Educational Materials Use Policy

We are deeply moved by how many of our program participants and graduates want to carry compassion into their communities, workplaces, and organizations. This is exactly the kind of ripple effect we hope for. We want to support it in a way that is clear, fair, and sustainable.

CCARE also has a responsibility to protect the integrity of its educational materials and to be clear about what participation in a CCARE program does and does not represent. This policy explains what you may do, what requires prior written permission, and how you may accurately describe your CCARE experience.

What This Policy Covers

For purposes of this policy, “CCARE educational materials” includes non-public course recordings, slides, curricula, facilitator materials, exercises, handouts, meditations, written materials, and the distinctive sequence or structure of a CCARE course.

This policy addresses use of CCARE educational materials and the Stanford and CCARE names. It does not prevent you from applying general principles of compassion in your own life or work, discussing what you learned in your own words, or citing publicly available CCARE research and publications using ordinary scholarly practices.

Independent work should be based on your own expertise, ideas, and materials. It should not reproduce or adapt CCARE educational materials or suggest Stanford or CCARE sponsorship, endorsement, approval, partnership, or affiliation unless that relationship has been specifically authorized in writing.

What You May Do

You are welcome to:

Apply general principles and practices of compassion in your personal, professional, and community life.

• Discuss your learning and experience in your own words without reproducing or distributing CCARE educational materials.
• Accurately describe your participation in or completion of a CCARE program on a website, resume, LinkedIn profile, biography, or other public-facing material.
• Cite publicly available CCARE research, publications, and resources using appropriate attribution and ordinary scholarly practices.

For example, a Compassion Lab participant may accurately say:

• “Graduate of the Stanford CCARE Compassion Lab”
• “Alum of the Stanford CCARE Compassion Lab”
• “Completed the Stanford CCARE Compassion Lab”

Unless specifically authorized in writing, CCARE educational materials may not be used to:

• Reproduce, post, share, upload, sell, publish, or distribute CCARE recordings, slides, handouts, meditations, facilitator materials, or other course materials.
• Adapt, translate, modify, repurpose, or replicate CCARE curriculum, specific exercises or meditations, or course structure.
• Develop or deliver a course, workshop, training, retreat, coaching program, consulting offering, or other educational program that incorporates or materially relies on CCARE educational materials.
• Teach, facilitate, or represent yourself as authorized to teach a CCARE course or program.
• Describe an independent course, program, or service as “CCARE-informed,” or use the CCARE or Stanford name in the title, description, branding, or promotion of that offering beyond an accurate statement of your own participation.
• Use Stanford, Stanford Medicine, or CCARE names, logos, trademarks, or other identifying marks to market, promote, endorse, or fundraise for an independent activity.

These guidelines apply whether an offering is free or paid, formal or informal, in person or online, and regardless of audience size.

Completing a CCARE program does not create an employment, faculty, agency, partnership, representative, or other ongoing institutional affiliation with Stanford University, Stanford Medicine, or CCARE. It also does not create certification or authorization to teach, facilitate, certify others, speak on behalf of CCARE, or use CCARE educational materials in your own offerings.

Participants are encouraged to carry the principles and practices of compassion into their communities and work. CCARE may describe this spirit as being an “ambassador for compassion.” This is an aspiration, not a Stanford or CCARE title, appointment, certification, or authorization to represent the institution.

Please do not use titles such as “Stanford Compassion Ambassador,” “Stanford CCARE Compassion Ambassador,” “CCARE Ambassador,” or similar language that could reasonably suggest a current institutional role or affiliation unless specifically authorized in writing by Stanford.

You may use the Stanford and CCARE names when accurately describing your participation in or completion of a program, including the examples above.

The Stanford, Stanford Medicine, and CCARE names, logos, trademarks, or other identifying marks may not be used to promote, endorse, fundraise for, or otherwise support an independent program, organization, business, product, service, publication, film, event, or other activity in a way that suggests Stanford or CCARE sponsorship, endorsement, approval, partnership, or affiliation.

Any use of the Stanford or CCARE names beyond accurately describing your participation in or completion of a program requires appropriate prior written authorization.

For more information, please see https://trademarks.stanford.edu/name-use-guidelines.

If you would like to use or adapt CCARE educational materials, translate materials, teach or facilitate a CCARE-related program, describe an offering as CCARE-informed, implement CCARE materials within an organization, or explore a formal collaboration or partnership, we would love to hear from you.

Please contact CompassionEducation@stanford.edu before moving forward. Written approval is required before incorporating CCARE educational materials or using the Stanford or CCARE names to describe, brand, or promote an independent offering beyond an accurate statement of your participation.

If you are unsure whether a planned use falls within these guidelines, please contact CompassionEducation@stanford.edu before moving forward.

Thank you for helping us protect the clarity and integrity of this work while keeping the door open for thoughtful ways to bring compassion into more communities.

Our goal is simple: to help compassion travel well.