Privacy policy

Hi! We are Non-Trivial Ventures, the group behind Non-Trivial. 

As part of running Non-Trivial, we use information from and about people who interact with us. This information is called personal data. We have written this Privacy Policy to explain how and why we use personal data so that you know what to expect. If you don’t understand something, please ask your parent/guardian to read it with you so that you can talk about it together. 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you or your parent/guardian can contact us at ops@non-trivial.org.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on October 4, 2026. It may change over time, so we suggest you check it regularly. Please see also our April 15, 2026 Cookies policy.

1.

How we collect personal data 

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We collect and use personal data to run and improve Non-Trivial, including to engage with and support our community.

We collect personal data:

• directly from you when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit information to us (including in a fellowship application or by using the Contact Us form on our website), or any other direct contact;
• automatically from our website using technology such as cookies. This tells us information about how people use our website; and
• from trusted partners who we work with who have permission to share personal data with us. This includes the companies who help us with technology and payment services.

2. Third

-party web tools

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We may employ third-party service providers and data processors to facilitate our services, provide services on our behalf, or assist us in analyzing how our services are used. These third parties have access to your personal information only to perform tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

• Google Analytics: We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website so that we can improve user experience. IP addresses are anonymized and never stored. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing a browser extension available for most major browsers. Please refer to the Google Analytics Privacy Policy for more information.

3. How and Why We Use Your Personal Information 

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We only use your personal information for legitimate reasons in accordance with the law. Our purposes for the information are:

• Programs and Events. We use personal information to administer and improve our programs and events, including managing participant information, tracking website visits, and organizing activities.

• Communications. We use personal information to connect with program participants, event attendees, contributors, and website users. This includes providing updates, responding to inquiries, and delivering relevant information about our organization, events, initiatives, and opportunities.

• Research and Evaluation. We use personal information to assess program effectiveness and identify patterns among participant characteristics. This helps us evaluate inquiries through our contact forms and continuously refine our programs. We also use personal information to compile metrics, such as participation numbers and demographic data (age, gender, race). These findings may be shared with management and included in our impact reports to demonstrate our program outcomes and reach. All published information will be aggregated and anonymized to protect participant privacy.

• Tax and Legal Compliance. We use personal information to comply with tax reporting requirements and to fulfill any legal and regulatory obligations imposed under United States federal and state law and the laws of other jurisdictions that may apply to us.

• Website Analysis and Improvement. We use personal information such as IP addresses and browsing patterns to analyze website usage and enhance functionality, content, and user experience.

• Technical Support and Security. We use personal information to identify, prevent, and address technical issues, including troubleshooting problems, maintaining web security, and investigating potential unauthorized access to our systems.

• Other Purposes. We may use personal information for any other purpose fully disclosed at the time of collecting the information or with your consent.

4. Who we share personal data with

We share certain personal data:

•   with companies that provide services to help us operate, such as for IT, marketing, advertising, analytics, legal and payment purposes. These companies must keep the personal data safe and use it as described in their own privacy policies and as necessary to provide the services to us; 

• where we have permission to do so; 
• where we have to because of the law or other rules that we have to follow, to protect our rights and safety and those of others, and to make sure our own rules are followed; 
• if we become part of another company and the personal data is shared as part of that change.   

5. How we store and transfer personal data

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How long we keep it. We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy. We may keep it longer if a law or regulation requires us to, or if you have asked us or agreed for us to keep it. When we no longer need it, we will delete or anonymize it. See How Long Your Personal Information Will Be Kept for more detail.

Where it is stored. We are based in the United States. We store personal information on secure systems located in the continental United States.

Transfers from the United Kingdom. Some of the personal information we hold came to us from Non-Trivial Ventures, a UK company, when its programs and activities were transferred to Leaf Inc. in August 2026. This includes information about people who applied to or took part in Non-Trivial's programs, some of whom may be under 18. It includes email addresses, applications, and demographic information. Some of it is "special category" information under UK law, specifically information about racial or ethnic origin and physical or mental health.

UK data protection law limits transfers of personal information to countries outside the UK. To protect this information, we have signed an International Data Transfer Agreement with Non-Trivial Ventures. This is a standard contract approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Under this agreement, we have committed to:

• follow UK data protection law (the UK GDPR) when we use this information;
• use it only to run our programs and to meet our legal and reporting obligations;
• keep it secure, including through encryption, multi-factor authentication, and limiting access to trained staff who need it;
• not share it with any other organization unless Non-Trivial Ventures agrees in writing; and
• report any suspected data breach promptly.

If you would like a copy of the safeguards we use for these transfers, please contact us at ops@non-trivial.org.

6.

Cookies

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We use cookies and other technology to do things such as run the Non-Trivial website, help us understand how it is used, and show you advertisements that you may be interested in. You can learn more about this in our Cookies Policy. 

CHILDREN UNDER 13

We do not knowingly collect personal information from or market to children under the age of 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from anyone under age 13, we will promptly delete it. We use collected information only for the intended purposes and do not disclose it to third parties, except as necessary to facilitate our programs and events or as mandated by law. We maintain appropriate security measures to protect the collected information.

KEEPING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION SECURE

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost or used or accessed in an unauthorized way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to access it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorized manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality. We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

7.

Rights and complaints

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Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act(CCPA), you may have the following rights:

GDPR Rights

• Right to Access: You have the right to access and obtain a copy of your personal information held by us.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request the restriction of processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. 
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information, including for direct marketing purposes.
• Right Not to be Subject to Automated Decision-Making: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing if it produces legal effects or significantly affects you.

CCPA Rights

• Right to Know: You have the right to know the categories of personal information collected, the purposes of collection, and the categories of third parties with whom it is
• shared.
• Right to Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the sale or disclosure of your personal information to third parties.
• Right to Deletion: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, with certain exceptions.
• Protection Against Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights under the CCPA.

Please note that certain exceptions and limitations may apply to these rights as outlined in the respective regulations.

8.

About us

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We are Non-Trivial Ventures. Non-Trivial is a program run by Leaf Inc., a US 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 33-4661702) incorporated in Burlington, Vermont.

We are in charge of deciding how and why personal data is used in relation to Non-Trivial. This means we are called the “controller” of the personal data.