Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you submit a grant application, use our contact form, subscribe to our newsletter, or otherwise communicate with the Foundation. This may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, organization name, job title, and the content of your communications. For grant applicants, we additionally collect information related to your organization's tax-exempt status, financial statements, board composition, project details, and budget information. For Emergency Family Relief Fund applicants, we may collect income documentation, residency verification, and information about the qualifying crisis event.

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information, including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, time spent on each page, and the date and time of your visit. This information is collected through standard server logs and, where applicable, cookies or similar tracking technologies as described in Section 7 below.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes: to evaluate and process grant applications; to communicate with applicants, grantees, and program participants regarding their applications, awards, and reporting obligations; to respond to inquiries submitted through our website or by other means; to administer our grant programs and measure their effectiveness; to comply with legal obligations, including filings with the Internal Revenue Service and the Ohio Attorney General's Charitable Trust Section; to improve our website, programs, and services; and to send periodic communications about Foundation news, upcoming grant cycles, and community events (you may opt out of these communications at any time). We do not use personal information for commercial marketing purposes.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Our processing of your personal information is based on one or more of the following legal grounds: your consent, provided when you submit information through our forms; the performance of a contract or grant agreement to which you are a party; our legitimate interests in operating and improving our grant programs and website, provided that these interests are not overridden by your privacy rights; and compliance with legal obligations applicable to the Foundation, including tax reporting, charitable trust registration, and record retention requirements under Ohio and federal law.

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

The McCluskey Cares Foundation does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for their commercial purposes. We will never monetize your data. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances: with our Board of Directors and program advisory committees to the extent necessary for grant review and decision-making; with professional service providers (accountants, auditors, legal counsel, IT support) who are contractually obligated to maintain confidentiality; with government agencies (IRS, Ohio Attorney General) as required for regulatory compliance and reporting; with program evaluation partners who assess the effectiveness of our grant programs, subject to data use agreements that prohibit re-identification of individual participants; and in response to a lawful subpoena, court order, or government investigation where disclosure is required by law.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy and to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. Grant application records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date of submission, consistent with IRS record retention guidelines for tax-exempt organizations. Successful grant files, including Grant Agreements, progress reports, and financial reconciliations, are retained for a minimum of ten years following the conclusion of the grant period. Website visitor logs are retained for 24 months. Contact form submissions are retained for three years. You may request deletion of your personal information at any time, subject to the retention periods required by law or regulatory obligation.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Ohio residents and general visitors: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, to request correction of inaccurate information, and to request deletion of your information (subject to legal retention requirements). You may also opt out of receiving non-essential communications from the Foundation at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any email.

California residents (CCPA): Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; the right to request deletion of your personal information; the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information (the Foundation does not sell personal information); and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. To exercise these rights, contact us using the information in Section 11 below. We will respond to verified consumer requests within 45 days.

European Economic Area residents (GDPR): If you are located in the EEA, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing of, and port your personal data, as well as the right to withdraw consent and to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. The Foundation is headquartered in the United States, and any data transferred outside the EEA is protected by appropriate safeguards.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses minimal cookies necessary for basic site functionality, including session management and form submission handling. We do not use third-party advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or social media tracking scripts. We use standard web server analytics to understand aggregate traffic patterns and improve our website. No personally identifiable information is collected through these analytics tools without your explicit consent. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, but this may affect the functionality of certain features on our website.

8. Children’s Privacy

The McCluskey Cares Foundation website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 11.

9. Security Measures

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the personal information in our possession from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL), access controls limiting data access to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis, regular security assessments, and secure disposal of records containing personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date and, where appropriate, notify affected individuals by email. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

11. Contact Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or need to report a privacy concern, please contact us:

McCluskey Cares Foundation
Attn: Privacy Officer
250 South High Street, Suite 1140
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 555-0247
Email: privacy@mccluskeycaresfoundation.org

We will acknowledge receipt of your inquiry within five business days and provide a substantive response within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Ohio Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section at (800) 282-0515.