Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 1, 2026

Galveston Historical Foundation, Inc. ("GHF," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or use our services.

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Fill out contact forms on our website
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Register for events or programs
• Make donations or purchases
• Communicate with us via email or phone

Types of personal information we collect include:

• Name - First and last name
• Email Address - For communication purposes
• Phone Number - For contact purposes
• Messages - Content submitted via forms
• Mailing Address - For donations, purchases, or correspondence
• Payment Information - For transactions (processed securely by third-party payment processors)

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• IP address
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referring website addresses
• Device information

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and track information about your browsing activities. For more details, please see our Cookie Policy.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

• Providing Services - To respond to inquiries, process transactions, and deliver requested services
• Communication - To send updates, newsletters, and promotional materials (with your consent)
• Improving Our Website - To analyze usage patterns and improve user experience
• Legal Compliance - To comply with legal obligations and protect our rights
• Research and Preservation - To support our historical preservation mission

3. Who Has Access to Your Data

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. Access to your data is limited to:

• Authorized Staff - GHF employees and volunteers who need access to perform their duties
• Third-Party Service Providers - Companies that help us operate our website and services, bound by confidentiality agreements

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• FormSubmit - For processing form submissions. FormSubmit receives the information you submit through our contact forms. Please review their privacy policy at formsubmit.co.
• Google Analytics - We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics collects information such as how often users visit the site and what pages they visit. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.
• Payment Processors - For secure processing of donations and purchases

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Specifically:

• Contact Form Submissions - Retained for up to 3 years after last interaction
• Donation Records - Retained for 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Newsletter Subscriptions - Retained until you unsubscribe
• Analytics Data - Retained for 26 months (Google Analytics default)

6. Your Rights and Choices

Data Deletion Requests

You have the right to request deletion of your personal information. To request deletion, please contact us at:

• Email: mail@galveston-history.org
• Mail: 2002 Strand St, Galveston, TX 77550
• Phone: +1 (603) 800-3110

We will respond to your request within 30 days. Please note that certain information may be retained for legal compliance or legitimate business purposes.

Opt-Out Rights

You may opt out of:

• Marketing Communications - Click the unsubscribe link in any email or contact us directly
• Analytics Tracking - Use browser settings or opt-out browser plugins
• Cookies - Adjust your browser settings or use our cookie consent tool

7. GDPR Compliance

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including:

• The right to access your personal data
• The right to rectify inaccurate data
• The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object to processing
• The right to withdraw consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us at mail@galveston-history.org.

8. CCPA Compliance

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal information is being collected
• Know whether personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom
• Say no to the sale of personal information
• Access their personal information
• Equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights

We do not sell personal information as defined under the CCPA. California residents may exercise their rights by contacting us at mail@galveston-history.org.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided personal information to us should contact us immediately at mail@galveston-history.org.

10. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.