Terms of Service & Refund Policy

1. Who we are

ExtraordinaryTrials.com (the "Platform," "we," "us") is operated by Mark Davis d/b/a ExtraordinaryTrials.com. We provide a crowdfunding platform where supporters ("Backers") pledge funds toward independently overseen clinical research that tests specific clinical claims ("Trials"). By using this site or making a pledge, you agree to these terms.

2. What we are, and what we are not

The Platform facilitates funding for independent clinical research. We are not a healthcare provider, and nothing on this site is medical advice. The claims featured in campaigns are exactly that: claims under test. Featuring a campaign is not an endorsement of any treatment, clinician, or claim. Do not make decisions about your medical care based on content from this site; always consult a qualified healthcare provider.

Pledges are not investments, loans, or charitable donations. You will receive no financial return, equity, or interest of any kind. Support-level rewards are tokens of recognition, not products for sale or securities.

3. How pledging works (all-or-nothing)

• When you pledge, your payment method is saved securely by our payment processor, Stripe. You are not charged at the time you pledge.
• Your payment method is charged the pledge amount only if the campaign (or campaign stage) you supported reaches its funding threshold before its deadline.
• If the campaign does not reach its threshold by its deadline, no charge is made and your pledge simply expires.
• You may change or cancel your pledge at any time before the campaign closes by emailing extraordinarytrials@gmail.com.
• By pledging, you authorize us (through Stripe) to charge your saved payment method for the pledge amount, without further action on your part, if and when the threshold is reached.

4. How funds are used

Each campaign page describes its funding stages and their purposes. Funds are applied to the stage you supported. We publish campaign funding totals openly on the Platform. Funds for a trial-design stage may include a disclosed stipend paid to the Claimant for their contribution to trial design (see the Claimant Terms); a Claimant may waive that stipend, in which case the waived amount is counted as the Claimant's own backing of the campaign.

5. Refund policy: read this before you pledge

Research funding is spent on the work, not the outcome. When you back a campaign stage, you are funding the effort that stage describes, and that effort has no guaranteed result. In particular:

• Before you are charged: nothing to refund; pledges cost nothing unless the campaign reaches its threshold. Cancel any time before the campaign closes.
• Trial Design & IRB stages fund the application, not the approval. These funds pay for developing the protocol, statistical plan, and study materials, and for applying (and if necessary re-applying) for IRB approval. There is no guarantee that IRB approval will ever be granted. Funds spent on this work are not refundable, even if approval is never obtained.
• Your pledge supports the research topic. The exact wording of a claim may be refined as the Claimant works with independent researchers, and Claimants with similar claims may be grouped into a single trial so their claims can be measured together. Changes like these do not trigger a charge, and you may adjust or cancel an uncharged pledge at any time.
• Clinical Trial stages charge only after the design is finalized. Stage goals shown before a trial's design is finalized are estimates. Pledges to a Clinical Trial stage are charged only when (a) that stage is fully funded to its finalized goal, and (b) the Trial Design & IRB stage is complete and the final trial design and budget have been confirmed by the Platform. If the finalized goal differs from the earlier estimate, pledges remain uncharged until the finalized goal is met.
• If a campaign is discontinued before funds are spent (for example, the Claimant withdraws after Backers are charged but before design work begins), charged pledges will be refunded to the original payment method.
• Once funds have been spent on the campaign's purpose, they are not refundable. If a campaign is interrupted after partial spending, you should assume nothing will be refunded; we may, at our sole discretion, refund some or all unspent funds where circumstances make that appropriate, but we do not promise to.
• Errors and duplicates: if you are charged in error (wrong amount, duplicate charge), contact us and we will correct it promptly.
• A negative result is not a failed campaign. Research is inherently uncertain: a Trial that runs and produces a negative or inconclusive result is a successful use of your pledge, not grounds for a refund. What we promise is that the funded work is undertaken as described and that results are posted openly on the Platform, not that the claim proves true.

Refund questions: extraordinarytrials@gmail.com.

6. Support levels and rewards

Support levels include recognition rewards (such as supporter-wall listing, updates, acknowledgments, documentary credits, and event invitations). Rewards never include access to the Trial, its data before publication, participation priority, or influence over Trial design or conduct. Rewards have no cash value and are not transferable. Pledges made through the Platform are not tax-deductible charitable contributions; consult your tax advisor about your own circumstances.

7. The role of claimants and research institutions

Clinicians who submit claims ("Claimants") contribute substantially to trial design so that the tested conditions match the claimed ability; independent experts control the statistical plan and safeguards against bias, and both parties sign off on the final protocol before the Trial begins. If a Claimant and the research institution cannot agree on a final protocol after good-faith effort, the campaign may be discontinued, and any charged funds are handled under the Refund Policy above. Trials are conducted under IRB oversight. Research institutions, not the Platform, conduct the Trials.

Trial results are posted openly on the Platform regardless of outcome, and where appropriate submitted for peer-reviewed publication. Journal acceptance is decided by journals, not by us, and is not guaranteed.

Individuals affiliated with the Platform, including its operator, may themselves be Claimants on specific campaigns. Where that is the case, it is disclosed on the campaign page, and the affiliated individual is recused from independent-oversight decisions concerning that Trial.

8. Submitting a claim

Claim submission, the claim review fee, Claimant stipends, and Claimant obligations are governed by the separate Claimant Terms.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to misuse the Platform, including by making pledges with payment methods you are not authorized to use, misrepresenting your identity or credentials, scraping or disrupting the site, or using it for any unlawful purpose.

10. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

The Platform is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim liability for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Platform is limited to the amount of your charged pledges in the twelve months preceding the claim. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The effective date above reflects the latest revision. Material changes to pledge or refund terms will not apply retroactively to pledges already made.

12. Governing law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Questions about these terms: extraordinarytrials@gmail.com.