🔒 Privacy Policy
Last Updated: August 12, 2025
Privacy Summary
GrantCompass respects your privacy. We collect minimal personal information, use secure authentication through Firebase, and never sell your data. You control your information and can delete your account at any time.
1. Information We Collect
Account Information (Optional)
- Email address - For account creation and login
- Display name - Chosen during account setup
- Profile photo - If you sign in with Google
Usage Data
- Grant search queries - To improve our matching algorithm
- Bookmarked grants - Stored in your account or browser
- Quiz responses - Business stage, industry, location preferences
- Technical data - IP address, browser type, device information for security and performance
Information We Do NOT Collect
- Social insurance numbers or government IDs
- Banking or financial account details
- Detailed business financial information
- Personal communications with grant agencies
2. How We Use Your Information
- Grant Matching - Provide personalized grant recommendations based on your business profile
- Account Management - Maintain your account and sync bookmarks across devices
- Service Improvement - Analyze usage patterns to improve our grant database and matching accuracy
- Communication - Send important updates about grants you've bookmarked (if you opt-in)
- Security - Protect against fraud, spam, and abuse
We will never:
- Sell your personal information to third parties
- Share your data with grant agencies without explicit consent
- Use your information for advertising outside our platform
3. Data Storage and Security
Where Your Data is Stored
- Authentication - Google Firebase (industry-standard security)
- Bookmarks - Firebase Firestore (encrypted at rest)
- Search History - Local browser storage (not transmitted to servers)
Security Measures
- HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
- Firebase security rules preventing unauthorized access
- Regular security updates and monitoring
- No storage of sensitive financial or government ID information
Data Retention
- Active Accounts - Data retained while account is active
- Inactive Accounts - Deleted after 2 years of inactivity
- Deleted Accounts - All personal data removed within 30 days
- Usage Analytics - Anonymized data retained for service improvement
4. Your Privacy Rights
Access and Control
- View Data - Access all personal data we have about you
- Update Information - Modify your profile and preferences at any time
- Delete Account - Permanently remove your account and all associated data
- Export Data - Download your bookmarks and preferences
Communication Preferences
- Opt-out of all non-essential communications
- Choose notification frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, or never)
- Select specific grant categories for updates
5. Compliance with Canadian Privacy Law
GrantCompass complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation.
Legal Basis for Processing
- Consent - You provide explicit consent when creating an account
- Legitimate Interest - Providing grant matching services you requested
- Service Delivery - Processing necessary to deliver our grant finder service
Cross-Border Data Transfers
Some data is processed by Firebase (Google) servers located in the United States. This transfer is covered by Google's privacy framework and provides equivalent protection to Canadian standards.
6. Cookies and Tracking
Cookies We Use
- Essential Cookies - Required for login and basic functionality
- Preference Cookies - Remember your settings and bookmarks
- Analytics Cookies - Understand how our service is used (anonymized)
Third-Party Services
- Firebase - Authentication and data storage (Google Privacy Policy applies)
- Netlify - Website hosting and performance monitoring
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect some functionality.
7. Children's Privacy
GrantCompass is designed for business use and not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn we have collected information from a child under 13, we will delete it immediately.
8. Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will:
- Notify users of significant changes via email (if registered)
- Post updates on our website with revised date
- Provide 30 days notice for material changes
Continued use of GrantCompass after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.