Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 7, 2026

The Wade in the Water Project ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website https://wadeinthewaterproject.com (the "Site"), make a donation, purchase or rent a film, sign up for our newsletter, or otherwise interact with us.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not access the site.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect on the Site includes:

A. Personal Data

Personally identifiable information that you voluntarily give to us when you interact with the Site. This may include:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (e.g., when signing up for our newsletter, submitting a contact form, or making a shop purchase).

  • Transaction Information: Details related to purchases, rentals, or donations.

  • Donation Information: When you support our film, we collect information necessary to process your contribution.

B. Financial Data

Financial information, such as data related to your payment method (e.g., valid credit card number, card brand, expiration date), is collected when you purchase, order, return, exchange, or request information about our services from the Site or make a donation.

  • Note on Donations: Our donations are processed securely through a third-party platform, Zeffy, under our fiscal sponsor, the Black Surfers Collective. We do not store your full credit card numbers on our servers. You are encouraged to review Zeffy’s privacy policy for how they handle your financial data.

C. Automatically Collected Data

Information our servers automatically collect when you access the Site, such as your IP address, your browser type, your operating system, your access times, and the pages you have viewed directly before and after accessing the Site.

2. How We Use Your Information

Having accurate information about you permits us to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customized experience. Specifically, we may use information collected about you via the Site to:

  • Process and manage film rentals, shop purchases, and donations.

  • Send you tax receipts for your charitable contributions (via our fiscal sponsor or payment processor).

  • Send you our "Stay in the Know" newsletter regarding film releases, theatrical dates, and project updates.

  • Respond to your inquiries and offer customer support.

  • Improve website performance and user experience.

  • Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve your experience with the Site.

  • Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft, and protect against criminal activity.

3. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations:

  • Service Providers: We may share your information with third parties that perform services for us or on our behalf, including payment processing (e.g., Zeffy), data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, and customer service.

  • Fiscal Sponsor: Because we are fiscally sponsored by the Black Surfers Collective, information related to donations is shared with them to ensure proper accounting, legal compliance, and the issuance of tax-deductible receipts.

  • By Law or to Protect Rights: If we believe the release of information about you is necessary to respond to legal process, to investigate or remedy potential violations of our policies, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others, we may share your information as permitted or required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation.

4. Tracking Technologies

  • Cookies and Web Beacons: We may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, and other tracking technologies on the Site to help customize the Site and improve your experience. You can typically set your browser to remove or reject cookies, though this may affect how the Site functions.

  • Website Analytics: We may also partner with selected third-party vendors (such as Google Analytics) to allow tracking technologies and remarketing services on the Site to analyze and track users’ use of the Site, determine the popularity of certain content, and better understand online activity.

5. Third-Party Websites

The Site may contain links to third-party websites and applications of interest (e.g., ticketing platforms for theater releases, news articles, or sponsor sites). Once you have used these links to leave the Site, any information you provide to these third parties is not covered by this Privacy Policy, and we cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of your information.

6. Security of Your Information

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information. While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the personal information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location (such as California under the CCPA or the EU under the GDPR), you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

  • The right to request access to the personal data we hold about you.

  • The right to request that we correct or update your personal data.

  • The right to request that we delete your personal data.

  • The right to opt-out of marketing communications.

Emails and Newsletters: If you no longer wish to receive correspondence, emails, or other communications from us, you may opt-out by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email we send you, or by contacting us directly.

8. Policy for Children

We do not knowingly solicit information from or market to children under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under age 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to reflect changes to our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will alert you about any changes by updating the "Last Updated" date of this Privacy Policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

Wade in the Water Project