Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Changemakers Initiative is operated by the Global Funding Alliance. We are headquartered at Laugavegur 2a, Reykjavík, Iceland. Our website is located at ngoservice.org.

For any privacy-related inquiries or data requests, contact us at: [email protected]

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information only when you voluntarily provide it. Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect:

• Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address when you subscribe to our newsletter through our website.
• Contact form submissions: Your name, email address, organisation, and the message you submit.
• Grant applications: Organisation name, contact name, email address, country, website, operating region, years in operation, and written responses to application questions.
• Information session registrations: Your name and email address.
• Anonymous analytics: Aggregated data on pages visited, session duration, and general geographic region (country level only). No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.

We do not collect payment information, government identification numbers, or sensitive personal data (such as health information, religious beliefs, or political opinions) through this website.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information only for the specific purpose for which it was provided:

• Newsletter email addresses: To deliver our newsletter, funding cycle announcements, grantee updates, and relevant sector information to subscribers who have opted in. Emails are sent via Amazon Web Services Simple Email Service (AWS SES), a secure and compliant email delivery infrastructure.
• Contact form data: To respond to your inquiry. We do not add contact form submissions to our newsletter list without separate consent.
• Grant applications: To evaluate your application, contact you regarding your submission, and administer the grant selection process.
• Information session registrations: To confirm your registration and send session details and follow-up communications.
• Anonymous analytics: To understand website usage and improve user experience. This data is never linked to individuals.

We do not use personal information for automated decision-making, profiling, or marketing to non-subscribers.

4. Email Communications and Unsubscribing

All newsletter subscriptions are obtained through explicit, affirmative opt-in consent on our website. We do not subscribe anyone to our mailing list without their direct consent.

Every email we send includes a clear, functional unsubscribe link at the bottom of the message. You may unsubscribe at any time with a single click. Your email address will be removed from active mailing lists instantly of your request.

You may also unsubscribe by:

• Emailing us at [email protected] with the subject line "Unsubscribe"
• Using the contact form on our website and selecting "Unsubscribe from Communications" as the subject

We do not send unsolicited commercial email. We do not purchase, rent, or borrow email lists. We do not add anyone to our mailing lists without their explicit consent.

We monitor email bounce rates and complaint rates via AWS SES. Hard bounces are removed immediately. We maintain all sending metrics well within AWS SES acceptable limits.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your personal information is stored using industry-standard security measures. We use trusted third-party services with appropriate data protection standards, including:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) for email infrastructure — AWS SES is a compliant, secure email delivery service
• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from our website
• Access controls ensuring only authorised staff can view personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. Grant application data is retained for up to 3 years after a funding cycle closes, for reference and compliance purposes. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes. Ever.

We work with a limited number of trusted service providers to operate this website and deliver our programs. These providers access only the data necessary to perform their specific service and are bound by appropriate data protection agreements. They may not use your data for any other purpose.

We may disclose personal information if required by applicable law or in response to a valid legal request from a competent authority.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to improve functionality and understand how the site is used. We use:

• Essential cookies: Necessary for basic website functionality. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Collect anonymous, aggregated data on site usage. No personally identifiable information is collected or stored in analytics cookies.

You may manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling analytics cookies will not affect your ability to use the website.

8. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data held by The Changemakers Initiative:

• Right to access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to deletion: Request that we delete your personal data from our systems.
• Right to unsubscribe: Opt out of email communications at any time.
• Right to restriction: Ask us to limit how we process your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to portability: Request a copy of your data in a portable, machine-readable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to all legitimate requests within 30 days.

9. International Data Transfers

As an organisation headquartered in Iceland and operating globally, your personal data may be processed by service providers located in different countries. We ensure that any international transfers are conducted in accordance with applicable data protection laws and with appropriate safeguards in place.

10. Terms of Use

By using ngoservice.org, you agree to use the website for lawful purposes only, in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others or restrict their use of the site. You may not use our website to transmit unsolicited or harmful communications, introduce malicious code, scrape content, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation.

All content on this website — including text, design, and data — is the property of The Changemakers Initiative / Global Funding Alliance unless otherwise attributed. You may share our content for non-commercial, informational purposes with attribution.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Where changes are significant, we will notify newsletter subscribers via email.

12. Contact Us About Privacy

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data:

The Changemakers Initiative
Global Funding Alliance
Laugavegur 2a, Reykjavík, Iceland
Email: [email protected]