Privacy Policy

Effective Date: August 31, 2026
Last Updated: August 31, 2026

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation, Inc. (“Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of individuals who visit our website, communicate with us, make donations, participate in our programs, or otherwise interact with our organization.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect, how we use and protect that information, how information may be shared, and the choices available to you regarding your personal information.

By using our website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with our website and organization.

Information You Provide

You may voluntarily provide personal information when you:

Contact us through our website
Submit a question, comment, or other inquiry
Make a donation
Communicate with us by email or other means
Participate in an organizational program or activity
Apply for a scholarship or other program
Otherwise voluntarily provide information to us

Depending on the interaction, information we may collect includes:

Name
Email address
Telephone number
Mailing address
School or educational information
Information contained in messages or inquiries
Donation-related information
Scholarship or program application information
Parent or legal guardian information, when applicable
Other information reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is provided

Please do not submit Social Security numbers, financial account passwords, or other highly sensitive information through a general contact form unless that information is specifically requested through an official Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation process.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically by Wix or by third-party services used on our website.

This may include:

IP address
Browser type
Device type
Operating system
Pages visited
General website usage information
Information about how you interact with our website
Information collected through cookies and similar technologies

The specific information collected automatically may depend on the features, applications, and services active on our website.

How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for legitimate organizational purposes, including to:

Respond to questions, comments, and requests
Communicate with donors, applicants, supporters, and other individuals who contact us
Process and acknowledge donations
Maintain financial and organizational records
Administer scholarships and other programs
Evaluate scholarship and program applications
Communicate with applicants and, when appropriate, their parents or legal guardians
Operate, maintain, and improve our website
Maintain the security and functionality of our website
Understand how visitors use our website
Prevent fraud, abuse, or unauthorized activity
Comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements
Carry out our charitable mission and organizational activities

We will not use personal information for purposes that are materially different from the purposes for which it was collected without providing appropriate notice when required.

Donations and Payment Information

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation may accept donations through multiple payment methods and third-party payment services, including Wix, PayPal, and Cash App.

When you make a donation through a third-party payment provider, that provider may collect and process personal and payment information according to its own privacy policy and terms.

We do not intend to store complete credit card numbers, debit card numbers, banking passwords, or other complete payment credentials on our website.

We may retain information about donations, such as a donor’s name, contact information, donation amount, date, and payment method, when provided or made available to us.

Donation information may be retained for purposes including:

Financial recordkeeping
Donor acknowledgment
Tax and legal compliance
Accounting
Fraud prevention
Organizational recordkeeping
Other legitimate nonprofit purposes

Contact Forms and Communications

Our website may provide a Contact Us form or similar communication feature.

If you submit information through a contact form, we may collect information such as your name, email address, telephone number, and the contents of your message.

We use this information to respond to your inquiry, provide assistance, and communicate with you regarding your request.

Please do not submit sensitive personal information through a general contact form unless specifically requested by Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation.

Scholarships and Program Applications

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation may offer scholarship and other program applications through our website.

Because scholarship applicants may be under the age of 18, applications may involve the collection of information from minors.

Depending on the requirements of a particular scholarship or program, we may collect information such as:

Applicant name
Contact information
Age or date of birth
School information
Academic information
Educational goals
Essays or written responses
Financial or socioeconomic information, when relevant to eligibility
Supporting documents
Parent or legal guardian information, when appropriate
Other information reasonably necessary to administer and evaluate the program

Scholarship and program information may be used to:

Determine eligibility
Evaluate applications
Select recipients
Administer scholarships or programs
Communicate with applicants and, when appropriate, parents or legal guardians
Maintain appropriate organizational records
Comply with applicable legal, tax, and regulatory requirements

Scholarship application information will not be used for unrelated marketing purposes.

Access to scholarship application information will be limited to individuals who reasonably need access to perform scholarship-related or organizational responsibilities.

Before launching an online scholarship application, we may provide additional notices, disclosures, consent procedures, or instructions appropriate to the information being collected and the age of applicants.

Privacy of Children and Minors

Our website may be accessed by individuals under the age of 18, particularly students who may be eligible to participate in our scholarship or educational programs.

We recognize that children and teenagers may require additional privacy protections. We will take reasonable steps to limit the collection and use of information from minors to information reasonably necessary for legitimate organizational, scholarship, and program-related purposes.

Our general website is not intended to encourage children under 13 to independently submit personal information outside of an appropriate program or application process.

If we knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through a scholarship or other program, we will take steps appropriate to the circumstances and applicable law, which may include obtaining verifiable parental or legal guardian consent where required.

Parents and legal guardians may contact us with questions or concerns regarding personal information submitted by a minor.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child in circumstances where the collection was not appropriate or legally permitted, we will take reasonable steps to address and delete the information when appropriate.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website is hosted through Wix. Wix and certain features, applications, or third-party services used on our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on a visitor’s device. They may be used for purposes including:

Website functionality
Security
Remembering preferences
Understanding website usage
Analytics
Improving website performance

Some cookies are essential to the operation and security of the website. Other cookies may be non-essential and may be used for purposes such as analytics, functionality, or other services.

Our website uses a cookie consent banner that allows visitors to make choices regarding non-essential cookies.

Visitors may accept or decline non-essential cookies through the cookie consent tools provided on our website. Visitors may also be able to change their cookie preferences after making an initial selection.

Where applicable, Wix may maintain a record of cookie consent choices made through our website.

You may also manage or disable cookies through your web browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of portions of our website.

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Our website provides a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link that allows visitors to exercise applicable opt-out rights regarding certain transfers or sharing of personal information.

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation does not sell personal information in the ordinary sense of selling information for money.

However, certain privacy laws may define the terms “sale” or “sharing” broadly enough to include certain types of disclosures or transfers of personal information to third parties, including certain forms of targeted advertising or tracking.

Visitors may use the Do Not Sell My Personal Information link available on our website to submit an applicable opt-out request.

Your opt-out preference may be associated with the browser or device used to submit the request. If you delete cookies, change devices, or use a different browser, you may need to submit your preference again.

Analytics and Website Usage

Our website may use analytics or similar technologies to understand how visitors interact with the website and to improve our website and services.

The specific analytics or third-party technologies used on our website may change over time.

Where applicable, analytics technologies may collect information such as device information, IP address, pages visited, and general website usage information.

We will update this Privacy Policy as appropriate if our use of analytics or similar technologies materially changes.

Email Communications

At this time, Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation does not operate a general marketing newsletter or email subscription program through our website.

We may introduce newsletters, email updates, announcements, or other communications in the future.

If we introduce such services, we will provide appropriate information regarding the communications and, where applicable, provide an opportunity to unsubscribe.

How We Share Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information for monetary compensation.

We may share personal information with third-party service providers when reasonably necessary to operate our website, process donations, provide technical services, communicate with individuals, maintain records, provide security, or perform other services on our behalf.

These providers may include:

Website hosting and technology providers
Payment processors
Donation platforms
Email and communication providers
Website analytics providers
Security providers
Other technology or service providers used by our organization

Third-party providers may process information according to their own privacy policies and terms.

We may also disclose personal information when reasonably necessary to:

Comply with applicable laws or legal obligations
Respond to lawful governmental or legal requests
Protect the rights, property, or safety of our organization or others
Investigate or prevent fraud, abuse, or unauthorized activity
Protect the security and integrity of our website, systems, and services

Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to websites, applications, payment services, social media platforms, and other services operated by third parties.

These may include services such as PayPal, Cash App, Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms we may use to support our nonprofit activities.

When you leave our website or interact directly with a third-party service, your information may be subject to that third party’s privacy policy and terms.

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation does not control the privacy practices, security, or content of third-party websites or services.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third-party services before providing them with personal information.

Social Media

Our website may contain links to our social media accounts.

If you interact with us through a social media platform, information that you provide or make publicly available through that platform may be collected and processed according to the platform’s privacy policy and terms.

We do not control how third-party social media platforms collect, use, or disclose information.

Donor Privacy

We value the privacy of our donors.

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation does not intend to publicly identify individual donors or publicly disclose their donation amounts without permission, except when disclosure is required by law.

We may maintain donor information internally for purposes including:

Financial recordkeeping
Donation acknowledgment
Tax and legal compliance
Communication
Organizational recordkeeping
Legitimate nonprofit purposes

We do not sell donor information to third parties.

Data Security

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Therefore, while we take reasonable precautions to protect information, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to or through our website.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate organizational purposes.

Certain information may need to be retained for longer periods to satisfy financial, tax, legal, accounting, regulatory, recordkeeping, or other obligations.

The length of time information is retained may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Scholarship and program application information may be subject to separate retention practices based on the requirements of the applicable program.

Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have certain rights regarding personal information we maintain about you.

These rights may include the ability to request:

Access to certain personal information
Correction of inaccurate information
Deletion of certain personal information
Information about how your personal information is collected, used, or disclosed
Opt-out of certain sales or sharing of personal information, where applicable

You may also make choices regarding cookies through the cookie consent tools available on our website.

These rights and choices may be subject to applicable legal exceptions, including circumstances in which we are required to retain certain information for legal, tax, accounting, or other legitimate purposes.

To make a privacy-related request or ask a question about information we maintain, please contact us using the information provided below.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as our organization, website, services, programs, or legal obligations change.

When we make changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

We encourage visitors to review this page periodically to remain informed about our privacy practices.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Shell’s Gems for STEM Foundation, Inc.

Email: info@shellsgemsforstemfoundation.org

Website: www.shellsgemsforstemfoundation.org

Last Updated: August 31, 2026