Privacy Policy

Introduction

Constellation Institute ("we," "us," or "our") is a nonprofit organization committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors, program participants, and service users. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, participate in our programs, or use our services.

This policy applies to all individuals who interact with us, including residents of the United States, the European Economic Area (EEA), and the United Kingdom. Where specific rights apply to particular jurisdictions, we have noted this throughout the policy.

By accessing or using our website or services, you agree to be bound and abide by our posted Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to our posted Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, please do not use our website or services.

Data Controller

For the purposes of applicable data protection laws Constellation Institute is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

Contact Details:

Constellation Institute, 28 Geary St Suite 625, San Francisco, CA 94108 United States

Data Protection Officer: Email: info@constellation.org, Phone: (510) 200-8195

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

• Contact Information: Name, email address, mailing address, phone number
• Account Information: Username, password, and account preferences
• Demographic Information: Age, gender, education level, or other information relevant to our programs
• Program and Service Information: Information related to your participation in our programs, including applications, enrollment forms, and feedback
• Donation Information: If you make a donation, we may collect payment information, billing address, and donation history
• Communication Records: Records of your correspondence with us, including emails, messages, and inquiries
• Volunteer Information: If you volunteer with us, information related to your volunteer activities
• Job Applicant Information: If you apply for a position, information in your application, resume, and related materials

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers
• Usage Information: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, and referring URLs
• Location Information: General geographic location based on your IP address
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies (see "Cookies and Tracking Technologies" section below)

Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties, including:

• Partner organizations with whom we collaborate on programs
• Social media platforms, if you interact with us through those platforms
• Public databases and publicly available sources

Legal Bases for Processing (Foreign Users)

Our services (such as our website) are controlled and operated by us from the United States (“US”). In the event we receive personal information from a foreign jurisdiction under a contractual relationship, the contract will typically specify the privacy and security requirements and governing laws with respect to such information. In all other instances, this section addresses individuals residing outside of the US. This includes residents in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) including the European Union (“EU”), the United Kingdom (“UK”), Switzerland and any other relevant jurisdiction outside the United States with respect to your local privacy and data protection laws, to the extent they are applicable to us.

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your personal information only when we have a valid legal basis to do so. The legal bases we rely on include:

Your Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information (at times as a secondary basis for processing in an abundance of caution), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time . Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before the withdrawal. To withdraw consent, contact us at info@constellation.org or use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email. Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing under another legal basis.

How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• Providing Services: To deliver our programs, services, and resources to you
• Communication: To respond to your inquiries, send program updates, newsletters, and other communications
• Program Administration: To process applications, registrations, and enrollment in our programs
• Donation Processing: To process and acknowledge donations and provide tax receipts
• Improvement: To analyze and improve our website, programs, and services
• Compliance: To comply with legal obligations, enforce our policies, and protect our rights
• Safety and Security: To detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, security threats, or other harmful activities
• Research and Analytics: To conduct research and analysis to better understand our community and improve our impact

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service Providers

We may share your information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf. These providers can include:

• Google — Analytics and website services
• HubSpot — Customer relationship management, marketing, and analytics
• Airtable — Database and program management
• Fillout — Form collection and processing
• Lever — Recruiting and applicant tracking
• Gem — Recruiting and applicant tracking

These providers are contractually obligated to use your information only for the purposes of providing services to us and to maintain appropriate security measures.

Affiliates

We may share your personal information with our affiliates (if any) in the operation of our collective business activities.

Partner Organizations

With your consent, we may share information with partner organizations for collaborative programs or services.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests, such as subpoenas, court orders, or government regulations.

Protection of Rights

We may disclose information when we believe it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of Constellation Institute, our users, or others.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and any choices you may have regarding your information.

Aggregated or De-identified Data

We may share aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be used to identify you for research, analysis, or other purposes.

International Data Transfers

Constellation Institute is based in the United States. If you are accessing our website or services from outside the United States, including from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, please be aware that your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

The United States may not have data protection laws equivalent to those in your country. When we transfer personal data from the EEA or UK to the United States, we rely on the following safeguards:

• Service provider certifications and contractual protections: Our US-based cloud providers maintain certifications and contractual commitments that provide appropriate safeguards for personal data

By using our website or services, you acknowledge this transfer. We monitor evolving laws and regulatory developments to assess if and when alternative or supplemental measures are available or necessary. If you have questions about international data transfers, please contact us at info@constellation.org.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your preferences and understand how you use the site.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Remember your preferences and settings
• Understand how you navigate our website
• Analyze website traffic and performance
• Improve your user experience
• Manage sessions and personalize content

Cookies We Use

Your Cookie Choices

For EEA and UK visitors: We display a cookie consent banner when you first visit our website. Non-essential cookies will not be placed until you provide consent. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through the cookie settings on our website.

For all visitors: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of the information, the purposes for which we process the information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, as well as all applicable legal requirements. When personal information is no longer needed, we will endeavor to timely and securely delete or anonymize it.

Your Privacy Rights

Rights for All Users

Regardless of your location, you have the right to unsubscribe from marketing emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or by contacting us directly. If you would like to access or correct information we have about you, please contact us and we will endeavor to honor the request in our reasonable discretion.

State-Specific Privacy Rights

Certain U.S. state privacy laws may provide additional rights with respect to our collection and use of personal information. Given the nature and size of our organization these laws may not apply to us. However, if you are a resident of a U.S. state with a comprehensive privacy law, you may submit requests to us via the contact information provided below and we will endeavor to fulfill any obligations that are legally required.

These rights may include:

• The right to confirm whether we process your personal information and to access such information
• The right to correct inaccuracies in your personal information
• The right to delete personal information we have collected from you (subject to certain exceptions)
• The right to obtain a copy of your personal information in a portable format
• The right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, or targeted advertising

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in the “How to Exercise Your Rights” section below.

European Economic Area and UK Residents — Your Rights Under the GDPR

If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom or another foreign jurisdiction, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), UK GDPR or another similar data protection law may provide you with the rights reflected below. Given our location and operations we are not necessarily subject to foreign privacy laws, but we will reasonably endeavor to honor such requests to the extent required by law or otherwise in our reasonable discretion:

Right of Access

You may have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we are processing your personal data and, if so, to access that data along with information about how it is being processed.

Right to Rectification

You may have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate personal data and complete any incomplete personal data.

Right to Erasure ("Right to Be Forgotten")

You may have the right to request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances, including when the data is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, when you withdraw consent, or when the data has been unlawfully processed.

Right to Restriction of Processing

You may have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data or when you have objected to processing pending verification of our legitimate interests.

Right to Data Portability

You may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transmit that data to another controller without hindrance from us, where technically feasible.

Right to Object

You may have the right to object to processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests, in which case we will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing is necessary for legal claims.

You may have the right to object to processing for direct marketing purposes at any time, and we will cease processing for such purposes upon your request.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on your consent, you may have the right to withdraw consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing conducted prior to withdrawal.

Right to Lodge a Complaint

You may have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in the EU member state of your habitual residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement if you believe that our processing of your personal data violates the GDPR. A list of EU supervisory authorities is available at: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/about-edpb/members_en

For UK residents, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at: https://ico.org.uk/

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of your privacy rights or requests, you may:

• Email us at: info@constellation.org
• Call us at: (510) 200-8195
• Submit a request through our website at: https://www.constellation.org/contact

We will verify your identity before processing your request. In certain jurisdictions you may designate an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf by providing written authorization, provided that we will still verify your identity before processing your request.

Response Times:

• We will respond to all requests within any timeframe required by law, and otherwise in our discretion.

Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using SSL/TLS technology
• Secure storage of personal information
• Access controls limiting who can view personal information
• Regular security assessments and updates

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that requires notice to you and/or a relevant supervisory authority, we will endeavor to make such notifications promptly and within the proscribed deadlines for notice. To the extent the law allows us to provide such notification via email or conspicuous posting on our website, you agree to accept notice in that form.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13 (or 16 in the EEA/UK). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under the applicable age without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible.

If you believe we have collected information from a child under the applicable age, please contact us immediately at info@constellation.org.

Third-Party Links and Sites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or applications that are not operated by us. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. You may see us promoted by other businesses on various websites, web pages, social media, and other platforms. Please note that we do not always have complete information about where our brand may be displayed or promoted, and if you believe that we are featured in venues that are inappropriate or offensive, please contact us.

California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) Disclosures

In accordance with CalOPPA:

• Users can visit our site anonymously
• This Privacy Policy is linked on our homepage and is accessible from every page of our website
• Our Privacy Policy link includes the word "Privacy" and can be easily found on our website
• Users will be notified of any privacy policy changes on this page
• Users can change their personal information by logging into their account or by contacting us

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that signals to websites that you do not want your online activities tracked. Our website currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals. However, you can manage your cookie preferences as described in the "Cookies and Tracking Technologies" section.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Post the revised policy on our website
• Notify you by email or through a notice on our website, where appropriate

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website or other services after the changes have been made will constitute your acceptance of the changes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Constellation Institute

28 Geary St, Suite 625
San Francisco, CA 94108
United States

Email: info@constellation.org
Phone: (510) 200-8195
Website: https://constellation.org/contact