Privacy Policy
YouthFund is run by GuidedPath Navigators, Inc., a New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit ("YouthFund," "we," "us"). This policy explains what information we collect through youth-fund.org and our sign-up and application forms, how we use it, and the choices you have. We wrote it to be read by students and parents, not only by lawyers.
1. Who this policy covers
Anyone who visits youth-fund.org, signs up for YouthFund, applies for funding, registers for a Hero Talk, joins ShareSquare, or writes to us. Our programs are for high school students aged 13 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 13; if we learn that we have, we delete it.
2. What we collect
When a student signs up: first name, last name, email address, school, grade, a parent or guardian's name and email, your interests, and how you heard about us.
When a student or team applies for funding: the same, plus the initiative's name, description, team members, plans, and any links or materials you choose to share.
When you register for a Hero Talk or join ShareSquare: your name and email, and anything you post or ask.
When you email us: what you send and your email address.
When you visit the website: like every website, ours receives basic technical information such as browser type and pages visited. We use only the cookies needed for the site to work. We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies, and we do not follow visitors across other sites.
That is all. We do not ask students or parents for financial, health, or other sensitive information.
3. How we use it
- To run our programs: send Hero Talk invitations and session links, manage sign-ups, review funding applications, and support selected initiatives.
- To contact a parent or guardian with a confirmation when a student under 18 signs up, and about program matters when appropriate.
- To keep students safe, including following our Child Safety Policy and Community Norms.
- To understand, in aggregate, how many students we reach and from where, for our own reporting and for funders (never with names).
- To respond when you write to us.
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information, and we do not share it with outside organizations for their own use. We do not use it for advertising.
4. Who can see it
Inside YouthFund, only the officers and directors responsible for the program can access sign-up and application records. Student team members do not have access to the response records. Hero Talk speakers are not given student contact information.
We use a small number of service providers to store and process information on our behalf: Google Workspace (forms, email, documents, video sessions), our website hosting service, and, when donations are enabled, a donation platform for donor transactions only. They are permitted to use the information only to provide their services to us.
We will disclose information if required by law, or if we believe it is necessary to protect the safety of a student or another person.
5. Students and parents
For a student under 18, we collect a parent or guardian contact at sign-up and send that parent or guardian a confirmation with a link to this policy and our Child Safety Policy. A parent or guardian may at any time review the information we hold about their student, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete it, or withdraw the student from YouthFund, by writing to hello@youth-fund.org. We respond within 10 business days.
We never publish a student's photo, full name, school, or personal story without written consent from the student and, for students under 18, a parent or guardian.
6. How long we keep it
We keep sign-up and application records while a student is active with YouthFund and for up to one year after the student's expected high school graduation, then delete them. Records for funded initiatives are kept for seven years after the grant, as required for our financial and tax records. You can ask us to delete your information sooner at any time; we will do so unless we are required by law to keep it.
7. Security
We keep records in a small number of Google Workspace accounts controlled by named officers of GuidedPath Navigators, Inc., protected by two-step verification, and we review who has access whenever our team changes. If we ever learned that your information had been exposed, we would tell you promptly and within the time New York law requires.
8. Your choices
- Unsubscribe from Hero Talk emails at any time using the link in any email or by writing to us.
- Ask what information we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted, by writing to hello@youth-fund.org.
These choices are open to everyone, wherever you live. We do not sell personal information and do not track visitors across other sites, so there is nothing further to opt out of.
9. Links to other sites
Our website links to Google Forms, Google Meet, and other services. Their privacy policies apply when you use them.
10. Updates to this policy
We update this policy when we add a program, change a service provider, or when the law changes. The current version is always at youth-fund.org/privacy-policy with its effective date at the top. If a change would affect what we collect or how we use it, we email registered students and, for students under 18, their parent or guardian at least 14 days before it takes effect, with a short note on what is changing. You can ask us to delete your information or withdraw at any time by writing to hello@youth-fund.org.
11. General
This policy is written in plain language on purpose, and where a word could be read in a legal way or an everyday way, we mean the everyday one. It follows New York and federal law, including the laws that protect the online privacy of people under 18. If any part of it is ever found invalid, the rest still applies. It describes our practices and your choices; it does not limit any right you have under law.
12. Contact
GuidedPath Navigators, Inc. (YouthFund)
Email: hello@youth-fund.org
Mailing address: 178 Columbus Ave #237190, New York, NY 10023