San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation (referred to in this policy as “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through our compliance with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, protect and disclose information collected about individuals located in the United States (referred to in this policy as “you” or the “user”) who visit and engage with us through our website, located at https://sfddc.org/, including the online portal for the Downtown Business Fund Program (the “Program,” and collectively, the “Site”). This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and is subject to our Terms of Use (the “Terms”).
This Privacy Policy only applies to information collected on the Site and is not intended to fully describe our privacy practices. It does not, for example, apply to information collected offline or through any website operated by any third party, even if such website is linked to or accessible from the Site. By visiting or providing information through the Site, you consent to the privacy practices described in this Privacy Policy. Please read this Privacy Policy in its entirety. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site.
What Categories of Personal Information Do We Collect?
We collect, process and maintain several types of information, some of which may constitute Personal Information, from and about users of the Site. “Personal Information” means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular person, but does not include any information that is publicly available or that is aggregated or de-identified.
The type of Personal Information we collect depends on how you choose to interact with our Site. For instance, if you choose to submit an application for the Program, we will collect different information than if you simply visit our Site for informational purposes. As a general matter, we may collect the following categories of information about you in connection with your use of our Site, only when you voluntarily choose to provide it to us, including:
- Identifiers, such as your name, business name, physical and/or mailing address, email address, mobile or other telephone number, job title or other similar identifiers;
- Commercial and financial information submitted in connection with a Program application, such as estimated tenant improvement costs, total current and planned business investment, outside capital raised, interest in loan products or other financing preferences and other business financial details;
- Social media account information, such as social media handles and business website;
- Professional and business information, such as years in business, number of existing locations, business type, business affiliations, business plans or presentations, proposed project details (including desired square footage, equipment and infrastructure requirements, lease commitment details and on-the-job training or workforce development programs), job creation estimates, hours of operation, community involvement, relevant operating experience and San Francisco Business Account Number;
- Any other Personal Information provided by you.
Additionally, we may automatically collect certain information about you through online technologies when you visit our Site that may also constitute Personal Information; such information may include:
- IP address or other device address or ID;
- The type of browser and version, operating system or equipment used to access the Site;
- Usage details, such as the date and time you visited the Site, the time spent on the Site, the Internet address of the site from which you linked to the Site, screen resolution, the links you follow from the Site, internal search queries and the reading history and other analytics related to how you use and view the content we have provided via the Site; and
- General activity information as part of our and our Service Providers’ (as defined below) fraud-prevention programs.
From What Sources Do We Collect Personal Information?
a. Information you provide:
We collect the Personal Information you voluntarily choose to provide through the Site, such as when you fill out forms or fields, submit an application for the Program, upload documents, respond to surveys, contact us or request information about us, this Site or our programs and services (whether by email or other means).
In addition, for individuals who apply to participate in the Program (“Applicants”), we may request and receive certain of your Personal Information from our Program partners, lending partners or other third-party service providers for purposes of evaluating applications, facilitating loan referrals or protecting against or identifying possible fraudulent activity.
b. Information we automatically collect:
When you visit the Site, or when you use a third-party website that interacts with our Site, we may automatically receive and record certain information from your computer, web browser or mobile device that may constitute Personal Information (as further described above).
For example, when you use the Site, we may send one or more cookies (which are small text files containing a string of alphanumeric characters) to your computer or mobile device to recognize your web browser, help analyze our web page flow, customize our content, measure promotional effectiveness, and/or promote trust and safety. We may also use cookies, web beacons and other similar technologies from third-party partners such as Google Analytics or a similar service that helps us analyze how users use the Site, for better targeting advertisements and for marketing purposes; and we may send information to Google for those purposes. That use may be subject to the Google Analytics Terms of Use and Google Privacy Policy. Please click here for more information about how Google uses information from sites or apps that use their services.
Please note that if your browser permits, you may configure your browser to refuse or delete cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Please consult the corresponding instructions of the manufacturer for more detailed information on the actual procedure. If you choose to turn off cookies, however, some parts of the Site may not function properly. Even if you block or delete cookies, not all of the tracking that we have described in this Privacy Policy will stop.
c. Other information we may collect:
Information Collected via Third-Party Sources.
We may collect information about you (i) when you interact with our pages or accounts on social media platforms (e.g., click on our social media links and/or provide information to us via those accounts), (ii) through other sources, including your organization or company, and others who think you might be interested in our work or (iii) through Service Providers acting on our behalf.
In connection with the Program, Applicants who express interest in affordable loan products may be referred to one or more non-affiliated third-party lending partners. If you are referred to a lending partner, certain of your application information, including your award letter and other basic referral information, may be shared with such lending partner to facilitate outreach and loan solicitation. The use and storage of your information by any lending partner is governed by such lending partner’s own terms of service and privacy policy, and we encourage you to review those terms prior to engaging with any lending partner. We are not responsible for the data collection, privacy and information sharing policies and procedures or the content of any lending partner’s website or platform.
How Do We Use the Personal Information We Collect?
- We may use the Personal Information we collect for the following purposes:
- To provide you with information you request from us, to process and evaluate your application to the Program, or to fulfill any other purposes for which you provide such information.
- To contact you for administrative purposes or to notify you of changes to the Site, our policies or our services.
- To contact you regarding an employment or volunteer opportunity or application.
- To process, administer and disburse grants, limited guarantees and other forms of Program support, to facilitate referrals to lending partners in connection with the Program, and to monitor participant compliance with award terms and conditions.
- To evaluate Applicants and analyze application data, scoring criteria and Program impact in furtherance of the Program’s objectives.
- To: (i) personalize our services, such as remembering your information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the Site; (ii) provide customized content and information; and/or (iii) improve our services.
- For any other purpose for which we have your express consent.
- For any other purpose we may describe to you when you provide such information.
Additionally, we may use non-identifying information (including aggregated data) about your use of the Site to understand and analyze the usage metrics and trends and preferences of our users, to monitor, analyze the effectiveness of or otherwise improve the Site, and to improve fraud detection and information security, without restriction.
To Whom and For What Purpose Do We Disclose Your Personal Information?
We may disclose Personal Information that we collect or you provide as described in this Privacy Policy (whether directly or automatically) to the following categories of third parties for the enumerated processing activities:
- To our Program partners, including SF New Deal and other partnered organizations, for purposes related to the administration of the Program, including outreach, technical assistance, referrals to complementary programs and business resources, and other activities in furtherance of the Program’s objectives.
- To our lending partners to facilitate loan referrals, process loan solicitations and support financing activities in connection with the Program.
- To our third-party service providers, including fraud screening providers, analytics providers, hosting providers and other third-party service providers (the foregoing “Service Providers”), to provide website development, hosting, data storage, maintenance, credit or debit card processing, accounting, legal, advisory and other services for us.
- To third parties as permitted or required to do so by applicable law or regulation or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to take precautions against liability; to comply with various reporting obligations; to protect ourselves and our other users from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses or activity; to protect the security or integrity of the Site; to investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations; to assist government enforcement agencies; to comply with state and federal laws; or in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena or warrant.
- To a buyer or other successor in the event of a divestiture, merger, consolidation, or asset sale, whether as a going concern or in the unlikely event of a bankruptcy or similar proceeding.
- To any other third party in any way we may describe to you when you provide such information, to fulfill any other purposes for which you provide such information or for any other purpose with your consent or at your direction.
Additionally, we may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that cannot independently be used to identify any individual, without restriction.
Your Choices.
- You may, of course, decline to share certain information with us. If you do, we may not be able to provide to you some of the features and functionality of the Site or certain of our services.
- Once you have submitted an application through the Site, you may update, correct, or delete your information and preferences at any time by contacting us directly.
- If you do not wish to receive email offers or newsletters from us, you can opt out of receiving email information from us (except for communications related to your application, Program participation, award administration and other communications essential to your transactions through the Site) by using the unsubscribe process at the bottom of the email or by contacting us directly at operations@sfddc.org. Should you opt out, we will promptly honor your request once we are able to verify your identity, though we may retain certain information you submit (including in backups or archives) for a variety of purposes, including analytics, the prevention of fraud or abuse and compliance with our legal or regulatory obligations.
Our Commitment to Data Security.
We use certain physical, administrative, and technical safeguards that are designed to protect the integrity and security of your Personal Information; however, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, so we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us through the Site, and you do so at your own risk. You are also responsible for keeping your Personal Information secure. We also cannot guarantee that your information may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed by breach of any of our physical, technical, or administrative safeguards. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Site. Even after removal, copies of information that you have posted may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other users have copied or stored such information.
As discussed above in Section 2.C, if you are referred to a lending partner in connection with the Program, any financial or other information you provide directly to such lending partner is collected and maintained by that lending partner in accordance with its own privacy and data security practices.
Notice to California Residents
a. Do Not Track Disclosure.
Third parties such as advertising networks, analytics providers and widget providers may collect information, including Personal Information, about your online activities over time and across different websites when you access or use our services. Currently, various browsers offer a “Do Not Track” option, but there is no standard for how “Do Not Track” should work on commercial websites. Due to lack of such standards, the Site does not respond to “Do Not Track” consumer browser settings.
b. Shine the Light.
Pursuant to Section 1798.83 of the California Civil Code, residents of California have the right to obtain certain information about the types of personal information that companies with whom they have an established business relationship (and that are not otherwise exempt) have shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, including the names and addresses of those third parties, and examples of the types of services or products marketed by those third parties. We do not share your personal information with any third parties for their direct marketing purposes.
Visitors from Outside the United States.
This Site is controlled and operated by San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation in the United States. If you choose to access the Site from outside the United States, you acknowledge that you will be transferring your information, including Personal Information, outside of those regions to the United States for storage and processing, as necessary to provide to you the products and services available through the Site. Where required, we comply with applicable legal frameworks relating to the collection, storage, use, and transfer of personally identifiable information.
Changes and Updates to this Privacy Policy.
We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make any material change to this Privacy Policy, we will post the updated Privacy Policy and indicate at the top of the Privacy Policy when it was last updated. Please revisit this page periodically to stay aware of any changes to this Privacy Policy. If you disagree with our Privacy Policy modifications, you may choose not to use or access our Site.
Our Contact Information:
Please contact us with any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy by e-mail at operations@sfddc.org
Attn: Privacy
San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation