Privacy Policy

The short version: this site does not use advertising or third-party analytics. We only collect what you choose to send us (name and email for the newsletter, and your message when you contact us), plus a small first-party record when someone downloads a free lesson PDF so we know which lessons are used. We never sell or share your email, and we won't spam you. You can unsubscribe or ask us to delete your details at any time.

Who we are

This website is run by The Money Wisdom Project ("we", "us"), a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit corporation incorporated in Texas, EIN 39-4899565, founded and directed by Dr. Deanna Heikkinen. We make free curriculum on the history of money for teachers, parents, and communities. For privacy laws that use the term, we are the "controller" of the personal information described here.

What we collect

Information you give us

Newsletter sign-up. Your email address and, if you choose to give it, your first name.
Contact form. Your name, email address, the kind of visitor you are (for example teacher or parent), and your message.
Story submissions. If we invite you to share how you used our materials, the details you choose to send, such as your name, email, where you teach, your story, how you want to be credited, and your permission choices.

Information collected automatically

Server logs. Like almost every website, our web host automatically records basic technical information when a page is requested: IP address, browser and device type, the page requested, the referring page, and the date and time. We use this only to keep the site running, secure, and free of abuse.
Curriculum download counts. When you download a free lesson PDF, our own server records the date and time, which lesson and level you downloaded, the page you came from (if the browser sends it), the first page you landed on in that visit, and a random anonymous visitor id stored in a first-party cookie. We use this only to see which lessons are used and whether the same visitor downloads more than one lesson. It is not linked to your name or email, and you do not need an account to download.
Spam protection. When you send a form, our server briefly keeps a scrambled (hashed) version of your IP address to limit repeated submissions. It is not linked to your name or email and is cleared within about an hour.

You do not need an account or an email address to read the site or download our curriculum. The PDFs are free for anyone.

How we use it

To send the newsletter you asked for: occasional updates when new curriculum topics are ready.
To read and reply to your messages.
To share a story you sent us, only in the way you gave us permission to.
To thank donors, provide tax receipts, and keep the records nonprofits are required to keep.
To understand which free lesson PDFs are downloaded, so we can improve the curriculum.
To protect the site, prevent spam and abuse, and fix technical problems.
To meet legal obligations.

We do not use your information for advertising, we do not build profiles about you, and we do not make automated decisions about you.

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we never share it for advertising. We share it only with the service providers that help us run the site, who may use it only to provide their service to us:

Hostinger hosts this website and its server logs, and its Hostinger Reach service stores our newsletter list and sends the newsletter.
Email delivery. Contact form messages are delivered by email to the Money Wisdom Project's own inbox.
Givebutter and Strike process donations, as explained below.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the safety of any person, or to protect the rights of the Money Wisdom Project. If the organization ever merged with or transferred its work to another nonprofit, this policy would continue to apply to information collected under it.

Donations

Donations are made on our giving platforms, not on this website. Givebutter handles gifts by card or bank, and Strike handles bitcoin Lightning gifts. We never see or store your card or bank details. Each platform has its own privacy policy and terms, which apply when you use it.

Givebutter, our nonprofit giving platform, processes card and bank gifts securely and emails tax receipts on our behalf. We never see or store your full card or bank details. When you give through Givebutter, it shares with us the details needed to thank you and issue a receipt, such as your name, email, gift amount, and date, plus anything else you choose to give on the donation form. We keep donor records private and never sell or trade donor lists. When you send bitcoin to our Lightning address, we may see only the amount and any note you include.

Cookies and analytics

This website does not use advertising cookies, third-party analytics, or social media trackers. Our fonts and images are served from our own site.

We set two small first-party cookies only to count curriculum downloads in a privacy-friendly way:

mwp_vid — a random anonymous id (HttpOnly), kept up to about two years, so we can tell whether the same browser downloaded more than one lesson or the same lesson more than once. It does not identify you by name or email.
mwp_land — the first page path you opened on this site in that browser, kept up to about one year, so we can see roughly where visitors start before they download a lesson.

These are first-party cookies used for a legitimate interest in understanding how free educational materials are used. They are not used for advertising or profiling. You can clear cookies in your browser at any time. If we ever add broader analytics, we will update this policy first and, where the law requires, ask for your consent.

Sites we link to, such as Givebutter, Strike, and social networks, may use their own cookies once you visit them.

Children's privacy

Our curriculum is for children, but this website is for the adults who teach them: teachers, parents, and other educators. The site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, in line with the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Students can use our lessons through their teacher or parent without giving us any information. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it. Photos or stories that include a child are published only with permission from that child's parent or guardian.

How long we keep it

Newsletter: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete you. After you unsubscribe we may keep your email on a do-not-email list so we do not add you again by mistake.
Messages: as long as needed to answer you and follow up, then deleted when no longer needed.
Stories: as long as the story is published, or until you ask us to remove it.
Donation records: as long as tax and nonprofit laws require.
Server logs: for a limited period set by our web host, for security and troubleshooting.
Download counts: kept so we can see which lessons are used over time; anonymous visitor ids can be cleared if you clear site cookies, and you may ask us to delete download records linked to an id you send us.

Security

The site is served over an encrypted connection (HTTPS). Our forms include spam protection, access to our accounts is limited to the people who run the project, and we keep only what we need. No website or email system is perfectly secure, so we cannot promise absolute security, but if we learn of a breach that affects your information we will tell you as the law requires.

Your choices and rights

Unsubscribe anytime using the link in any newsletter email, or by contacting us.
Ask what we have about you and get a copy.
Correct anything that is wrong.
Delete your information.
Withdraw permission to share a story you sent us.

To make any request, use our contact form and tell us what you would like. We may ask you to confirm the request from the email address involved so we know it is really you. We aim to respond within 30 days, and always within the time the law allows. We will not treat you differently for using any of these rights.

If you are in the United Kingdom, European Union, or European Economic Area, data protection law (the GDPR and UK GDPR) gives you rights over your personal data. Our lawful bases for using it are:

Consent for the newsletter and for publishing stories. You can withdraw consent at any time; this does not affect what we did before.
Legitimate interests for answering your messages, keeping the site secure, and counting anonymous curriculum downloads, which we balance against your rights.
Legal obligation for keeping donation and tax records.

You have the right to access, correct, and delete your data, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. To use these rights, contact us. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority, though we would be grateful for the chance to help first.

California and other US states

Many US state privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA, do not apply to nonprofits, but we choose to follow their main principles anyway. We do not sell or share personal information, as those laws define it, and we do not use it for targeted advertising or profiling. Wherever you live, you may ask to know what we have collected, to correct it, to delete it, or to get a copy, using our contact form. You may use an authorized agent, and if we decline a request you may ask us to reconsider. We will never discriminate against you for making a request.

International transfers

The Money Wisdom Project is based in the United States, and our service providers may store and process information in the United States, the European Union, or other countries. Privacy laws in those places may differ from yours. When we use service providers, we rely on their legal safeguards for international transfers, such as standard contractual clauses where they apply.

Other websites

Our pages link to many outside websites, including historical sources, our giving platforms, and our social media pages. We are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. Please read their policies before you share information with them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our work changes. We will post the new version on this page with a new effective date, and if a change is significant we will tell newsletter subscribers.

Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about your privacy are welcome. Please use our contact form and a real person will reply.

The Money Wisdom Project · 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit · EIN 39-4899565