Privacy Policy

ScholarPath, Inc. ("ScholarPath," "we," "us," or "our") is a California nonprofit corporation. We operate the website located at thescholarpath.org (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using the Site you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly. We collect personal information only when you voluntarily submit it to us. This happens in two contexts:

• Scholarship applications. When you apply for a ScholarPath scholarship, we collect your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, date of birth, citizenship status, school information, GPA, household income, and the essay responses you submit.
• Story submissions and contact forms. When you share your college story or contact us, we collect your name and email address, along with the content of your message or submission.

Information collected automatically. When you visit the Site, we and our analytics providers automatically receive certain technical information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and the date and time of each request. We use this data only in aggregate to understand how the Site is used.

2. Cookies and Analytics

We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use the Site. Google Analytics places cookies — small text files — on your device to collect aggregate usage data such as page views, session duration, and traffic sources. This data is processed by Google and is not used by ScholarPath to identify you individually.

You can opt out of Google Analytics data collection at any time by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings, though disabling cookies may affect certain Site functionality.

We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or cross-site tracking.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information you provide to:

• Review, evaluate, and process scholarship applications
• Communicate with you about your application status, selection decisions, or follow-up questions
• Notify scholarship recipients and coordinate fund disbursement with educational institutions
• Publish (with your explicit consent) your first name and school on the Site as a recipient profile
• Enter your email into our quarterly $500 scholarship drawing when you submit a college story
• Respond to inquiries sent to our contact email
• Improve the Site using aggregated, non-identifying analytics data

We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing purposes.

4. How We Share Your Information

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers. We use Formspree to process form submissions. Formspree acts as a data processor on our behalf and is bound by its own privacy and security obligations. Formspree does not use your data for any purpose other than delivering your submission to us.
• Educational institutions. If you are awarded a scholarship, we share your name and enrollment information with your school solely to facilitate direct disbursement of funds.
• Legal obligations. We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of ScholarPath, our users, or the public.

We do not share your personal information with any other third parties without your consent.

5. Affiliate Links

Some pages on the Site contain links to third-party products and services (such as Grammarly, Chegg, Kaplan, and Coursera). These are affiliate links, which means ScholarPath may receive a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

These third-party sites have their own privacy policies that govern how they collect and use your data. ScholarPath is not responsible for the privacy practices of any linked site. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any third-party site you visit.

Affiliate revenue, if any, supports ScholarPath's nonprofit scholarship mission.

6. Data Retention

We retain scholarship application data for a minimum of three years following the applicable award cycle in order to maintain accurate nonprofit records and comply with applicable law. Story submissions and contact form responses are retained as long as they remain relevant to our programs. You may request deletion of your information at any time (see Section 7).

7. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. Regardless of location, we honor the following requests from any individual:

• Access. You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction. You may ask us to correct inaccurate information.
• Deletion. You may ask us to delete your information, subject to any legal retention obligations. Deletion of an in-progress or submitted scholarship application may disqualify you from that award cycle.
• Opt-out of communications. You may opt out of non-essential email communications at any time by replying "unsubscribe" to any email from us.

California residents may also have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal information. ScholarPath does not sell personal information. To exercise any CCPA rights, please contact us using the information below.

8. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately and we will delete it promptly.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Effective date" at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

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