Terms of Use

The Light Project is a place where verified people in the Philippines can ask for help, and where others can give. We check that a fundraiser is a real, identified person before their appeal goes live.

We are not a charity, and we are not a bank. We do not decide whether a cause deserves support, and verifying someone’s identity is not the same as guaranteeing their story or how they spend what they raise. That judgement stays with you.

We are not the permit holder for your appeal. Under PD 1564, a permit to solicit contributions belongs to the person or organisation making the appeal — that is the fundraiser, not this platform. Our role is the one DSWD calls a solicitation partner, intermediary or depository: we hold donations until the fundraiser withdraws them.

To be confirmed with counsel before launch: whether the operator will also register as a social welfare agency so that The Light Project can run appeals in its own name, and the standard MOA naming the platform as depository, which DSWD requires to accompany each permit application.

By applying, you agree that:

• Everything you tell us is true. Your identity, your situation, and what the money is for. A fundraiser found to be false is removed, the funds are frozen, and we may report it.
• You will use the money for what you said. If the situation changes, post an update and say so.
• You are responsible for your own DSWD solicitation permit. Under PD 1564 anyone soliciting contributions for charitable or public welfare purposes must first secure one, and because a fundraiser here is on the internet it counts as national solicitation — so the permit is a national one, issued by the DSWD Central Office. Soliciting without it is an offence and can get you blacklisted by DSWD. We will tell you what we can, but the permit is yours to obtain and yours to hold.
• You appoint us as your depository for donations to your fundraiser, at the fee described below, and you agree that we may be named as such in your permit application.
• You are the one responsible for taxes on what you receive.
• You are at least 18, or an adult is applying on the beneficiary’s behalf.
• You will not run more than one fundraiser for the same need without telling us.

We can pause, hide or remove a fundraiser, or suspend an account, where we have good reason to think these terms have been broken. Where we can, we will tell you why and give you a chance to answer first.

• Donations are collected by our payment provider, PayMongo, and settle to the platform’s account before being passed on.
• The platform fee is 10%. It is deducted when a fundraiser withdraws, not from each donation — so a fundraiser who raises ₱100,000 receives ₱90,000. Nothing is charged to donate. In DSWD’s language this is our allowable cost of engagement, and it sits inside the administrative expense cap that applies to solicited funds.
• Withdrawals are checked by a person before payment, and paid to the fundraiser’s own account. Expect a few working days.
• PayMongo charges its own processing fee on the way in, which varies by payment method. That is a cost of collecting the money, not an extra charge to you.

To be confirmed with the client: whether the 10% is deducted from the fundraiser at withdrawal, as described above and as the platform currently works, or added on top of the donor’s payment. The two are different products and this clause must match whichever is chosen.

• A donation is a gift, not a purchase. You get no goods, services or equity in return.
• Donations are generally not refundable. Once money reaches a fundraiser it is usually spent on the need it was given for. If you believe a fundraiser is fraudulent, tell us and we will investigate; where funds are still held we will do what we reasonably can.
• Give what you can afford to give. We check identity, not outcomes.
• Your name and message are published unless you choose to donate anonymously.

We work to keep the platform running and accurate, but we do not promise it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we do not promise any fundraiser will reach its target. We are not responsible for what a fundraiser does with money they receive, beyond acting on reports of misuse.

Nothing here limits any liability that cannot be limited under Philippine law.

If a fundraiser looks false, or something on the platform is wrong, tell us. Reports are read by a person, and a fundraiser can be paused while we look.

To be completed before launch: the reporting email address.

We may update these terms. The current version is 2026-08-25, and every application records the version that was on screen when it was submitted. Material changes will be published here.

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

See also the Privacy Notice.