Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Civic Lens USA is a social impact organization that connects civic participation with self-knowledge through storytelling, reflection, and community. This policy applies to civiclensusa.org and any programs, newsletters, events, or services we operate under the Civic Lens USA name.

When this policy says "we," "us," or "our," we mean Civic Lens USA. When it says "you," we mean anyone who visits our site, signs up for our newsletter, applies to a program, donates, or otherwise shares information with us.

2. What we collect

Information you give us directly

We collect what you choose to share when you interact with us. This typically includes:

• Contact information: name, email address, and sometimes city or school, when you join our newsletter, inquire about a program, or RSVP to an event.
• Application and form responses: written answers you submit when applying to contribute to Lens Check, join a Youth Design Lab, or express interest in Safe Civic Spaces trainings, the Civic Incubator, or other programs.
• Messages you send us: including emails to hello@civiclensusa.org and any attachments, direct messages on Instagram, or questions you submit through a form.
• Donation and sponsorship information: if you contribute through our fundraising partner (GiveButter), your name, email, amount, and any message you include. We do not receive or store your full payment card details, those are handled by our payment processor.
• Event participation details: such as whether you are a student, educator, or community partner, and any accommodations you request.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our site, our hosting and analytics providers may automatically receive standard technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, and the pages you viewed. We use this in aggregate to understand site traffic and improve the experience. We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from this data.

Information we do not collect

We do not ask for or collect sensitive personal information such as government ID numbers, financial account details, health information, or immigration status. If you volunteer any of that information in a message to us, we will not store it in a central database and will delete it on request.

3. How we use information

We use the information you share with us to:

• Respond to your message, inquiry, or application.
• Send you the Civic Lens newsletter and occasional updates, if you have opted in.
• Coordinate programs, workshops, and events you have signed up for.
• Process donations, send receipts, and thank supporters.
• Understand which parts of our site and programming are most useful, so we can improve them.
• Meet legal, tax, and reporting obligations of a nonprofit organization.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not rent or trade mailing lists. We do not use your information to target advertising to you.

4. How we share information

We share personal information only in these limited circumstances:

• With service providers who help us operate, for example, our email platform, our website host, and our donation processor. These providers receive only what they need to perform their function and are bound by their own privacy obligations.
• With program partners, such as a school or community organization hosting a Youth Design Lab or Safe Civic Spaces training, and only the information necessary to coordinate the event (for example, a list of registered attendees).
• When you ask us to: for example, if you submit a story or reflection and consent to have it published, or if you agree to be quoted in a recap.
• When required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, court order, or valid legal request, or to protect the safety of a person or the integrity of our programs.

5. Third-party services we use

Our site and programs rely on a small set of trusted third-party tools. Each has its own privacy practices, linked below:

• Vercel: hosts this website. Vercel privacy policy
• GitHub: where our site's source code is stored. GitHub privacy statement
• Google (Forms, Sheets, Workspace): used to collect newsletter signups and program inquiries. Google privacy policy
• Substack: delivers our newsletter, Lens Check. Substack privacy policy
• GiveButter: processes donations and fundraising. GiveButter privacy policy
• Instagram / Meta: where we publish content at @civiclensusa. Your interactions on that platform are governed by Instagram's privacy policy.

When you click a link to one of these services, you leave our site and their privacy practices apply.

6. Cookies & tracking

Our website uses a minimal set of cookies and similar technologies, primarily those set by our hosting provider to keep the site running smoothly. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking pixels. Your browser lets you block or delete cookies, though some site features may not work correctly if you do.

7. Young people & parental consent

Civic Lens USA works with young people, especially those ages 14 to 26. We take extra care with information shared by minors.

• We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child under 13 has shared information with us, please email us and we will delete it.
• If a participant is under 18, we ask a parent, guardian, or partner organization (such as a school) to handle their registration and consent for participation.
• When young people share stories or reflections through our programs, we never publish identifying information without explicit, informed consent, and for minors, consent from a parent or guardian.

8. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as it serves the purpose it was collected for, or as required by law. In practice:

• Newsletter subscribers remain on our list until they unsubscribe.
• Program applications and inquiries are kept for up to two years so we can follow up on future cohorts, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
• Donation and financial records are retained for the period required by applicable tax and nonprofit accounting rules.

You can ask us to delete your information at any time, see Your rights & choices below.

9. Your rights & choices

You have meaningful control over the information you share with us. You can:

• Access a copy of the information we hold about you.
• Correct information that is inaccurate or out of date.
• Delete your information from our active records, subject to legal retention requirements.
• Unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link at the bottom of every email.
• Withdraw consent for any story, photo, or quote we have permission to publish.

To make a request, email hello@civiclensusa.org with the words "Privacy Request" in the subject line. We'll respond within 30 days.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We honor those rights regardless of your location.

10. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information you share with us, including using reputable service providers, limiting access to personal information to those who need it, and using encrypted connections (HTTPS) across our site. No system is perfectly secure, but we treat your information with care and work to reduce risk.

11. Changes to this policy

As our programs grow, this policy may need to grow with them. If we make a meaningful change, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, for significant changes, notify subscribers through the newsletter. Continuing to use the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

12. Contact us