Welcome to www.statehumanites.org, the Website and member portal of the Federation of State Humanities Councils (known as follows as “the Federation” or “we,” “our,” and “us”). This Privacy Policy and Terms of Use (known as “the Policy”)  is for this Website and any other Federation-controlled Websites, apps, surveys, emails, or services (collectively, the “Website”), and describes the data and information we may collect from you, or that you may provide us, and our practices for collecting, maintaining, using, protecting, and disclosing that information.

When you use this Website, it is important that you are fully aware of our respective legal rights and obligations. For that reason, we have created this Policy as the legally binding terms to govern your use of the Federation Website, as well as your rights and obligations when you provide information for the Website, your obligations as a Federation subscriber, and Federation’s policies on privacy, security, and other matters. Please read this Policy carefully.

By using this Website or other Federation-controlled services, you hereby consent to the Policy and to the collection, sharing, and use of data as described here within the Policy. If you have any questions about the Policy and how we use the data collected, please contact us at websupport@statehumanities.org. 

If you do not agree with this Policy for any reason, please do not use the Website and related Services as any use results in you being bound by this Policy.

What the policy covers

This Policy refers to information we collect either voluntarily by users of the Website or automatically through various digital technologies or offline methods. The Policy does not refer to information collected through third-parties (affiliates, partners, funders, service providers, etc.) that may be linked to or made accessible from our Website or other technologies. When interacting with the Federation through a third-party service, the third-party service provider’s privacy policy applies. This Policy further governs the terms upon which you may use and access this Website as well as the content made available to you through your access or subscription to the Federation’s website and services.

Terms of Use

Access and use of the website

Lawful Purposes. You may use the Website and Service for lawful purposes only and consistent with the provisions provided by these Terms of Use. You agree to be financially responsible for all purchases made by you or someone acting on your behalf through the Website. You agree to use the Website and to purchase products or services through the Website for legitimate, non-commercial purposes only. You will not post or transmit through the Website or Service any material which:

  • is for commercial purposes or otherwise advertises or solicits for the sale of goods or services, 
  • which violates or infringes the rights of others, 
  • which is threatening, abusive, defamatory, libelous, disparaging, invasive of privacy or publicity rights or otherwise violates the legal rights of any third party, 
  • which is vulgar, obscene, profane, sexually explicit, 
  • which constitutes or contains false or misleading indications of origin or statements of fact, or otherwise objectionable, 
  • which contains injurious formulas, recipes, or instructions, 
  • which encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or 
  • which otherwise violates any applicable law, regulation, or rule
  • which contains software viruses or any other malicious code designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment
  • which impersonates another person or entity, or that collects or uses any information about Website visitors.

Content Accuracy. We make no representation or warranty that the information provided on the Website (“Content”), regardless of its source, is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. We disclaim all liability for any inaccuracy, error, or incompleteness in the Content, and do not guarantee any particular result will be achieved from the Content.  

Non-Commercial Use. You agree to use Website, tools and products and services you purchase through our Website, only in a noncommercial manner. You specifically agree not to post, transmit or otherwise distribute to the Website any material containing any solicitation of funds, advertising or solicitation for goods or services. We encourage you to report any apparent violation to us using the contact information provided in this Policy. 

Your Rights. The Federation grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited right to access, use and display the Website and the services and materials provided thereon, and to download or print content displayed on our Website provided that you comply fully with this Agreement. The contents of the Website are only for your personal, non-commercial use. You agree not to interrupt, or attempt to interrupt, the operation of the Website or any part of them in any way.

Copyright, intellectual property rights

Ownership of Website Content. This Website and the information available through it are the property of the Federation, and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. 

Limitations on Use. By using this Website, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish, broadcast, print, or circulate any of the information received through this Website to anyone without the express prior written consent of the Federation, and to accept any charges to credit card accounts whose information you provide online for the purchase of products or services. This Website, and any of its data, listings, or other constituent elements may not be downloaded, republished, resold, or duplicated, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes or for purposes of compiling mailing lists or any other lists. Scraping of information from this Website by automated or manual agents is prohibited. The use of this Website to establish independent data files or compendiums of statistical information is prohibited. The Federation reserves the right to limit, restrict, or terminate access to this Website at our discretion, without notice. In addition, you may not use our trademarks in any manner described below without express authorization from the Federation:

  • in, as, or as part of, your own trademarks or those of any third parties;
  • to identify products or services that are not those of the Federation;
  • in a manner likely to cause confusion; or
  • in a manner that implies that the Federation sponsors or endorses or is otherwise connected with your own activities, products, and services or those of third parties.

Copyright Infringement. We intend that all content provided on our Website respect the copyright and other proprietary rights of third parties. When Website visitors post content on our Website, of course, we are unable to monitor the copyright ownership of all posted content. If at any time you believe that any content on our Website infringes your copyrighted material, then you may request the content be removed from the Website by contacting us at the address provided in this Policy. The Federation reserves the right to investigate the claim and request further information about your claim in accordance with the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3), and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, 17 U.S.C. §512.

Communicating on or through the website

BY TRANSMITTING ANY COMMUNICATION TO THE WEBSITE YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OR ANY SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATION THEREOF, DO NOT SUBMIT ANY COMMUNICATION USING ANY WEBSITE TOOL OR OTHERWISE TO THE WEBSITE.

By transmitting any Communication to the Website, you grant The Federation an irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, unrestricted, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, modify, edit, create derivative works from, incorporate into one or more compilations and reproduce and distribute such compilations, and otherwise exploit such Communications, together with any personal information transmitted with your Communications (such as name, user name and photograph), in all formats and in all media now known or later developed.  

You acknowledge and agree that any Communications made to or by means of any Website Tool are public and you have no expectation of privacy in any such Communication.  No confidential, fiduciary, contractually implied or other relationship is created between you and The Federation by reason of your transmitting a Communication to any Website Tool.  

The Federation reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor the Website and edit, modify or delete any Communications (or portions thereof) which The Federation in its sole discretion deems inappropriate, offensive or contrary to any The Federation policy, or that violate this Agreement.

You agree not to upload or distribute to, or otherwise publish through Website, any Communication which:

  • is for commercial purposes or otherwise advertises or solicits for the sale of goods or services;
  • is obscene, indecent, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, threatening, or abusive;
  • constitutes or contains false or misleading indications of origin or statements of fact;
  • slanders, libels, defames, disparages, or otherwise violates the legal rights of any third party;
  • causes injury of any kind to any person or entity;
  • infringes or violates the intellectual property rights (including copyright, patent and trademark rights), contract rights, trade secrets, privacy or publicity rights or any other rights of any third party;
  • violates any applicable laws, rules, or regulations;
  • contains software viruses or any other malicious code designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; or
  • impersonates another person or entity, or that collects or uses any information about Website visitors.

The Federation reserves the right to:

  • screen communications for errors, profanity, indecency, mistakes, relevancy, and potential violation of third-party personal or proprietary rights (such as infringement of intellectual property rights, defamation, etc.); 
  • edit, modify, remove or disable access to any content that violates these provisions or that The Federation deems objectionable; and 
  • investigate any misuse of any Website tool, or its systems, equipment or network. 

Without limitation of the foregoing, The Federation reserves the right to report any activity or persons (including the disclosure of appropriate user information) to appropriate law enforcement officials, regulators, or other appropriate third parties that The Federation suspects has violated any law or regulation. The Federation also may cooperate with appropriate law enforcement agencies to assist in the investigation and prosecution of any illegal conduct.

Minors

This Website is geared solely for adults. The Federation does not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain Personal Information or Data from anyone under the age of 18 or knowingly allow such persons to register for our Services. If you are under the age of 18, please do not provide us with any Personal Information or Data, including your email address as this is not allowed by the Federation. In the event the Federation learns of any collection of Personal Information or Data of an 18-year old or younger, without verification of parental consent, the Federation will use reasonable efforts to delete that information from our Website and Services. Contact us at websupport@statehumanities.org with any concerns.

Data security

While no data transfer over the Internet can ever be 100 percent secure and the Federation cannot guarantee, warrant, or ensure the security of any information submitted through the Website and related Services; we have put in place security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, accessed in an unauthorized way, altered, or otherwise disclosed. The safety and security of your data also depends on you in terms of keeping passwords, when used, confidential, and exercising appropriate behaviors to prevent access and any other unauthorized usage of your account by others. You are solely responsible for ensuring that all personal information is accurate, correct, and up to date. Any payment information will be collected through use of a third-party service. 

Any transmission of Personal Data is at your own risk. The Federation is not responsible for circumvention of any privacy or security measures that result in compromising a user’s Personal Data. Usage of the Website and related Services serves as consent that you understand the risks and consequences of sharing Personal Data and Information on the Website and related Services.

Disclaimers

Links to Other Sites. This Website may contain links and pointers to other sites on the Internet which may be maintained by third parties. Such links do not constitute an endorsement by the Federation or its Affiliates of any third-party site or any materials contained therein. by the Federation and its Affiliates do not control, and are not responsible for, the availability, accuracy, privacy policy, or currency of such third-party sites or any information, content, products or services accessible from such third-party sites. 

Limitation of Liability. The Federation shall not be liable to you or anyone else for any loss or injury caused in whole or in part by its negligence or contingencies beyond its control in procuring, compiling, interpreting, reporting or delivering this Website and any information through this Website. In no event will the Federation be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken by you in reliance on such information or views or for any incidental, consequential, special, or similar damages even if advised of the possibility of such damages. You agree that the liability of the Federation, if any, arising out of any kind of legal claim (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) in any way connected with the Website or the information in the Website shall not exceed the amount you paid to the Federation for use of the Website or subscription or purchase of the Federation’s publications. Some states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. The above warranties are the only warranties of any kind either expressed or implied including warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

Indemnification. You hereby agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Federation and its Affiliates from and against any and all liability and costs incurred by the Federation or the Affiliates in connection with any claim arising out of any breach or alleged breach of any of your representations, warranties or obligations set forth in this Agreement. You shall cooperate as fully as reasonably required in the defense of any claim. The Federation reserves the right, at its own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you and you shall not in any event settle any matter without the written consent of the Federation.

Waiver. Failure by the Federation to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any provision or right. 

Governing Law. Interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Virginia. All claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be litigated exclusively in the federal or state courts of State of Virginia and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.  In the event that any portion of this Agreement is held unenforceable, the unenforceable portion shall be construed in accordance with applicable law as nearly as possible to reflect the original intentions of the parties, and the remainder of the provisions shall remain in full force and effect. 

Privacy Policy

The information we collect (and how we collect it):

You can visit our Website without being required to provide your name, email address, mailing address, or phone number; however, some products and services are available only to our subscribers upon providing such information. Further, we may collect several types of information about users, including:

Information You Provide Us. When you subscribe to our newsletter(s), contact us, fill out form(s)/survey(s), or register for the members’ portal, you give the Federation of State Humanities Councils certain information voluntarily. This includes your name, email, council affiliation, phone number, address, profile photo and any other information you choose to share with us. If you donate to the Federation (thank you!), we also collect payment and contact information as well as details surrounding your donation. In our member portal, if you choose to link your social media handles, we also receive information from those accounts such as your friends or contacts. The information we receive from third-party services depends on your settings and their privacy policies, so please check that you understand what those are. You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information you provide to the Federation and may correct, modify, or delete any personal information collected by contacting us at the email provided at the end of this Policy. 

Cookies and Automatic Data Collection. A “cookie” is a piece of data from a website that is stored within a web browser that the website can retrieve at a later time. Cookies contain a unique number that allows our websites or another website to recognize your device each time you visit and remember information about you. The Federation uses “cookies” to maintain access privileges during an online session and as part of identity verification for those return subscribers, among other user features. When you navigate through the Website, data collected automatically includes IP address, location, usage details, browser type, and information collected through browser cookies. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting in your browser; however, that may impact your experience on the Website. In addition, the Website also collects information concerning users’ browsing history on the Website, and any information inputted by users into the Website. By using the Website with your browser setting to accept cookies, you consent to our use of cookies on the Website.

Third-party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies. Because the Federation uses various third-parties to streamline and provide services, the Federation may receive information from third-parties and other sources, including your organization, donation and advocacy tools, surveys, analytic providers, and from information that is publicly available. IP addresses may also be collected by the Site’s web hosting platform, WordPress, for purposes of threat detection and to ensure user access to the Site.  Please see WordPress’ website for additional information concerning their use of IP address information. In addition, the Website also collects information concerning users’ browsing history on the Website, and any information inputted by users into the Website. 

How your information is used

By providing your email address to any aspect or element of the Website, you consent to allowing the Federation to use your email to send Website-related content, including Federation newsletters and updates, as well as related notices, including any notices required by law, in lieu of communications via postal mail. In addition to ways described in the forms and places where you provide information, your information will be used to:

  • Communicate with you, including responding to and providing information you request from the Federation, as well as deliver policy, Website, and other notices and updates;
  • Provide further information about our work, services, activities or products, either where you have expressed an interest or where we think the information may interest you;
  • Provide, maintain, and improve our Website and for internal operations;
  • For research and development;
  • Connect with other members and allow you to use the interactive features of our Website;
  • For customizing our products and services to provide you with a richer, more relevant experience;
  • Process event registration or payments;
  • Process donations;
  • For program operations, fraud detection, marketing, promotions, fundraising activities, and communications;
  • Provide you, or permit selected third parties to provide you, with information about events, products or services we feel may interest you;
  • Conduct marketing and fundraising activities, including providing information about products and services that may be of interest to you;
  • Run/administer our Website and for internal operations;
  • Report on the effectiveness of our work;
  • Measure or understand the effectiveness of our Website and to analyze and improve our work, services, or information;
  • Audit and/or administer our accounts;
  • Provide others with your information for the limited purposes described in this Privacy Policy, as may be described to you when collecting your information, or otherwise with your express consent;
  • Evaluate or conduct a potential business transaction;
  • Comply with legal obligations to which we are subject, for the prevention of fraud or misuse of services, to protect property or prevent injury or death, and for the establishment, defense, and/or enforcement of legal claims; and
  • Administer and protect the Website, including to detect, investigate, or prevent activities that threaten the integrity of our Website or do not comply with the Federation’s policies.

The Federation reserves the right, but has no obligation to, monitor the user content you post on our Website and reserves the right to edit, modify, or remove any such information or material for any or no reason.

We use cookies, clear gifs, and log file information to remember information so 1) you don’t need to re-enter it during your visit or when you revisit the Website; 2) we can monitor the effectiveness and obtain metrics of our services; 3) troubleshoot technology issues experienced by our users; and 4) enhance our Website security.

Archival Clause and Termination. Upon termination or deactivation of a member’s user profile, the Federation may retain your profile information and all information posted to shared areas of the Website and related Services. The Federation also reserves the right to delete or otherwise remove all information associated with your account and profile without notice, after termination of your account.

How your information is shared

Except where set out in this policy, the Federation does not sell, rent, or otherwise disclose your personal data to third-parties, unless as required by law, court order, legal process or subpoena. Any information that you post through the Member Portal becomes accessible to current and future users of the portal, as well as has the potential to be made public by these users. The Federation will clearly disclose which information will be made public on the Website versus which information will be kept behind the firewall and retained in the Members’ Only section. Creating a user profile on the Website confirms your consent to the privacy and usage policies. Note: if you remove any information previously published on the Website, copies may still remain available on cached or archived pages or where others have previously saved it.

Sharing with Service Providers. The Federation may disclose your personal information to third-party service providers who use the information to provide services on our behalf, including donation collections, Google Analytics, Website hosting, information technology services, Website services, survey providers, funders, and other services as identified in the Website or other Federation Services that link to or use third-party services. Additionally, we may use or disclose your personal data as we deem necessary or appropriate under applicable laws; to limit our damages; and to protect the rights, safety, or property of our employees, you, or others.

Legal Requirements. We may access, preserve and disclose your information if we believe that we are required to do so by applicable law, such as to comply with a search warrant, court order, subpoena, or request from law enforcement, to enforce our legal rights and agreements (including The Federation’s User Agreement), and to defend against legal claims.

Protect Our Websites and Users. We may disclose your information to investigate, prevent or take action regarding suspected illegal activities, including fraud, to protect the legal rights, safety and property of the Federation and its employees, agents and contractors, and in connection with any safety or security concerns involving our users or the public.

Information Collected by Third Parties. Certain third parties such as ad networks that serve Federation ads, analytics companies and social networking platforms may collect information through cookies, web beacons, mobile ad identifiers, and other technologies that track your online activities across the Website and other online services, including information about your interactions with our ads, our content and the Websites you visit.

The information they collect about you may be aggregated with data these companies collect about you across different Websites, online services (including social media services), and your associated devices. These third parties use your information for their business purposes and in accordance with their own privacy policies. For more information, please review our Cookie Policy.

De-identified Personal Information. The Federation may share de-identified personal information (such as anonymous usage data, referring/exit pages and URLs, clicks, platform types, etc.) with interested third-parties reasonably tied to the operations of the Federation to help them understand usage patterns for additional Services.

Data Retention

The Federation will retain your personal information as needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. Your information will be retained and used as necessary to comply with the Federation’s business requirements, legal obligations, resolve disputes, protect our assets, and enforce our agreements.

Consent to disclosure/assignment of personal data and information

By using this Website and related Services of the Federation, you consent to the disclosure of your personal data to a potential buyer or other successor for the purposes of considering a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or sale/transfer of any or all of our assets whether through liquidation, bankruptcy or similar situation in which transfer of personal data is among the assets being transferred by contract, merger, or operation of law with or without notice to you and without your consent.

Notices/opting out

By providing the Federation, through its Website or related Services, your email address you consent to the receipt of updates, newsletters, Website updates, content, and other announcements; however, at any time if you wish to opt-out, please email us at websupport@statehumanities.org with “Opt-Out” or “Unsubscribe” in the Subject Line. You cannot opt-out of service-related emails. 

You may be able to add, update, or delete information provided through your Member User Profile; however, the Federation must be notified by you, or a supervisor/board member, that you are no longer part of our member organizations prior to the account being dissolved. The Federation retains the right to remove inactive user profiles from its database. Any deactivated, removed, or deleted information may still be retained for archival and research purposes. To request deletion of your account, email websupport@statehumanities.org. 

Changes to the policy

The Federation may make changes to the Policy. Any changes will be posted to this page along with a notice at the end of the Policy of the last date of any changes. Continued use of the Website and/or provision of information to us following the posting of Policy changes serves as acceptance of those changes.

California civil code policy sections 1798.83-1798.84

This code states that California residents are entitled to request an annual notice that identifies the categories of Personal Information and Data that we share with affiliates, partners, and third-party services for marketing purposes, and to provide appropriate contact information. If you are a California resident and would like a copy of this notice, please email us at websupport@statehumanities.org.

Users from outside the United States

This Policy originates and is hosted on a Website located in the United States, which has different data protection laws from those of other nations, and particularly member nations in the European Union. Be aware that your information may be accessible to law enforcement agencies within the United States. If you are a resident or accessing the Website from outside the United States, you acknowledge and consent to this Policy and to the collection, transmission, and storing of your Personal Information and Data outside of the country that you reside and as outlined within the Policy.

Third-party links

This Website may include links to other organizations, third-parties, and their websites. The Federation does not control those websites and is not responsible for their privacy policies or statements. When you leave the Federation Website and Services, we encourage you to obtain, read, and understand the Privacy Policies of outside sites as it may differ from what you read here.

Your online data privacy rights

You can make the following choices regarding your personal information through your account settings, or by contacting us at the email provided below:

  • The right to know about the personal information collected by the Website and how it is used and shared, as described throughout this policy
  • The right to access, modify, correct, or delete personal information collected by the Federation
  • The right to opt-out of future solicitations
  • The Right to Erasure: your data will be retained as long as it serves a legitimate business purpose, or until you delete such information
  • The right to non-discrimination: you will not be subject to lesser or inferior access to products or services by exercising any of your data-related rights described in this policy 

Contact details

If you have any questions about the Policy, the Website, or related Services, please contact the Federation by email through websupport@statehumanities.org or by mailing your concerns to this address:

The Federation of State Humanities Councils
1600 Wilson Boulevard, Ste 902
Arlington, VA 22209

Date of last update: April 2022