Effective Date: September 1, 2024
Last Updated: September 1, 2026

Project SYNCERE (“Project SYNCERE,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects the privacy of the students, families, educators, volunteers, donors, partners, employees, and community members we serve. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and share personal information when individuals interact with Project SYNCERE through our website, programs, events, applications, donations, communications, and other services.

Project SYNCERE’s mission is to prepare the minds of underrepresented students and create pathways for them to pursue careers in STEM. We seek to handle personal information responsibly and only for legitimate organizational, programmatic, and operational purposes.

1. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with Project SYNCERE, we may collect information such as:

Contact and identifying information

• Name

• Email address

• Mailing address

• Telephone number

• Parent or guardian contact information

• School, employer, or organizational affiliation

Program and student information

• Student name and age or grade level

• School and educational information

• Program enrollment and participation information

• Parent or guardian information

• Attendance and program activity

• Survey, assessment, and program evaluation responses

• Information reasonably necessary to provide student services and support

Volunteer, employment, and partnership information

• Volunteer registration and interests

• Employment or professional information

• Background screening information when required

• Company or organizational affiliation

• Partnership and sponsorship information

Donation and transaction information

• Donation amount and history

• Donor contact information

• Sponsorship or payment information

• Information needed to process and acknowledge charitable contributions

Payment card and other financial transactions may be processed through third-party payment providers. Project SYNCERE generally does not directly store complete payment-card information when transactions are processed through these providers.

Website and technology information

When you visit our website or interact with our digital services, certain information may be collected automatically, including browser type, device type, IP address, pages visited, referral information, and general website usage information. Cookies and similar technologies may also be used to operate the website and understand how visitors use it.

Photos, video, and media

Project SYNCERE may photograph or record programs and events for educational, reporting, fundraising, promotional, or organizational purposes. When required, Project SYNCERE obtains appropriate permission or consent, including parent or guardian authorization for minors.

2. How We Use Information

Project SYNCERE may use personal information to:

• Register students and families for programs and events.

• Deliver educational programming and student support.

• Communicate with students, parents, guardians, educators, volunteers, donors, and partners.

• Coordinate volunteers and corporate engagement activities.

• Process donations, sponsorships, registrations, and other transactions.

• Provide donation acknowledgments and tax documentation.

• Evaluate program participation, effectiveness, and impact.

• Prepare reports for funders, partners, evaluators, and other stakeholders.

• Improve our programs, website, communications, and services.

• Share organizational news, fundraising appeals, event information, and opportunities to engage with Project SYNCERE.

• Maintain the safety and security of participants, staff, volunteers, and organizational systems.

• Meet contractual, grant, regulatory, legal, and financial reporting requirements.

• Maintain appropriate organizational records.

When possible, Project SYNCERE may use aggregated or de-identified information for evaluation, research, reporting, fundraising, and communications so that individual participants are not personally identified.

3. Information About Children and Students

Protecting student information is particularly important to Project SYNCERE.

We collect information about minors when reasonably necessary to register them for, administer, evaluate, or improve our educational programs and services. Depending on the program and the information involved, we may obtain information directly from a parent or guardian, from a participating school or community partner, or from the student with appropriate authorization.

We do not knowingly sell children’s personal information.

Parents and guardians may contact Project SYNCERE with questions about personal information we maintain about their child or to request appropriate corrections or other actions concerning that information, subject to applicable legal, contractual, educational, and record-retention requirements.

When Project SYNCERE receives student information through a school or educational partner, additional agreements and privacy requirements may apply.

4. How We Share Information

Project SYNCERE does not sell personal information for monetary compensation.

We may share information when reasonably necessary with:

Service providers. Vendors that help us provide services such as website hosting, email communications, registration, donation processing, data management, background screening, evaluation, technology support, and other organizational functions.

Schools and community partners. Information may be shared with schools, educational institutions, community organizations, or other partners when necessary to administer a program or service.

Funders and evaluators. Project SYNCERE may provide program information to funders, researchers, or evaluators for reporting and evaluation purposes. Whenever reasonably possible, information used for these purposes is aggregated or de-identified.

Legal and safety purposes. Information may be disclosed when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect the safety, rights, or property of Project SYNCERE, our participants, or others.

We expect organizations handling personal information on our behalf to use that information only for appropriate purposes and to protect it consistent with applicable requirements.

5. Donations and Third-Party Services

Project SYNCERE may use third-party platforms to process donations, registrations, communications, applications, surveys, or other services.

When you provide information directly to a third-party service, that provider’s privacy practices may also apply. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of services they use when interacting with Project SYNCERE.

Project SYNCERE may maintain donor information for stewardship, financial reporting, acknowledgment, fundraising, audit, and legal compliance purposes.

6. Email and Communications

If you subscribe to Project SYNCERE communications, make a donation, register for an event, volunteer, or otherwise engage with us, we may communicate with you about programs, events, organizational news, fundraising opportunities, and ways to support our work.

Recipients may unsubscribe from promotional email communications using the unsubscribe instructions provided in those communications. We may still send transactional or administrative communications when appropriate.

7. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies to operate the site, remember preferences, understand website traffic, evaluate communications, and improve the user experience.

Some of these technologies may be provided by third parties. The information collected and the options available to users may depend on the technologies currently used on our website.

Users can generally control cookies through their browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

8. Data Security

Project SYNCERE uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or maintained by Project SYNCERE.

If Project SYNCERE becomes aware of a security incident involving personal information, we will respond in accordance with applicable legal and contractual requirements.

9. Data Retention

Project SYNCERE retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable programmatic, contractual, financial, audit, grant, insurance, legal, and regulatory requirements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

When information is no longer reasonably necessary, Project SYNCERE may securely delete, destroy, or de-identify it in accordance with applicable requirements and organizational practices.

10. Biometric Information

Project SYNCERE does not intentionally collect biometric identifiers or biometric information through its general website.

If Project SYNCERE implements a program, technology, or service that collects biometric identifiers or biometric information, Project SYNCERE will maintain any notices, consent procedures, retention schedules, destruction guidelines, and other policies required by applicable law.

11. Your Choices and Requests

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, individuals may contact Project SYNCERE to:

• Request access to certain personal information.

• Request correction of inaccurate information.

• Request deletion of information when appropriate.

• Update communication preferences.

• Unsubscribe from marketing or fundraising emails.

• Ask questions about how their information is used.

Some information may need to be retained despite a request for deletion because of legal, financial, contractual, grant, program, safeguarding, or record-retention obligations.

For information concerning a minor, Project SYNCERE may take reasonable steps to verify that the person making the request is the student’s parent, guardian, or other legally authorized representative.

12. Links to Other Websites

Our website and communications may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties. Project SYNCERE is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of those services.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Project SYNCERE may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our programs, technologies, organizational practices, or legal requirements.

When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date above. Material changes may also be communicated through our website or other appropriate channels.

14. Contact Us

Questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or Project SYNCERE’s privacy practices may be directed to:

 

Project SYNCERE
Chicago, Illinois
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 773-982-8261
Website: projectsyncere.org