This Privacy Policy explains how Ripple Foundation (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, maintains, and discloses personal information from users (“Users”) of our websites, including ripplefoundation.ca, kidswrite4kids.ripplefoundation.ca, workshop.ripplefoundation.ca, blog.ripplefoundation.ca, conference.ripplefoundation.ca, and shop.ripplefoundation.ca (collectively, the “Sites”).

Ripple Foundation is a Canadian registered charity (Charitable Registration No. 80589 5760 RR0001). We are committed to protecting personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable Canadian privacy laws.

Information We Collect

Information you provide to us. We collect personal information only when you voluntarily submit it to us, such as when you:

• Fill out a form on our Sites (e.g., program applications, volunteer applications, contact forms)
• Enter the Kids Write 4 Kids contest or participate in our programs, including the Write It Workshop, Wave Blog, and Express Inspire Connect conference
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Make a donation
• Purchase merchandise from our shop

Depending on the activity, this information may include your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, school or grade level, program submissions (such as stories or blog posts), and, for shop purchases, shipping and billing details.

Information collected automatically. When you visit our Sites, we may automatically collect non-personal technical information such as browser type, device type, operating system, and pages visited. See “Cookies and Analytics” below.

You may visit our Sites without providing personal information.

Children’s Privacy

Our programs are designed for children and youth, and we take their privacy seriously.

• We collect personal information from participants under 18 only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Program applications and contest entries for minors must be submitted or authorized by a parent or guardian.
• We collect only the information needed to run our programs, such as the participant’s name, grade, school, and their creative submission.
• If a participant’s name, school, likeness, or work will be published (for example, announcing contest winners, publishing stories on the Wave Blog, or sharing photos or recordings from our programs), we obtain parental or guardian consent before doing so.
• Parents and guardians may contact us at any time to review, correct, or request deletion of their child’s personal information.

How We Use Personal Information

We use the personal information we collect to:

• Administer our programs, including the Kids Write 4 Kids contest, Write It Workshop, Wave Blog, and Express Inspire Connect conference
• Process donations and issue tax receipts
• Fulfill and ship merchandise orders
• Respond to inquiries and support requests
• Send newsletters and program updates to those who have opted in
• Improve our Sites, programs, and services

We send commercial electronic messages (such as newsletters) only to individuals who have provided consent, in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Cookies and Analytics

Our Sites use cookies and similar technologies to enhance user experience and understand how our Sites are used. Some cookies and the identifiers they contain may be considered personal information under Canadian privacy law.

• Google Analytics helps us understand site traffic and usage patterns.
• Google Ads. As a recipient of a Google Ad Grant, we run Google Ad campaigns. Google may use cookies to measure the performance of these ads.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. To learn more about cookies, visit https://www.allaboutcookies.org. You can opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Third-Party Service Providers

We do not sell, trade, or rent personal information. We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate our Sites and deliver our programs. These providers have access only to the information needed to perform their functions:

• SendGrid (Twilio) — email newsletters and campaigns
• HubSpot — online forms, including program applications and contact forms
• Zoom — virtual programs, including the Write It Workshop and Express Inspire Connect conference
• CanadaHelps — online donation processing
• WooCommerce — our online merchandise shop
• Printful — merchandise printing and order fulfillment
• Stripe and PayPal — payment processing for shop purchases. Checkout also supports Apple Pay and Google Pay; payments made through these wallets are processed by Stripe together with Apple or Google
• Google — analytics, advertising, and YouTube video hosting

Each of these providers has its own privacy policy governing its handling of personal information. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party services you interact with.

Where Your Information Is Stored

Some of our service providers store or process data on servers located outside Canada, including in the United States. When your personal information is processed outside Canada, it is subject to the laws of those jurisdictions and may be accessible to their courts, law enforcement, and national security authorities. We take reasonable steps to ensure our service providers protect personal information to a standard comparable to our own.

How We Protect Your Information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage, and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction of your personal information.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law (for example, donation records retained for tax purposes). When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw your consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your information (subject to legal or contractual restrictions)
• Unsubscribe from our email communications at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond to requests within a reasonable time.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Ripple Foundation may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “last updated” date at the bottom of this page and, for significant changes, post a notice on our main Site. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contacting Us

Ripple Foundation has designated a privacy contact responsible for our compliance with this policy and applicable privacy laws. If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our practices, or your personal information, please contact us at https://www.ripplefoundation.ca/contact-us/

For more information, please also see our Terms and Conditions at https://www.ripplefoundation.ca/terms-and-conditions/.

This document was last updated on July 3, 2026