What we collect, and what we refuse to.
Draft — pending review. This page describes our intended practice. It will be finalized once our application backend is chosen, and it should be reviewed by counsel before launch.
What we ask for
When you apply for a scholarship, we ask for your name, contact details, date of birth, city and state, the program you're pursuing, what it costs, and your written answers. You may also choose to attach documents such as an acceptance letter or a cost estimate.
What we will never ask for
- Your Social Security number
- Your bank account or payment card details
- An application fee of any kind
If we award you a scholarship, we may need payment information at that point in order to send the money — but we will collect it separately and securely, never through this website. Anyone asking you for these things during the application stage is not us.
What we do with it
We use your application solely to evaluate you for a scholarship and to contact you about it. We may verify details with your school or program, which is what you consent to when you submit. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it with anyone outside the fund except where we are legally required to.
How long we keep it
Data we no longer need isn't an asset — it's a liability we'd be choosing to carry. So we don't carry it. Our rule is simple: we keep what proves we operated fairly, and we destroy what only creates risk.
- If we award you a scholarship, we keep your application and verification documents for seven years. This is how we prove to the IRS, an auditor, or a grant reviewer that our awards were made honestly.
- If we don't award you a scholarship, we permanently delete your application, your essays, and every document you sent us — ninety days after the scholarship cycle closes. The ninety days exist so we can answer questions and appeals while we still have the record.
- All that survives is a thin log: your reference number, your name, the date you applied, and the decision. That's enough for us to show we treated applicants consistently, and it holds none of your personal circumstances.
Our full document retention and destruction policy is published, not buried. You can read exactly what we do.
Donations
Donations are processed by Stripe. Your card details go directly to Stripe and are never seen, handled, or stored by us. We receive your name, email, and the amount you gave, so that we can send you a receipt.
This website
We do not run advertising trackers on this site. If you begin an application, your answers are saved in your own browser as you type, so you don't lose them — that data stays on your device until you submit, and you can clear it by clearing your browser data.
Reaching us
Questions about any of this, or a request to delete your information, can go to handsandmindsfund@gmail.com.