, and be 18 or older so they can complete a background check. Anyone under 18 may take part only through the Youth Ambassador Program described in Section 14. Academy Safe does not provide free memberships to Ambassadors. Each Ambassador purchases their own membership and completes verification before applying, and Ambassador status begins once the application is approved. The only membership credit available is the 20-referral reward described below.
• Commission. Ambassadors earn the standard 5% commission. After 30 qualifying referrals, the rate increases to 10% on commissions earned from that point forward.
• Qualifying referrals. A qualifying referral is one individual, a new academy owner, coach, or staff member, whose membership is paid for at least one year. Each individual counts as a separate referral; an academy is not counted as a single referral. The referred academy does not need to complete full accreditation. Memberships for any academy the Ambassador owns, co-owns, works at, or has a financial interest in, including its coaches and staff, do not count and do not earn commission. Refunded or charged-back memberships do not count. As with all affiliates, donations, grants, sponsorships, and store purchases, including apparel and other merchandise, never earn commission. Referrals are counted over the life of the Ambassador’s participation.
• Rewards. At 10 qualifying referrals, the Ambassador receives an Academy Safe T-shirt and coffee mug, shipped to an address in the United States or Canada. At 20 qualifying referrals, the Ambassador’s next annual membership renewal is free, applied as a credit at renewal. At 30 qualifying referrals, the commission rate increases to 10%. Each reward is given once, has no cash value, and cannot be transferred.
• Listing and accreditation. An Ambassador’s academy is listed in the Martial Arts Safety Registry and the Academy Safe Ambassadors section once the Ambassador passes the background check, and the listing shows the other items Academy Safe has verified. Owners are verified across the 8 Pillars of Protection, and coaches and staff across the 5 Essential Safety Pillars. A listing is not accreditation. An academy is marked Accredited only after the owner and every staff member, including coaches, employees, and volunteers, complete the full verification process. Ambassadors may not describe their academy as accredited, verified, or endorsed before Academy Safe assigns that status.
• Posting. Ambassadors publish at least two public Instagram posts about Academy Safe each month, such as a feed post or Reel, as Collab posts with @academysafe. Stories alone do not count. Posts on other platforms, such as TikTok or YouTube, are welcome but do not replace the two Instagram posts. Each post must stay public for at least 90 days and include the referral link or tag.
• Disclosure. On Instagram, Ambassadors turn on the Paid partnership label and tag @academysafe as the brand partner, as Instagram’s branded content rules require. Ambassadors also end each caption with a short, clear disclosure, such as: “Ad: I’m a paid Academy Safe Ambassador and earn a commission when members join through my link.” On other platforms, Ambassadors turn on that platform’s paid partnership or branded content setting when one is available, along with the same caption disclosure. In videos, Ambassadors also say it out loud near the start. #AcademySafeAmbassador on its own is not enough.
• Monthly check-in. By the 5th of each month, Ambassadors send Academy Safe the links to the previous month’s posts.
• Content guidelines. Ambassadors may not show identifiable minors without written permission from a parent or guardian, call any academy safe, unsafe, verified, or accredited unless Academy Safe has assigned that status, discuss specific abuse allegations or individuals in connection with Academy Safe, or post content that is sensational, harassing, or misleading.
• Content use. Ambassadors allow Academy Safe to repost and feature their Academy Safe posts on its website, social channels, and emails, with credit.
• Moving to the standard Program. If an Ambassador misses the posting requirement in a month, we will send a reminder. After two missed months in a row, three missed months in any 12-month period, or a lapsed membership, the Ambassador moves to the standard Affiliate Program. They keep their account, referral link, and all commissions earned, and continue earning the standard 5% commission on eligible referrals. They no longer use the Ambassador title or badge, and are no longer eligible for Ambassador rewards or the 10% rate. Rewards already received are theirs to keep, and they may reapply to the Ambassador Program later.
• Term. Ambassador status runs for 12 months and renews with the Ambassador’s membership when the requirements are met.

14. Youth Ambassador Program

The Youth Ambassador Program lets young martial artists under 18 represent Academy Safe, with a parent or legal guardian signing up and working with us on their behalf. This section applies in addition to the rest of these Terms. Where this section differs from Section 13, this section controls for Youth Ambassadors.

• The parent is the participant. The parent or legal guardian (“Parent”) is the person who applies, signs these Terms, and participates in the Program. The child (“Youth Ambassador”) is featured in the content but is not a party to these Terms and does not hold an affiliate or ambassador account.
• Eligibility. The Parent must be 18 or older, the parent or legal guardian of the Youth Ambassador, and based in the United States or Canada. The Youth Ambassador must be under 18 and actively training in a martial art. The Instagram account used for Youth Ambassador content must have at least 1,000 followers. An Academy Safe membership is not required for Youth Ambassadors.
• Who runs the account. If the platform or the law where the Youth Ambassador lives does not allow them to have their own account at their age, all Youth Ambassador content must be posted from an account that the Parent owns, controls, and operates, following the platform’s rules for parent-managed accounts. For example, Instagram requires users to be at least 13, and Florida law does not allow children under 14 to hold accounts on major social media platforms and requires parental consent for ages 14 and 15. A Youth Ambassador who is old enough under the platform’s rules and local law may post from their own account only with the Parent’s permission and any parental consent or supervision the platform requires. In every case, the Parent is responsible for the Youth Ambassador’s Academy Safe content.
• We work only with the Parent. Academy Safe communicates only with the Parent. Academy Safe staff, volunteers, and Ambassadors will not message, call, or meet privately with a Youth Ambassador. Any in-person event or appearance requires the Parent, or another guardian chosen by the Parent, to be present.
• We pay only the Parent. All commissions, rewards, and tax forms are issued in the Parent’s name, to the Parent’s PayPal account or other approved method, until the Youth Ambassador turns 18. The Parent is responsible for any taxes, as described in Section 7.
• Consent and media release. The Parent signs a Youth Ambassador consent and media release before approval. This allows Academy Safe to repost and feature the Youth Ambassador’s Academy Safe posts, as described in Section 13. The Parent may withdraw this permission at any time by emailing support@academysafe.org, and Academy Safe will stop new use of the content.
• Background checks. Academy Safe does not require a background check for the Parent or the Youth Ambassador to take part in the Youth Ambassador Program.
• Privacy and safety. Content may show the Youth Ambassador’s first name or nickname only. Content must not show or share the Youth Ambassador’s last name, school, home address, phone number, or real-time location. The Parent agrees to make sure comments and messages on Academy Safe posts are monitored.
• Posting and disclosure. Youth Ambassadors follow the posting and monthly check-in requirements in Section 13. On Instagram, the account turns on the Paid partnership label and tags @academysafe as the brand partner. Each caption ends with a clear disclosure, such as: “Ad: [First name] is an Academy Safe Youth Ambassador, and our family earns a commission when members join through our link.” In videos, the disclosure is also said out loud near the start.
• Content guidelines. The content guidelines in Section 13 apply. In addition, Youth Ambassador content must be age appropriate and must not show other identifiable minors without written permission from their parent or guardian.
• Commission and rewards. The commission, qualifying referral, and reward rules in Section 13 apply, with one change: because Youth Ambassadors do not hold a membership, the 20-referral reward is an Academy Safe gear bundle instead of a free membership renewal. Rewards are shipped to the Parent.
• Listing. Youth Ambassadors may be featured in the Academy Safe Ambassadors section by first name or nickname only, with the Parent’s approval. A Youth Ambassador feature is not a registry listing, verification, or accreditation of the Youth Ambassador, the Parent, or any academy.
• Ending participation. The Parent may end participation at any time. Either of us may end participation as described in Section 10.
• Turning 18. When the Youth Ambassador turns 18, Youth Ambassador status ends. Commissions earned up to that date are paid to the Parent. The new adult may then apply to the Affiliate Program, or to the Ambassador Program if they meet its requirements, in their own name.

15. Questions

Questions about the Program or a referral? Contact us at support@academysafe.org.