How to get your AI tool certified and published.
This is the operational workflow vendors follow — from application form to public listing, badge issuance, and renewal. The evaluation framework we apply to your tool lives separately on the methodology page.
Approval process vs. methodology
Vendors and parents often confuse these. They cover different things and live on different pages.
Approval process (this page)
The administrative workflow a vendor follows to get a tool evaluated, certified, and published on our directory.
- Who can apply and what to submit
- Agreement signing and submission fee
- Timelines, hand-offs, and decision notice
- Badge issuance, publication, and renewal
Methodology & standards →
The evaluation framework itself — the dimensions, rubric, and scoring system reviewers apply during step 5.
- Five scoring dimensions and weights
- Pass / conditional / fail thresholds
- Regulatory mappings (COPPA, FERPA, GDPR-K, UK AADC)
- Continuous-monitoring criteria
Eight steps from application to public listing
Each step lists its owner — vendor, SafeGradeAI, or joint — and what is required to advance.
- 1
Application & Intake
VendorDay 0 · ~30 minThe vendor (or an authorised representative) submits the certification application form, declares the tool's intended audience, and confirms it falls within scope.
- Complete the certification application form
- Declare intended age bands, regions, and use cases
- Nominate a primary technical and a primary policy contact
- Acknowledge the SafeGradeAI scope and exclusion criteria
- 2
Certification Agreement
VendorDay 1–2Vendor signs the SafeGradeAI Certification Agreement — the legal contract that governs evaluation conduct, badge usage rights, and revocation terms.
- Counter-signed certification agreement on file
- Badge-usage and trademark terms accepted
- Notification clauses for material product changes
- Revocation, appeal, and dispute terms acknowledged
- 3
Documentation Package
VendorDay 2–4 · vendor-pacedVendor uploads the evidence package our reviewers need: privacy artefacts, safety documentation, model details, and a sandbox account for live testing.
- Privacy policy, DPA, sub-processor list, retention schedule
- Safety / moderation documentation and incident process
- Model card or system overview (provider, version, fine-tuning)
- Reviewer sandbox: unrestricted test account + admin console
- 4
Submission Fee
VendorDay 4A flat submission fee covers reviewer time and operational cost. It is non-refundable and cannot influence the outcome — failing tools are still published as failed.
- Flat fee — no tiers, no expedite, no rewrites
- Fee is decoupled from verdict (firewalled from reviewers)
- Receipt and invoice issued for vendor records
- Refunded only if SafeGradeAI cancels the evaluation
- 5
Independent Evaluation
SafeGradeAIDay 4–12SafeGradeAI reviewers run the full v2.5 methodology against the tool. This stage is internal: vendors do not interact with reviewers, beyond clarification requests in writing.
- Two independent reviewers, blinded to each other's draft
- Framework, dimensions, and rubric documented on /methodology
- Written clarification questions only — no verbal lobbying
- Evaluation log and citation trail retained on file
- 6
Decision & Vendor Notice
SafeGradeAIDay 12–14The Standards Board ratifies the grade. The vendor receives the full report, the grade, and a 5-day factual-correction window before publication.
- Full report delivered to vendor under embargo
- 5 business days to flag factual errors in writing
- Factual corrections are reviewed — grade is not negotiable
- Pass, conditional, or fail outcomes are all published
- 7
Badge Issuance & Publication
JointDay 14Embargo lifts. The tool is published on the SafeGradeAI directory and the vendor receives badge assets, badge-usage guidelines, and a verifiable certificate URL.
- Public listing on /certifications with full report
- Signed badge SVG/PNG assets + embed snippet
- Verifiable certificate URL the vendor can link to
- Badge-usage standards must be followed (see /methodology#badge-standards)
- 8
Maintenance & Renewal
Joint12-month cycleCertification is annual. Vendors must notify us of material changes; we continuously monitor and re-evaluate. Renewal is its own application (see /certification-renewal-policy).
- Vendor must report material product or policy changes within 30 days
- Continuous monitoring may trigger an interim re-grade
- Renewal application opens 60 days before expiry
- Lapsed certifications are removed from the active directory
Eligibility, fees, and what publication means
Read this before starting the application. It will save you and our intake team time.
Eligible for certification
- Consumer-facing AI tools used by, or marketed to, minors
- Classroom, tutoring, study, or family-use AI products
- Tools generally available — not closed alpha or invite-only
- Vendors able to provide a reviewer sandbox account
Not eligible
- Internal enterprise AI not used by minors
- Pre-release prototypes without stable behavior
- Tools whose vendor refuses a sandbox or DPA
- Products with active regulatory enforcement actions
Publication is unconditional.
Applying for certification is a commitment to publish the outcome — pass, conditional, or fail. Vendors cannot withdraw a tool from publication after the decision is issued, and cannot pay to remove a failed grade. Review the certification agreement and badge standards before applying.
Have an AI tool you want certified?
Submission fees cover evaluation cost only. Your money does not influence the grade — and we will fail your tool if it fails the rubric.
Or browse tools already certified.