Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to us. This privacy policy describes how GrowNYC collects, uses, shares and protects information obtained from you through our website, social media pages, offline interactions (such as at our Greenmarkets or Farmstands), and any other services that link to this Policy.

Information We Collect

We collect Personal Information—information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you. The types of information we collect depend on how you interact with GrowNYC.

Information You Provide to Us

We collect information you voluntarily submit through our website forms, event registrations, or donation portals.

This includes:

• Contact & Identity Data: Such as your name, personal or professional email address, contact phone number, and mailing address.
• Organizational & Garden Data: If you are part of a community partner, we may collect your affiliated organization’s name, address, and contact details.
• Transaction Data: Details about donations or purchases you make. We use industry-standard encryption and maintain PCI-DSS compliance for all financial transactions.
• Personal Safety Contact Info: Emergency contact names and phone numbers for volunteers, youth program participants, or event attendees.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we and our service providers, use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to collect technical data, including:

• Device & Connection Data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, and internet service provider (ISP).
• Usage Data: The pages you visit, the time spent on those pages, the website that referred you to us, and the links you click.
• Tracking Pixels: We may use pixels (such as from Meta or Google) to measure the effectiveness of our outreach and show you relevant GrowNYC updates on social media. You can manage these preferences through your browser or social media settings.

We use this data to improve website functionality and user experience. While this data helps us understand general traffic patterns, we do not use it to build individual consumer profiles for marketing purposes.

How We Use Your Information

We use the Personal Information we collect for the following purposes:

• Fulfilling Your Requests: To process donations, issue tax receipts, register you for events or volunteer shifts, and manage your participation in our programs.
• Communications: To send you newsletters, updates about our Greenmarkets and Farmstands, and information about GrowNYC’s advocacy and environmental initiatives. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.
• Program Operations: To coordinate with community garden partners, manage school-based programs, and ensure the safety of participants through emergency contact information.
• Website Improvement: To analyze how our website is used, troubleshoot technical issues, and improve the user experience.
• AI & Automation: We may use AI-assisted tools for internal data analysis and to improve our communications. We maintain human oversight over these tools and do not input sensitive personal data into “open” third-party AI models.
• Legal & Safety: To comply with applicable laws, respond to legal requests, and protect the rights, safety, and property of GrowNYC, our participants, and the public.

How We Share Your Information

GrowNYC is committed to protecting your trust. We do not sell, rent, or trade your Personal Information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We only share information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: We share information with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate our website, process payments, and deliver our programs (e.g., email service providers and donation processors). These partners are contractually obligated to keep your information secure.
• Affiliates & Partners: We may share aggregated, non-identifying information with partners or grantors to report on the impact of our programs.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, such as in response to a subpoena or to protect against fraud.

Text Messaging (SMS) Privacy & Consent

GrowNYC may use text messaging to communicate with partners, farmers, volunteers, and program participants regarding operational updates, scheduling, and program-related inquiries.

Consent & Opt-In: By providing your mobile number and opting in to receive messages, you consent to receive text messages from GrowNYC staff for coordination and informational purposes. Consent is not a condition of any purchase or donation.

Sharing Disclosure: No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Your Options: You can opt-out of receiving SMS messages at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive. For help, reply HELP.

Costs: Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies based on your interactions with our programs.

Donor Privacy & Security

This Donor Privacy Policy applies to all information received by GrowNYC, both online and offline, as well as any electronic, written, or oral communications.

Our Commitment to Donors: We will not sell, share, or trade our donors’ names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. This applies to all personal information, regardless of whether it was collected online or offline.

Payment Processing: To ensure the highest level of security, GrowNYC does not directly store, process, or transmit sensitive credit card data on our own servers. All financial transactions are handled by trusted, third-party payment processors who are PCI-DSS compliant. Your credit card information is shared only with your card issuer and the processor to complete the transaction.

Use of Donor Information: We use donor information to process gifts, provide tax receipts, and send updates on the impact of your support. You may request to remain anonymous in our annual reports or other public acknowledgments at any time.

Legal Disclosure: GrowNYC may disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that such disclosure is legally required to comply with a subpoena, warrant, or other judicial or administrative order. We may also disclose information to investigate or prevent fraud or potential threats to the physical safety of any person.

Data Retention & Security

GrowNYC takes the security of your information seriously.

Security: We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. This includes the use of SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted through our website and restricted access to personal data by only those employees and contractors who need it to perform their jobs. However, because no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Retention: We retain Personal Information only as long as necessary to fulfill program goals or comply with legal/tax requirements. When no longer needed, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

Children’s Privacy

GrowNYC frequently works with schools and youth through our education programs. We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13 through our website without verifiable parental consent. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under 13 without such consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us.

Your Rights and Choices

You have control over your information. At any time, you may:

• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from our newsletters by clicking the “unsubscribe” link or opt-out of text messages by replying “STOP.”
• Access or Correct: Request to see what data we have about you or ask us to correct inaccuracies.
• Request Deletion: Request that we delete your Personal Information, subject to certain legal or internal record-keeping requirements (such as tax records for donations).

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page with a new “Last Updated” date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:

GrowNYC
P.O. Box 2327, New York, NY 10272
privacy@grownyc.org
212-788-7900

Last Updated: February 19, 2026