Welcome to The Duke Endowment’s website, and thank you for visiting! This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose personal information of our website visitors. You can contact us at any time with questions about The Duke Endowment, the Website, or how we use your information.
1. Background
The Duke Endowment (“Endowment,” “we,” or “us,”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this Duke Endowment Privacy Policy (“Policy”). This Policy describes: (1) the types of information we may collect from you or that you submit via our website located at www.dukeendowment.org, our mobile applications for IOS and Android, and any other website owned or operated by the Endowment, including any content, functionality, and services offered through any of the foregoing (the “Website”); and (2) our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. This Policy applies to information we collect (a) on the Website, (b) in emails, texts, and other electronic messages between you and us, and © when you use any interactive features of the Website, including, if applicable, submitting application materials for grants or fellowships. This Policy does not apply to information collected offline or through any other means, including through other websites or social media platforms, and it does not apply to information collected by any third party.
By using the Website, you agree to all of the terms and conditions of this Policy. Please be sure to read this entire Policy before using the Website or submitting information to the Website. If you disagree with or do not accept any part of this Policy, do not use the Website or submit any information to the Website. The Endowment reserves the right to deny access and use of the Website to any user of any services, features, or functions of the Website for any or no reason without notice.
2. Prohibited Visitors
Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 18. We will not knowingly collect personally identifiable information via the Website from visitors in this age group and will take prompt steps to delete any such personally identifiable information. The Website is offered and made available only to users eighteen (18) years of age or older. If you are under the age of 18, you are not permitted to access or use the Website and must exit the Website immediately.
Our Website is not intended to be accessed from within the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or any European Union Member State. We will not knowingly process personal information from Website visitors in these geographic locations and will take prompt steps to delete any such personal data. If you are located within the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or any European Union Member State, you are not permitted to access or use the Website and must exit the Website immediately. We may implement technology on the Website to prevent devices located within these geographic territories from accessing the Website at all. You are not permitted to circumvent such technological security measures.
3. Information We Collect About You
We collect several types of information from and about users of our Website, including information you actively submit or provide to us, as well as information automatically collected as you navigate through or interact with the Website.
3.1 Information You Provide to Us.
We collect and store any information you voluntarily provide us via the Website or its related tools, including: (a) any information you disclose via our “Contact Us” form, including your name, email address, phone number, or other information you provide as free-form text; (b) information you provide when registering for a user account on the Website, subscribing to our newsletter, or requesting information or services from us; © any information, application materials, or other content you provide in connection with applying for grants or fellowships through our Website, including information about your career, education, research, and professional activities; (d) information you disclose when you report a problem with our Website or request technological support related to the Website; (e) records and copies of your correspondence and email address if you contact us; (f) your responses to any voluntary surveys we might ask you to complete for research purposes; (g) any information you provide us in connection with a sponsorship or financial contribution to the Endowment or any grant fund, including any payment information you provide; (h) and any information or content you make available to be published or displayed on public areas of the Website or transmitted to users of the Website or third parties. The information you make publicly available on the Website is transmitted at your own risk. Please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot control the actions of the other users of the Website with whom you may voluntarily choose to share your information or content.
3.2 Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technologies.
As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your devices, browsing actions, and behavioral patterns, including: (1) details of your visits to our Website and interactions with our newsletters or other emails; and (2) information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type. We may also use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services, such as through technologies that connect with social media sites and interactive features of our newsletters. The information we collect automatically includes statistical data, de-identified data, and some personal-identifiable data (such as your IP address). This information helps us improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to: (a) estimate our audience size and usage patterns; (b) store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests; © speed up your searches, and (d) recognize you when you return to our Website.
3.3 How We Use Automatic Data Collection Technologies.
The technologies we use to collect information about you automatically include cookies, flash cookies, and web beacons. A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (sometimes called, “Flash cookies”) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as are used for browser cookies. Pages of our Website and our e‑mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Endowment, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity). The Endowment uses a third-party email provider to create and manage newsletters and other email communications, and that email provider uses automated data collection technologies in the emails we send you. You may opt out of receiving marketing and promotional emails by following the opt-out procedure described in each email the Endowment sends. However, even if you opt out of receiving marketing and promotional emails, the Endowment may continue to email or otherwise communicate with you for administrative or informational purposes, including follow-up messages regarding any content you have submitted to the Website or the status of any grant or fellowship applications you may have in progress. The Website also uses several third-party cookies that collect and detect user behavior and IP addresses for use in connection with our marketing and analytics purposes. These cookies are placed and managed by our third-party vendors, and we do not have control over how they may be used. Our third-party vendors may use information collected through the use of their cookies and other technologies to provide you with interest-based advertising or other targeted content. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may then be inaccessible or not function properly. AT THIS TIME, THE WEBSITE DOES NOT RESPOND TO “DO NOT TRACK” SIGNALS. WE MAY ADD THIS FUNCTIONALITY IN THE FUTURE, AND IF WE DO, WE WILL UPDATE THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND LET YOU KNOW.
4. How We Use Your Information.
We use the information we collect about you or that you provide us, including any personal information we receive: (a) to present our Website and its contents to you; (b) to provide you with information or services that you request from us; © to fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it (including, if applicable, to allow you to participate in our fellowship programs or receive a grant); (d) to provide you with notices about your account, including updates regarding your grant or fellowship applications; (e) to carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection; (f) to notify you about changes to our Website or any information or services we offer or provide through it; (g) to allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website; (h) for any other purpose with your consent; or (i) in any other way we may describe when you provide the information. We may also use your information to contact you about services, events, research programs, or other resources that may be of interest to you.
5. How We Disclose Your Information.
We may disclose aggregated or de-identified data to any third party without restriction. We may disclose personally-identifiable information that we collect or you provide as described in this Policy: (a) to our affiliated entities or partners; (b) to contractors, service providers, or other third parties we use to support the Endowment’s operations and goals; © to any successor-in-interest to the Endowment (including, for example, in the event of a merger, restructuring, or sale of assets); (d) to fulfill the purpose for which you provide it (including, for example, in order to process your application for a grant or to participate in our fellowship program); (e) for any purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information; (f) for any purpose to which you have consented; (g) to comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request; (h) to enforce or apply our terms of use and any other agreements, including any agreements or terms applicable to your application for or participation in any grant or fellowship program; (i) if we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of any person or other third party.
6. Third-Party & Social Features of the Website.
The Website may provide links to third-party websites. These websites operate independently from the Endowment and may have their own privacy policies or statements. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website or resource before using it. You accept sole responsibility for and assume all risk arising from your use of any such websites or resources. Additionally, the Website may permit or encourage interactions among you, the Website, and/or a third-party website or service (each interaction, a “Social Interaction”). Examples of Social Interactions may include services or technology that enable you to (a) “like” or “share” content from the Website on or with third-party websites and/or services; (b) transmit content to the Website from a third-party website or service; © otherwise connect the Website to a third-party website or service; or (d) register for an account, login, and/or view content associated with the Endowment, the Website, and/or one or more third parties through social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn (each, a “Social Network”). If you choose to use Social Interactions, information you post or provide access to may be publicly displayed on the Website or by the owner or operator of the applicable Social Network you are using. Similarly, if you post information on a Social Network that references the Website (e.g., by mentioning the Website or any of the Endowment’s related Social Network accounts, “tagging” the Endowment or any of its related Social Network accounts on a Social Network post or other kind of Social Interaction, or using a hashtag associated with the Website, the Endowment, or any of its related Social Network accounts in a tweet or status update), your post may be published on the Website in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the terms of use/privacy policy of the applicable Social Network. Also, both the Endowment and the owner or operator of the applicable Social Network you are using may have access to certain information about you and your use of the Website and the applicable Social Network. In addition, we may receive information about you in connection with other users’ use of Social Interactions (e.g., we may learn that you are a “friend” or “connection” of the third party or receive other information about you that the other user enables us to receive). By registering with or logging onto a Social Network, you may be allowing the Website and such Social Network to access your information and you may be agreeing to such Social Network’s terms of use and/or privacy policy. We may receive information from a Social Network to enable you to connect with us, view our content, and/or augment your experience with an applicable Social Interaction. Any information that we collect from your Social Network account(s) may depend on the privacy settings you have with such Social Network. The information collected and stored by the owner or operator of an applicable Social Network in connection with Social Interactions may be subject to such Social Network’s terms of use, privacy policies, and/or data security practices and procedures.
7. Security and Protection of Your Information.
We have implemented reasonable security measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss or unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. We urge you to be careful about giving out information in public areas of the Website like message boards and Social Interactions. The information you share in public areas may be viewed by any user of the Website or the applicable Social Media Network you interact with. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website or any Social Network.
8. Changes to the Website and This Policy.
The Endowment reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove (1) any features, functionality, services, or portions of the Website, and (2) any portions of this Policy, in each case at any time in its sole discretion without advance notice to you. You agree that the Endowment may notify you of material changes to this Policy by indicating the date of the most recent update at the top of the Policy, and that you will check the Website frequently for updates. Your continued use of the Website after we post an updated version of the Policy constitutes your consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of your information in accordance with the updated Policy. However, if at any point the Endowment decides to use your Personal Information in a manner that is materially different from that stated at the time it was collected, the Endowment will notify you and you will be given a choice as to whether the Endowment may use this information in the new manner.
9. How to Contact Us.
To ask questions or comment about this Policy and our privacy practices, you can contact us by writing to The Duke Endowment, 800 E. Morehead Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. You may also email us at efrazier@tde.org or call us at 704−969−2103. The relevant contact person for questions related to this Policy is our Digital Communications Strategist, Eric Frazier.