Your privacy is important to us. Learn how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.
This privacy policy explains how PublicFund LLC and its affiliates and subsidiaries, (collectively, “PublicFund” “we,” “our,” and “us”), collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you interact with us offline and on any products or services on which we make this Notice available.The “Services” refers to all the products and services that we offer, including our advisory consulting and offering support Services and any other media form, media channel, mobile website, or mobile application related or connected thereto (collectively, the “Site”). Before you access, use, or submit any information through or in connection with the Services, please carefully review this Notice.
By using any part of the Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood that we may collect, use, and disclose information about you as outlined in this Notice. To the extent allowed by law, the English version of this Notice is binding, and its translations in other languages are for convenience only; in case of discrepancies between the English version of this Notice and its translations, the English version shall prevail.
This Notice does not cover the privacy practices of (i) organizers of PublicFund fundraisers ("Organizers"), (ii) beneficiaries of fundraisers ("Beneficiaries"), or (iii) Business Clients. This Notice also does not cover our data practices when we act as a “processor” or “service provider” on behalf of Business Clients. Organizers, Beneficiaries, or Business Clients and their handling of your information may be subject to their own privacy statements. To the extent that your information is processed by an independent third party (e.g., identity verification provider), then that third party may be responsible for your privacy with respect to that information.
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 provides California residents with additional rights. Please view our “California Consumer Privacy Act Notice” to learn more. For any other specific US state privacy law-related matters, please refer to the section below titled “Your Privacy Rights”.
We collect information to provide you with our crowdfunding services and improve your experience. Here's what we collect and why:
When you create an account, we may collect your full name, email address, phone number, and a secure, encrypted password. You may also choose to upload a profile photo and provide a brief biography. In certain cases, we may request verification documents to confirm your identity or eligibility to launch a campaign.
If you create or manage a campaign, we collect details such as the campaign title, description, fundraising goals, images, videos, updates you post, and any communication you share with supporters. We may also collect information about beneficiaries if you are raising funds on behalf of another person or organization.
When you make or receive payments through the platform, we collect billing and payment details, donation history, transaction records, and any tax-related information required by law. If you are a campaign organizer, we may collect your bank account details to facilitate withdrawals.
When you use our website, we automatically gather certain technical data, including your IP address, general geographic location, device type, browser type, operating system, screen resolution, and system settings. Additionally, we collect usage data such as the pages you visit, the duration of your visits, the campaigns you view or search for, your navigation patterns, and the websites or platforms that referred you to our site.
This information helps us maintain platform functionality, enhance security, monitor performance, and improve user experience across devices and browsers.
We use your information for legitimate business purposes to provide and improve our services:
Your information is used to create and manage user accounts, facilitate the setup and administration of fundraising campaigns, and process donations and withdrawals. We also use this information to provide customer support and to send transactional communications, such as donation confirmations, account updates, and important notices related to your use of the platform.
We may use your information to verify your identity, detect and prevent fraudulent or unauthorized activity, and comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations. This includes conducting security monitoring, enforcing our terms and policies, and investigating any suspicious or harmful behavior that may affect the integrity of our services.
To better serve our users, we analyze how our platform is accessed and used. This helps us improve overall performance, develop new features and offerings, personalize your experience, and conduct research and analytics. We may also use your information to test enhancements to our platform and monitor user engagement.
With your consent where required, we may use your contact details to send you promotional materials, campaign recommendations, educational content, newsletters, and updates about our services. We may also reach out to request your feedback or participation in surveys aimed at improving our offerings.
We take your privacy seriously and do not sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. However, we may share your information with third parties in limited and necessary circumstances to operate our platform, comply with legal obligations, and fulfill our business purposes.
To facilitate the crowdfunding process, certain information may be shared in the context of campaign participation. For example, if you donate to a campaign and do not choose to remain anonymous, your name and any message you provide may be visible to the campaign organizer and, in some cases, to the public. Campaign updates, communications, and aggregated donation statistics may also be shared to promote transparency and encourage engagement.
We may disclose your information when required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests, such as court orders, subpoenas, or government investigations. This may also include disclosures necessary for compliance with tax reporting obligations, anti-money laundering regulations, or other applicable legal and regulatory frameworks.
In the event of a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of our business or assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity as part of the transaction. In such cases, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your privacy rights remain protected.
We collect information that you voluntarily provide when using our website and services. This may include details you submit during account registration, such as your name, email address, and password, as well as any content you provide when creating or managing a fundraising campaign. If you make a donation, we may collect your name, donation amount, and any message you choose to share with the campaign organizer. You may also provide information when contacting us for support, submitting feedback, responding to surveys, signing up for newsletters, or participating in promotions or referral programs.
Additionally, if you post information in public areas of the site—such as campaign pages, donor walls, or comment sections—please note that this information may be visible to other users and the general public. We encourage you to exercise discretion when sharing personal or sensitive details in these public-facing spaces.
By voluntarily providing this information, you acknowledge and consent to our collection, use, and storage of it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We are committed to safeguarding your personal information and have implemented a comprehensive set of administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to ensure its protection.
All data transmitted between your device and our platform is encrypted using industry-standard protocols, and data at rest is similarly protected through advanced encryption technologies. Our infrastructure is hosted in secure, certified data centers that are continuously monitored to detect and prevent unauthorized access, intrusion, or data compromise.
Access to personal information is strictly limited to authorized personnel who require it to perform their job functions. We maintain internal policies that govern access rights and conduct routine audits to ensure compliance with these controls. In addition, we regularly perform security assessments and vulnerability testing to evaluate the integrity of our systems and identify areas for improvement.
Important Notice: While we employ robust security measures to protect your data, no system can guarantee absolute security. We encourage you to use strong, unique passwords, enable two-factor authentication where available, and notify us promptly of any suspected unauthorized activity or security concerns related to your account.
We recognize and respect your rights regarding your personal information. The specific rights available to you may vary depending on your jurisdiction; however, we are committed to honoring data protection principles that promote transparency, control, and user autonomy.
All users, regardless of location, may have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about them, to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information, and to request the deletion of their account and associated data. You may also have the right to request the transfer of your data to another service provider (data portability), object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, or request that we restrict how your information is used.
If you reside in the European Union or a country governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you are entitled to enhanced protections. These include the right to be informed about how your data is collected and processed, the right to withdraw your consent at any time, the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, and the right to seek compensation in the event of damages resulting from non-compliance.For more information please continue here.
If you are a resident of California, you are granted specific rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These include the right to know what categories of personal information we collect, the sources of that information, and how it is used or disclosed. You also have the right to request that your personal information not be sold, and to be free from discrimination for exercising any of your privacy rights. For more information please continue here.
To exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us by email at contact@publicfund.com, or through your account settings under the “Manage Data” section. We will respond to all verified requests in accordance with applicable law, generally within 30 days. To ensure the protection of your data, we may request additional information to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.
We retain your personal information for only as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, as outlined in this Privacy Policy, and to comply with our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations. The duration for which we retain data may vary depending on the nature of the information, the context in which it was collected, and applicable legal requirements. Once the information is no longer needed for its intended purpose, we securely delete, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with our data retention protocols and applicable laws.
Additional Considerations
In certain circumstances, we may retain personal information for longer periods where required to comply with applicable laws, enforce our legal rights, or support ongoing or anticipated legal proceedings. Additionally, we may preserve certain data in aggregated or anonymized form for research, statistical analysis, or platform improvement purposes, in which case the information will no longer be identifiable to any individual.
You may submit a request for early deletion of your personal data; however, such requests will be honored in accordance with legal obligations and any applicable retention requirements.
Your personal information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in countries outside of your country of residence, including jurisdictions that may not provide the same level of data protection as your own. In such cases, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your information is protected in accordance with applicable data protection laws and this Privacy Policy.
Where personal data is transferred from the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom to countries not recognized by the European Commission or the UK government as providing an adequate level of protection, we rely on lawful transfer mechanisms such as Adequacy Decisions and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission. These mechanisms are designed to provide appropriate safeguards and ensure that your rights and protections travel with your data.
In addition to these legal mechanisms, we implement technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information during international transfers. These may include encryption, access controls, and strict internal data handling protocols to ensure that your personal data remains secure regardless of the jurisdiction in which it is processed.
Our platform is intended solely for use by individuals who are at least 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or process personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you are under 18, you are not permitted to use our services or provide any personal information through the platform.
In the event that we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a minor under the age of 18, we will take immediate steps to delete such information from our records.
If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe that your child has provided personal information to us in violation of this policy, we encourage you to contact us promptly so that we may investigate and take appropriate corrective action.
Moreover, if you provide us with information about children under the age of 16, you acknowledge and agree that either you are the child’s parent/legal guardian or you have the authority and consent of the child’s parent/legal guardian to create a campaign/fundraiser and for us to access, disclose, and use the relevant data.
We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our business practices, technological advancements, legal obligations, or other operational considerations. In the event of any material changes, we will provide notice through appropriate channels, which may include email notifications to registered users, prominent announcements on our website, in-application notifications for mobile users, and an updated “Last Modified” date displayed at the top of this policy.
Your continued use of the platform following the publication of any updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the updated terms, you may choose to discontinue use of our services and delete your account.