Last Updated: December 8, 2020

We are strongly committed to letting you know how we will collect and use your personal information. The policies below are applicable to data and information collected from The Grove Foundation website located at www.grovefoundation.org, any affiliated websites (including any versions optimized for viewing on a wireless or tablet device); all email newsletters published or distributed by The Grove Foundation and all other interactive features, services, and communications provided by The Grove Foundation (“Sites”), however accessed and/or used, that are operated by us, made available by us, or produced and maintained by The Grove Foundation, and its affiliated companies (collectively “Foundation” or “we”, “us”, or “our”). We have established this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) to let you know the kinds of personal information we may gather during your use of the Sites, why we gather your information, what we use your personal information for, when we might disclose your personal information, and how you can manage your personal information.

By using our Sites, you are accepting the practices described in our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Sites. We reserve the right to modify or amend the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. Your continued use of our Sites following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes. If we intend to apply the modifications or amendments to this Privacy Policy retroactively or to personal information already in our possession, we will provide you with notice of the modifications or amendments.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or don’t see your concerns addressed here, you should contact us by email at privacy@grovefoundation.org.

What Information About Me Is Collected and Stored?

We may collect two basic types of information from you in conjunction with your use of the Sites, personal information and non-personal information. Personal information is information that you supply to us, as described more fully below, i.e., when you contact us, complete a survey, upload content, participate in a community, or provide your e-mail address. Personal information is any information that can individually identify you and includes, among other things, your name, e-mail address, telephone number, postal address, credit card, billing and contact information. Non-personal information includes information that does not personally identify you, but it may include tracking and usage information about your location, demographics, use of the Sites and the Internet.

Personal Information

As a general matter, you can browse the Sites without submitting your personal information to us and we do not collect any of your personal information. However, there are a few circumstances in which you may supply us or our agents with your personal information. The following lists the most common ways in which we may collect your personal information.

• Registration for an event sponsored by Foundation
• Uploading content to the Sites
• Submitting an application to work at Foundation
• Providing personal information in order to be contacted by Foundation
• Participation in surveys
• Signing up to receive alerts or other information via email, text or instant message from Foundation
• Participation in communities
• Submission of content or other data and information on any part of the Sites that permits it
• Any other place on the Sites where you knowingly volunteer personal information

Non-Personal Information

In addition, when you interact with the Sites, we may collect certain information that does not identify you individually and our servers may automatically keep an activity log of your use of our Sites (“Non-Personal Information”). Generally, we collect and store the following categories of Non-Personal Information:

• Device information about your computer, browser, mobile device, or other device that you use to access the Sites. This information may include IP address, geolocation information, unique device identifiers, browser type, browser language, and other transactional information.
• Analytics and usage information about your use of the Sites.
• Additional “traffic data” and log files such as time of access, date of access, software crash reports, session identification number, access times, and referring Sites addresses.
• Other information regarding your use of the Sites, but which does not identify you personally.

Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Like many websites and mobile applications, we use “cookies”, which are small text files that are stored on your computer or equipment when you visit certain online pages that record your preferences and actions. We may also use cookies to monitor traffic, improve the Sites and make it easier and/or relevant for your use. We may also use these technologies to monitor traffic, improve the Sites and make it easier and/or relevant for your use. We do not use cookies, web beacons and similar technologies to record your preferences, track the use of our Sites and your exposure to our advertisements. If you delete your cookies or if you set your browser or device to decline these technologies, some features of the Sites may not work or may not work as designed.
We use both “session” cookies and “persistent” cookies. We also use various analytics companies. We do not use flash cookies, web storage, web beacons or other technology that tracks your browsing history across multiple Sites.

We use cookies for the other purposes set out below:

• We use cookies to determine the browser the visitor uses so the site can be designed to work properly with the most common versions of different browsers
• We use cookies in conjunction with analysis of your use of our Sites and generate analytics regarding our Sites
• We use cookies to estimate our audience size. Your browser is given a unique cookie that helps us determine whether yours is a repeat visit or a first visit

We also use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”), on our Sites. Google Analytics uses cookies or other tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with and use the Sites, compile reports on the Sites’ activity, and provide other services related to Sites activity and usage. The technologies used by Google may collect information such as your IP address, time of visit, whether you are a return visitor, and any referring site. The Sites do not use Google Analytics to gather information that personally identifies you. The information generated by Google Analytics will be transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google’s privacy policies. To learn more about Google’s partner services and to learn how to opt out of tracking of analytics by Google click here.

How Do We Use Your Information?

We use the information we learn from you to help us personalize and continually improve your experience on the Sites. We may use your Personal and Non-Personal Information in the following ways:

General Uses

• To communicate with you about changes to our policies
• To disclose anonymized Personal Information to disclose statistics and analytics and other details regarding the use of our Sites.
• To optimize or improve our products, services and operations
• To automatically update the Sites on your device
• To detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal
• To perform statistical, demographic, and marketing analyses of users of the Sites

Who Do We Provide Your Information To?

Except as disclosed in this Privacy Policy, we do not disclose information about your Personal Information collected online to any companies not part of Foundation or its parent, subsidiaries or related entities. In no event will we sell or rent your Personal Information as part of a customer list or similar transaction.

Third-Party Agents

We have third party agents, subsidiaries, affiliates and partners that perform functions on our behalf, such as content management tools, analytics, customer service, fraud protection, etc. These entities have access to the Personal Information needed to perform their functions and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of that Personal Information. They are restricted from using, selling, distributing or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to the Sites.

Emergency Situations

We may also use or disclose Personal Information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to (a) conform to applicable law or comply with legal process served on us or the Sites; (b) protect and defend our rights or property, the Sites or our users, and (c) act under emergency circumstances to protect the personal safety of us, our affiliates, agents, or the users of the Sites or the public. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection.

What Steps Are Taken To Keep Personal Information Secure?

We are concerned about ensuring the security of your Personal Information. We exercise great care in providing secure transmission of your information from your device to our servers. Personal Information collected by our Sites are stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the public. Our security procedures mean that we may occasionally request proof of identity before we disclose your Personal Information to you. Please understand, however, that while we try our best to safeguard your Personal Information once we receive it, no transmission of data over the Internet or any other public network can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

How Can We Transfer Your Personal Information?

Your information collected through the Sites may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Foundation, its Clients, Affiliates or service providers maintain facilities. Subject to the terms of this Privacy Policy, Foundation, its Clients, Affiliates, or service providers may transfer information that we collect about you, including personal information across borders and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world. If you are located in the United States or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from US law, please note that we may transfer information, including Personal Information, to a country and jurisdiction that does not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction. Wherever your Personal Information is transferred, stored, or processed by Foundation, Foundation will comply with all applicable laws regarding such transfer, storage, or processing. Subject to your rights described below, by registering for and using the Sites you consent to the transfer of information to the US or to any other country in which Foundation, its Clients, Affiliates or service providers maintain facilities and the use and disclosure of information about you as described in this Privacy Policy.

How Long Do We Keep Your Information?

Following termination or deactivation of your account, Foundation or its service providers may retain information (including your profile information) for a commercially reasonable time for backup, archival, and/or audit purposes. If you have any questions about termination or deactivation of your account, please contact us directly at privacy@grovefoundation.org.

What Happens When I Link To or From Another Site?

The Sites may contain links to other sites operated by third parties. Please be advised that the practices described in this Privacy Policy for Foundation do not apply to information gathered through these other sites. We are not responsible for the actions and privacy policies of third parties and other sites.

Governing Law

The Sites are published in the United States. The Sites are located and targeted to United States citizens and our policies are directed at compliance with those laws. If you are uncertain whether this privacy policy conflicts with the applicable local privacy laws where you are located, you should not submit your Personal Information to Foundation.

Changes to This Policy

As our Sites continue to develop, we may add new services and features to our Sites. In the event that these additions affect our Privacy Policy, this document will be updated appropriately. We will post those changes prominently so that you will always know what information we gather, how we might use that information and whether we will disclose it to anyone. We will not, however, materially change our policies and practices to make them less protective of Personal Information we have previously collected from you without your express consent.

Information for Users in Europe and Elsewhere Outside The U.S.

Our Sites are targeted to the United States. If you use our Sites outside of the United States, you understand that we may collect, process, and store your personal information in the United States and other countries. The laws in the U.S. regarding personal information may be different from the laws of your state or country. Any such transfers will comply with safeguards as required by relevant law. If applicable, you may have a right to claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of relevant data protection laws.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you should contact us by email at privacy@grovefoundation.org.