Privacy Policy

The Aaron J. White Foundation (“AJW Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates ajwfoundation.org and related online services for scholarship programs, donations, and community support. We respect your privacy and aim to handle personal information responsibly and only as needed to run our mission.

Depending on how you use the site, we may collect:

• Account information such as your name, email address, and password when you register.
• Profile and security information you choose to maintain in your account area.
• Scholarship application materials, including written responses, eligibility answers, dates, uploaded documents, and draft answers saved while you work on an application.
• Application metadata such as application ID, submission status, and timestamps related to your scholarship activity.
• Donation and payment information, including gift amount, gift type (one-time or recurring), donation date, and receipt details. When you make a donation, payment details such as card or bank account information are collected directly by Stripe, our payment processor—not by the Foundation.
• Support and community messages you submit through our support forms, including the category you select and the content of your message.
• Email subscription requests if you sign up for foundation updates.
• Account identifiers linked to payment processing, such as a Stripe customer ID associated with your member account when online giving is enabled.
• Technical information such as browser type, device information, IP address, and cookies or similar technologies used to keep you signed in, secure the site, and support payment processing.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive categories of information unless you choose to include them in an application response or message. Please share only what is relevant to your request or application.

We use collected information to:

• Create and manage member accounts, including email verification and sign-in.
• Provide scholarship application features, including draft saving, submission, status tracking, and eligibility screening.
• Review applications, communicate application status, and administer scholarship programs.
• Process donations and provide donation records.
• Respond to support requests and community inquiries.
• Send transactional emails related to your account or application, such as submission confirmations or status updates.
• Send foundation news or scholarship announcements if you subscribe and have not opted out.
• Maintain site security, prevent abuse, troubleshoot issues, and improve our services.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms.

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only in these situations:

• With service providers that help us operate the website, such as hosting, email delivery, payment processing, and secure file storage for application uploads.
• With foundation staff and authorized reviewers who need access to evaluate scholarship applications.
• When required by law, regulation, legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, and integrity of the Foundation, applicants, donors, or the public.
• In connection with a merger, restructuring, or transfer of foundation operations, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.

For details about how we use Stripe for donations and related payment services, see the Stripe payment processing section below.

We use Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”) as our third-party payment processor for online donations and related payment features. Stripe is a separate company that processes payments on our behalf. When you donate or use payment features on our site, Stripe may collect, use, retain, and disclose personal information as part of providing payment services to us.

Information Stripe may collect

Depending on how you pay and the payment method you choose, Stripe may collect information such as:

• Your name, email address, phone number, and billing address.
• Payment method details, such as credit or debit card number, bank account information, or other payment credentials you enter at checkout.
• Donation amount, date, payment status, and related transaction details.
• Device and browser information, IP address, and activity signals connected to the checkout session.
• Information you enter into a donation or checkout form, which Stripe may collect even if you leave the page before completing payment.

Information we share with Stripe

We may share information with Stripe so it can process payments and support your giving history in your account. This may include your name, email address, account identifiers, donation amount, and related transaction metadata. When you create a member account, we may also create or link a Stripe customer record to your account so future donations can be associated with your profile.

Information we receive from Stripe

We receive limited payment-related information from Stripe, such as confirmation that a payment succeeded or failed, donation amount, date, receipt details, and a Stripe customer or transaction identifier. We do not receive or store your full payment card number or bank account credentials on our servers.

How Stripe uses information

Stripe uses the information it collects to process payments, authenticate transactions, prevent fraud and loss (including through services such as Stripe Radar), comply with financial and legal obligations, provide customer support related to payments, and improve the performance and security of its services. Stripe may share transaction information with banks, card networks, payment method providers, and other parties involved in processing your payment, such as for authorization, settlement, dispute handling, and fraud prevention.

Stripe may also use cookies and similar technologies through its payment libraries (such as Stripe.js) to help detect fraudulent activity, support authentication, and analyze checkout performance. Stripe states that it does not use this fraud-detection data for advertising or sell it to third-party advertisers.

Your relationship with Stripe

Stripe processes payment data under its own privacy practices and may act as a service provider to us and, in some cases, as an independent controller of certain payment-related data. Stripe may process and store information in the United States and other countries where Stripe or its service providers operate.

You can learn more about Stripe's data practices in Stripe's Privacy Policy and Stripe's Privacy Center. If you have questions about a specific charge, you may also need to contact your bank or payment method provider.

Scholarship applications may include essays, documents, and other files you upload. Files are stored privately in secure cloud storage, scoped to your application, and are accessible to you through your account and to authorized foundation personnel for review. Draft applications may be saved automatically while you work so you can return and complete them later. Replaced or removed draft files are deleted from storage when your draft is saved.

We may send email related to account verification, scholarship application activity, donation receipts, and responses to support requests. Application status emails are sent in connection with actions on your application, such as submission or review updates.

Marketing or newsletter messages, if sent, will include a way to unsubscribe or manage your preferences where applicable.

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, and protect the site. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may limit account features such as staying signed in.

When you use our donation or checkout features, Stripe may place cookies and use similar technologies through Stripe.js and related services. These may include cookies such as __stripe_mid and __stripe_sid to help detect fraud, authenticate payments, and analyze checkout performance. For more information, see Stripe payment processing above and Stripe's cookie settings.

We retain information for as long as needed to provide services, administer scholarship cycles, maintain financial and operational records, resolve disputes, and meet legal or archival requirements. Application records may be kept for scholarship administration and historical reporting even after a cycle ends.

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

• You may update certain account information through your account settings.
• You may close your account from Security settings. Closing your account removes profile details and signs you out, but some scholarship, donation, and support records may be retained as described in Data retention.
• You may withdraw a submitted scholarship application where that option is available in your account, subject to program rules and review timing.
• You may contact us to ask questions about your information or request correction of inaccurate account details.
• You may unsubscribe from promotional emails using the instructions in those messages, if provided.

Because scholarship programs involve formal review processes, some application information may need to be retained even if you close your account or withdraw an application.

General website accounts are intended for users who are at least 13 years old. Scholarship programs on the site may be used by applicants under 18, and a parent or guardian may assist with an application where appropriate.

Our services are not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 for general account registration. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us personal information, please contact us so we can review and take appropriate steps.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above. Material changes may also be noted on the website. Your continued use of the site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Questions about these policies may be sent to hello@ajwfoundation.org for general inquiries or support@ajwfoundation.org for account and technical support.

Related policies: Terms of Service.