Fundraising & disbursement policy

Warm Heart Foundation receives every donation made on the site and grants it to the cause the donor chose. This policy explains how causes get on the site, how we check them and how the money reaches the people it is for. It is part of our Terms of Use.

• The Foundation may create a cause itself, for a person, family, animal or community our team has identified and verified.
• Organizers. the person in need, a relative, a friend or an organization — can propose a cause through the site.
• Every cause, whoever proposes it, is read by a person on our team before it is published. We may edit for clarity, ask for changes or decline it.
• Each published cause shows who benefits, what the money is for and an estimated goal based on real costs.

Before publishing, and again before disbursing, we may ask for:

• A government photo ID for the organizer and, where relevant, the beneficiary or their guardian.
• Proof of the need: a medical estimate, hospital bill, lease or eviction notice, tuition invoice, veterinary quote, police or insurance report, or similar.
• Proof of the relationship between organizer and beneficiary, and the beneficiary's consent.
• Bank or payout details, collected by our payment processor.

We also screen names against U.S. sanctions lists and may use our processor's identity checks. Documents are kept private and are never shown on the cause page.

• Anything illegal, deceptive or that misrepresents the need, the beneficiary or how funds will be used.
• Violence, terrorism, hate, harassment or discrimination, or the exploitation of people or animals.
• Weapons, drugs, gambling, adult content, multi-level marketing, investments, loans, debt collection or anything promising a return.
• Legal defense for anyone accused of violent, hate-related or sexual crimes, and fines or penalties for financial crimes.
• Political campaigns, candidates or parties.
• Treatments presented with false or dangerous health claims.
• Causes for people or organizations subject to U.S. sanctions, or located where U.S. law prohibits sending funds.
• Anything our payment processors do not allow under their own rules.

Donations are processed by Stripe and, where offered, other providers such as PayPal, using cards, digital wallets and bank payments. Funds become available to the Foundation after the processor settles them, usually within a few business days. Donations are kept in accounts held by the Foundation until they are disbursed.

• Directly to the provider when it is practical — for example, the hospital, landlord, school, clinic or veterinarian — against an invoice or estimate.
• Otherwise to the beneficiary's verified bank account, or to the organizer when they are the beneficiary's parent, guardian or authorized representative.
• In one payment or in installments as costs come due, especially for larger goals.
• Disbursements typically begin within 10 business days after the cause is verified and the funds have settled. Timing can vary with verification, bank processing and the size of the cause.

Organizers and beneficiaries can see the status of each disbursement in their dashboard.

We may delay a disbursement, request more information or hold funds if a cause is reported, details do not match, payments look fraudulent, a processor or authority asks us to, or the law requires it. We tell the organizer what is needed and release funds once the issue is resolved.

Funds may be used only for the purpose described on the cause page. Organizers must tell us at once if that purpose changes. We may ask for receipts showing how money was spent, and may stop further disbursements if funds are used for something else.

As the recipient of donations, the Foundation keeps final discretion over their use, always guided by the donor's chosen purpose. If a cause raises more than it needs, ends early, cannot be verified, or the beneficiary declines or cannot receive the funds, we will grant them to the most similar cause on the site or refund donors who ask, as set out in the Donation & Refund Policy, and we will note the outcome on the cause page.

Each cause page shows the amount raised and the goal. We keep records of every donation and disbursement and can share a summary of how a cause's funds were used with its supporters on request, without exposing anyone's private information.

Every cause page has a report button. You can also write to contact@warmheartfoundation.com. A person reviews every report. If we find a cause is misleading or fraudulent, we stop disbursements, remove it, refund donors where funds can be recovered and may report it to authorities.

We may update this policy and will revise the date at the top. Questions: contact@warmheartfoundation.com.