BIPOC Foodways Alliance ("BFA," "we," "us," or "our") is a nonprofit organization committed to honoring and advancing the food traditions, economic sovereignty, and well-being of our communities. We take your privacy seriously — and we want you to feel confident that your information is handled with the same care and respect we bring to our community work.

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This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and what rights you have. It applies to all community members, donors, survey participants, volunteers, and visitors to our website and programs.

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1. Our Commitment to You

We will never sell your personal information. Ever. We collect information only to serve our mission — evaluating and improving our programs, reporting impact to funders, and deepening our relationship with the communities we exist to support.

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We recognize that communities of color have historically been harmed by extractive data practices. We are committed to a different standard: one where data collection exists to benefit you and your community, not to commodify it.

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2. Information We Collect

a. Survey and Program Data

When you participate in our programs or respond to surveys, we may collect:

• Demographic information (such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, age range, and household size)

• Geographic information (such as zip code or neighborhood)

• Food access, food security, and economic well-being indicators

• Program participation history and feedback

• Other information you voluntarily share with us

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Participation in surveys is always voluntary. You may choose not to answer specific questions, and declining will not affect your access to our programs.

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b. Donor and Contact Information

When you donate to BFA or sign up for our communications, we may collect:

• Name and contact information (email, mailing address, phone)

• Donation amount and payment details (processed securely by our payment processor — we do not store full credit card numbers)

• Communication preferences

 

c. Website Information

Like most websites, ours may automatically collect basic technical information such as your browser type, device type, and pages visited. This data is used only in aggregate to understand how visitors use our site and to improve user experience.

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3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Program delivery and improvement — to understand who we are serving and how well we are meeting community needs

• Impact evaluation — to assess the effectiveness of our programming and identify where to grow

• Funder reporting — to provide aggregate, anonymized, or de-identified data to our funders (including government agencies and private foundations) as required by our grants

• Donor stewardship — to acknowledge your support, send tax receipts, and keep you informed about our work

• Communications — to send newsletters, event invitations, and updates (you may opt out at any time)

 

4. Funder Reporting and Demographic Data

BFA receives funding from a variety of sources, including private foundations, government agencies, and the general public. Many of our funders require us to report demographic data about the communities we serve — this is a standard accountability requirement intended to ensure that public and philanthropic funds are reaching the populations they are meant to support.

When we report to funders, we use aggregated or de-identified data — meaning your individual responses are combined with others so that no single person can be identified. We do not share personally identifiable information with funders unless you have given us explicit permission to do so, or unless required by law.

We do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your personal information with any third party for commercial or marketing purposes. This is an unconditional commitment.

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5. Who We Share Information With

We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — trusted vendors who help us operate (such as our email platform, payment processor, or survey tool), bound by confidentiality agreements and prohibited from using your data for their own purposes

• Funders and government agencies — aggregate or de-identified program data required for grant reporting

• Legal compliance — if required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of our community

• With your explicit consent — for any purpose you have specifically agreed to

 

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, misuse, or disclosure. We store data securely and limit access to staff and volunteers who need it to carry out their responsibilities. No system can guarantee absolute security, but we take our obligation to protect your information seriously.

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7. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, meet our legal and grant-reporting obligations, and support our ongoing relationship with you. Survey data used for program evaluation is typically retained for the duration of the relevant grant period plus seven years, in accordance with standard nonprofit recordkeeping practices. You may request deletion of your personal information at any time (see Your Rights below).

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8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you

• Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information

• Deletion — request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal retention requirements

• Opt out of communications — unsubscribe from our email list at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link or contacting us directly

• Withdraw survey consent — decline to participate or withdraw responses before data is aggregated

 

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 10.

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9. Children's Privacy

Our programs sometimes serve youth and families. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

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10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how your information has been handled, please reach out:

BIPOC Foodways Alliance

Website: bipocfoodways.org

We are committed to responding to all privacy inquiries within 30 days.

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11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will note the updated date at the top of this document and, where appropriate, notify our community directly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

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Thank you for trusting BIPOC Foodways Alliance with your information — and with your support of our mission.

Your partnership makes this work possible!