Crowdfund terms

Crowdfund lets people raise money for community projects and spaces: opening a new space, fixing or improving one, a community project or a series of events. It is in beta, which means we are still learning and these terms may change. We will say so on this page when they do.

Cozy is the noticeboard and the tools. The person or group running a campaign (the organiser) is the one you are giving to.

Backing a campaign is a donation, sometimes with a thank you reward. There are no shares, no equity, no loans, no interest, no profit share and no financial return of any kind.

Raising money by offering shares or loans is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Cozy does not do it and will take down any campaign that offers, or hints at, a financial return.

Your pledge is paid by card through Stripe straight into the organiser’s own Stripe account. Cozy never receives, holds or passes on the money, and takes no commission or platform fee. Stripe charges the organiser its usual card fees.

If you choose to add a little for Cozy, that is a separate, optional card payment to Cozy after your pledge. It is never taken from your pledge and never added to it without you choosing it.

Flexible campaigns keep what they raise. Your card is charged when you pledge.

All or nothing campaigns only go ahead if they reach their target by the end date. When you pledge, Stripe saves your card on the organiser’s account. If the target is reached, your card is charged when the campaign ends. If it isn’t, nobody is charged and your saved card is released. You can withdraw an all or nothing pledge at any time before the end date.

If your card is declined when an all or nothing campaign is charged, we email you a link to pay with another card. Please use it within 7 days. If you don’t, the organiser may treat your pledge as withdrawn.

Pledges from organisations, such as councils, funds and local businesses, count towards the target. Cozy records them after checking with the organisation and the organiser; the organisation pays the organiser directly. A conditional pledge only counts once the campaign reaches the milestone it names, and match funding adds its share as people pledge, up to its limit.

A reward is a promise from the organiser to you, not from Cozy. The organiser is responsible for delivering it, for keeping backers updated, and for any refunds.

If a project changes or can’t go ahead, the organiser should tell backers in an update, explain what happened to the money and refund where they can. Refunds come from the organiser through their own Stripe account.

If you have a problem with a reward or a refund, message the organiser first. If that doesn’t work, report the campaign and we will help where we can.

Be real and be honest. Use your own name or your group’s, describe the plan as it is, and only use photos of the real place or project that you have the right to use. Never use AI generated or borrowed photos of a venue.

You need permission to use the space you are raising money for, and you must be able to show it if we ask.

Your budget should add up and be realistic. Cozy reads every campaign before it goes live: we check that you are real, that the plan is clear, that the budget is realistic and that you have permission to use the space. We may ask for changes or say no.

To launch, connect your own Stripe account so pledges go straight to you. You are responsible for delivering rewards, for refunds, for keeping backers updated and for any tax on what you raise.

You can see your backers’ names and email addresses so you can thank them and deliver rewards. Use them only for this campaign.

Gift Aid isn’t supported in the beta. Please don’t claim Gift Aid on pledges made through Cozy.

Every campaign has a “Report this campaign” link. Tell us if something looks misleading, unsafe, uses someone else’s photos or name, or if the organiser doesn’t have permission to use the space.

Someone at Cozy reads every report. We may ask the organiser questions, ask for changes, or take the campaign down. If we take down an all or nothing campaign before it ends, saved cards are released and nobody is charged. Money already paid to an organiser stays with them, and we will ask them to refund it.

We run the pages, the checks and the emails, and we keep your card details out of Cozy entirely: they stay with Stripe. We don’t guarantee that a campaign will succeed or that a reward will be delivered.

Questions about these terms: hello@cozylondon.co.uk.