Privacy

Privacy Policy

The Edmund Cheney Foundation is committed to protecting the privacy of our applicants, grantees, donors, and website visitors. This policy describes how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information in connection with our grant programs, scholarship awards, and organizational operations. Effective date: January 1, 2026.

1. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us through our website forms, email correspondence, telephone inquiries, and grant and scholarship applications. This information may include your full name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, educational history, employment information, financial information related to scholarship need assessments, project descriptions, budget documents, organizational tax identification numbers, and references. When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information through standard web server logs and analytics tools, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes: to evaluate and process grant and scholarship applications; to communicate with applicants, grantees, and donors about our programs, deadlines, and reporting requirements; to fulfill our legal and regulatory obligations as a 501(c)(3) public charity, including IRS reporting requirements; to improve our website functionality and user experience through aggregated, non-personally-identifiable analytics data; and to respond to your inquiries, requests, and correspondence. We do not use personal information for commercial marketing purposes, and we do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer personal information to third parties for their independent use without your explicit consent.

3. Applicant & Grantee Data Protection

Grant and scholarship application materials are treated as confidential and are reviewed only by authorized foundation staff, members of the Grants Committee, and independent evaluators retained by the foundation who are bound by confidentiality agreements. Application materials are not shared with other applicants, competing organizations, or the general public. Financial information submitted as part of need-based scholarship assessments receives enhanced protection and is accessible only to the Executive Director and the designated financial review officer. After a grant cycle concludes, application materials are retained in secure electronic and physical archives for seven years in accordance with IRS record-keeping requirements, after which they are securely destroyed.

4. Donor Privacy

The Edmund Cheney Foundation respects the privacy of our donors and adheres to the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Donor Bill of Rights. We do not publish, share, sell, or exchange donor names, contact information, or gift amounts with any third party without the donor’s explicit written permission. Donors may choose to remain anonymous in all foundation publications, reports, and public acknowledgments. Donation records are maintained in accordance with IRS requirements and are accessible only to authorized foundation financial staff and our independent auditor. If you wish to review, update, or request deletion of your donor information, please contact our Development Office at development@edmundcheneyfoundation.org.

5. Website Analytics & Cookies

Our website uses standard analytics tools to collect aggregated, non-personally-identifiable data about visitor behavior, including page views, session duration, and traffic sources. This data helps us understand how visitors use our website and identify opportunities to improve content and functionality. We may use cookies (small text files stored on your device) for basic website functionality such as maintaining form state and session management. We do not use tracking cookies for behavioral advertising, cross-site tracking, or profiling. You may configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent; however, some website features may not function properly without cookies enabled.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These safeguards include encrypted data transmission (TLS/SSL) for all website form submissions, access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis, regular security reviews of our information systems, and physical security measures for paper records stored at our office. While we strive to protect personal information, no data transmission over the Internet or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and we cannot warrant the absolute security of any information you transmit to us.

7. Third-Party Service Providers

We may engage third-party service providers to assist with specific operational functions, such as website hosting, email communications, cloud data storage, and financial auditing. These service providers are contractually obligated to use personal information only for the specific purposes for which it was shared and to maintain confidentiality and security protections at least as stringent as those described in this policy. We do not permit third-party service providers to use personal information for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

8. Your Rights Under CCPA

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information. You have the right to know what categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the right to request deletion of your personal information (subject to certain legal exceptions), and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. As stated above, the Edmund Cheney Foundation does not sell personal information and has no plans to do so. To exercise your CCPA rights, submit a verifiable request by email to privacy@edmundcheneyfoundation.org or by mail to our office address. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 calendar days of receipt.

9. GDPR Compliance

Although the Edmund Cheney Foundation is based in the United States and primarily serves Virginia communities, we respect the privacy rights of all individuals, including those protected by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal data, as well as the right to data portability. Our lawful basis for processing personal data from EEA residents is legitimate interest (grant administration and donor relationship management) or consent where explicitly provided. To exercise your GDPR rights, contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@edmundcheneyfoundation.org.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our website and grant programs are not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. Scholarship applications from high school students aged 16 and older are accepted with the understanding that a parent or guardian has consented to the submission of the application and associated personal information. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without verified parental consent, we will promptly delete that information from our records.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable laws, or operational requirements. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date and, where appropriate, communicated to active applicants and grantees via email. Your continued use of our website or participation in our programs after the posting of an updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.