Effective Date: December 11, 2023

Forté Foundation (hereinafter “Forté Foundation,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) has created this privacy policy to explain why we collect your personal information and how we will protect your personal information when you visit our website, official social media sites, or other online properties, including those owned, controlled, or operated by a subsidiary or affiliate (collectively “Sites” or “Services”).

Forté Foundation recognizes that you care about how your information is used, and we want to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains the following:

  • What personally identifiable information is collected through our Sites or Services;
  • Who collects this information;
  • How such information is used;
  • With whom your information may be shared;
  • What choices you have regarding collection, use, and distribution of your information;
  • What kinds of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of information under our control; and
  • How you can correct inaccuracies in your information.

If you are located in the European Union (“EU”), this Privacy Policy also informs you about the management of your personal data and your rights in accordance with Article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected by Forté Foundation and any affiliated or subsidiary organizations, including, but not limited to, all websites or apps that post a link to this Privacy Policy. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you are an individual located outside of the EU, your use of the Sites and Services constitutes agreement to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

Data Controller

Forté Foundation is the entity responsible for determining the means and purposes of processing personal data (i.e., the data controller) under this Privacy Policy and can be contacted as explained below in the “Contact Information” section below.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We ask that you read this Privacy Policy from time to time. Forté Foundation may modify this Privacy Policy at any time in its sole discretion. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy that increase our rights to use personal information that we have previously collected about you, we will obtain your consent, where required by law, either through an email to your registered email address or by prominent posting on the Services. If Forté Foundation intends to further process collected personal data for a purpose other than that for which the personal data were collected, prior to that further processing, we shall provide you with information on that other purpose and with additional information necessary to ensure fair and transparent processing.

Information We Collect

Forté Foundation collects information about you when you interact with our Sites and Services so that we can, among other things, provide you with access to our programs and events (collectively, “Programs”).

Use of Our Sites and Services.  We collect information about devices, such as a computer, mobile phone or tablet, associated with you that you use to access the Site and Services. We collect, store, and use information you provide to us from one or more devices associated with you when you use our Site and Services, including when you log in to the Site or Services, register for an account, complete a web form, add or update your account information, or otherwise correspond with us regarding the Sites and Services. We collect your name, physical address, email address, phone number, birth year, undergraduate graduation year, expected/actual MBA graduation year, current or most recent employer, job title, MBA program interest type, MBA institution, type of MBA program enrollment, secondary/school email address, undergraduate major, undergraduate institution, ethnicity, gender identity, public social media posts, format preference (HTML vs. Text), and email preferences.

Programs.  When you register for or attend our Programs, including in-person and online events, we require your first name, last name, email, undergraduate graduation year, and birth year. For certain Programs, we may also collect the following: location (street, city, state, country), gender identity, ethnicity, phone, employer, job title, years of experience, undergraduate major, undergraduate institution, MBA start year, MBA institution, MBA graduation year, first generation student, Pell grant recipient, citizenship, type of MBA program you are enrolled in, type of MBA program you are interested in, LinkedIn URL, resume URL, US military experience, how you heard about Forté, SAT/GMAT/GRE test dates and score(s), undergraduate GPA, graduate degree information, and MBA program application history. If you give us your consent, we will share your information (including personal information) with our sponsor schools and companies when you sign up for an event, including but not limited to our Forté Forums and Virtual Career Fairs.

Tell-A-Friend.  If you elect to use our referral service for informing a friend about our Site, we will ask you for the friend’s name and email address. Forté Foundation will automatically send your friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the Site. Forté Foundation stores this information for the sole purpose of sending this one-time email.

Purchases and Donations. When you purchase a product or service from us or donate to us, we require you to provide your name, contact information, billing address, email address, phone number, and credit card or payment card information.

You can use some aspects of the Sites and Services at any time without providing any personal information. While providing personal information is voluntary, you may not be able to take advantage of or participate in some of the Services if you choose not to share it.

Information We Collect Automatically

In addition, we automatically collect information about the devices you use to interact with our Sites.

The information we automatically collect includes your device identifier, web browser, precise geolocation, and browsing information collected through cookies and beacons, such as your internet protocol (IP) address. We automatically collect information about how you use the Sites, such as what you have searched for and viewed on the Sites and Services.

Cookie Policy

Our Sites use pieces of code commonly known as “cookies,” or similar technology, to enhance your experience while using our Sites. Forté Foundation begins collecting information about you or from activity on devices associated with you as soon as you visit our Sites. Use of cookies makes web-surfing easier by performing certain functions such as saving your passwords, saving your personal preferences regarding your use of the particular web site, and making sure you don't see the same ad repeatedly. By using our Sites, you permit Forté Foundation to collect and use your information from activity on devices associated with you in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Your browser is probably set to accept cookies. However, if you would prefer not to receive cookies, you can alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of our Sites will not function properly when you view them.

Most web browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies.  Please note, however, that without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the features and functionality of the Sites.

Web Beacons.  Certain pages on our website contain “web beacons” (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags, and clear GIFs). These web beacons allow third parties to obtain information, such as the IP address of the computer that downloaded the page on which the beacon appears; the URL of the page on which the beacon appears; the time the page containing the beacon was viewed; the type of browser used to view the page; and the information in cookies set by the third party.

IP Addresses. We collect the IP addresses of all visitors to our site. An IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the internet. We use IP addresses to help diagnose problems with our server, administer our site, analyze trends, track users’ movement, gather broad demographic information for aggregate use in order for us to improve the site, and deliver customized, personalized content.

Do Not Track

Our Sites and Services do not collect personal information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or online services. Therefore, “do not track” signals transmitted from web browsers do not apply to our Sites and Services, and we do not alter any of our data collection and use practices upon receipt of such a signal.

Purposes for Processing Information

Forté Foundation processes personal data for the operation of its Sites and Services.  The information we collect is processed for the following purposes:

  • To serve the functions of the Sites and Services;
  • To manage Forté Foundation’s everyday business needs, such as administration and improvement of the Sites, including analysis of the Sites’ performance and functioning;
  • To study how visitors use the Sites and to perform other market research;
  • To prevent fraud, to enforce our Terms of Use, to comply with all applicable laws and Forté Foundation’s corporate reporting obligations, and to enforce Forté Foundation’s agreements.
  • To solicit and process charitable donations;
  • To communicate with you about our Programs, including when you enroll for our Programs;
  • To offer you information and promotional material about the Services and Programs you see on our sites;
  • To provide you with advertisements based on your interests;
  • To facilitate sharing information about our Sites, Services, and Programs with individuals you know, through our Tell-A-Friend feature;
  • To facilitate your interaction through our Sites and Services with other Program participants, including through social networking; and
  • To send you further notices, promotions, solicitations, brochures, or other marketing materials regarding our Sites and Services, our Programs, and the services of our businesses, affiliates, and business partners.

We also will use your personal information to develop a personal profile about you. If you notify us that you do not wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, we will not send you marketing information.

How We Share Your Information

If you attend one of our events, the Forté Foundation shares the following information about you with the event sponsor or sponsors: first name, last name, email, phone, location (city, state, country), gender identity, birth year, graduation year (undergraduate and/or MBA), ethnicity, undergraduate major, undergraduate institution, MBA institution, first-generation student statistic, pell grant recipient statistic, US military experience, and other interests.

We also share your information with third-party service providers who perform services and functions on our behalf to support our interactions with you including, for example, providing our Programs and Services, processing your purchases or donations, administering surveys or contests, or communicating with you. These third parties have no independent rights in the data.

In addition, we may disclose information about you:

  • If we are required to do so by law or legal process;
  • To law enforcement authorities or other government officials;
  • When we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss, or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity;
  • If necessary to protect the vital interests of a person;
  • To enforce our Terms of Use;
  • To protect our property, services and legal rights;
  • To prevent fraud against Forté Foundation, our affiliates, business partners, or authorized dealers;
  • To support auditing, compliance, and corporate governance functions; or
  • To comply with any and all applicable laws.

Third-Party Advertising Networks

On our Site or as part of our Services, third-party ad servers present or serve advertisements, provide us with data collection, reporting, ad response measurement, and Site analytics, and assist with delivery of relevant marketing messages and advertisements. These third parties may view, edit, or set their own cookies. The use of these technologies by these third parties is subject to their own privacy policies and is not covered by this Privacy Policy. They may also obtain information about other sites you have visited or applications that you have downloaded to your mobile device, and other information about you or your device in order to help analyze and serve anonymous targeted advertising on the Site and elsewhere.

Many third-party advertisers and some web browsers and mobile devices allow you to opt out of third-party advertising.  Information and resources to opt out of interest-based advertising are available from the Digital Advertising Alliance at http://www.aboutads.info/choices/.  You may also opt out of tracking and receiving tailored advertisements on your mobile device by some mobile advertising companies and other similar entities by downloading the App Choices app at www.aboutads.info/appchoices.

Social Networks

The Sites and Services will allow you to sign in to and associate your social network accounts including, but not limited to, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn, with Forté Foundation.

By using this functionality, you give Forté Foundation permission to access all of the elements of your social network profile information that you have made available to be shared and to use it in accordance with the social network’s terms of use and this Privacy Policy. Please refer to the privacy settings in your social network account for information about what data is shared with Forté Foundation and other connected applications and to manage the data that is shared through your account, including information about your activities using our sites.

If you would like to disconnect a social media account from Forté Foundation, refer to the settings of that social media account and its provider.

Other Web Sites

Our Sites contain links to other websites and services. Please note that when you click on one of these links, you are entering another website for which Forté Foundation has no responsibility. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on all such sites as their policies may be different than ours.

Data Security

Forté Foundation has implemented an information security program that contains administrative, technical and physical controls that are designed to reasonably safeguard information that can individually identify you.

Retention of Information

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary for business, legal, or regulatory purposes.

You can review, modify, and delete certain information related to your use of our digital properties by accessing your Forté Foundation account. You can unsubscribe to email, text, or other messages in your account settings or by following the instructions contained within the message. You can also ask us to update your information by contacting us at info@fortefoundation.org.

Business Transfers and Corporate Changes

We reserve the right to disclose and transfer all information related to the websites, including personal information:

  • To a subsequent owner, co-owner, or operator of one or more of the sites; or
  • In connection with a corporate merger, consolidation, or restructuring, the sale of substantially all of our stock and/or assets, or other corporate change, including, without limitation, during the course of any due diligence process.

Notice to Individuals Located in the EU

Forté Foundation processes this information where we have a legal basis to do so. The legal basis that we rely on will be one of the following:

You have consented to our processing of your personal information: We will obtain your consent before using or sharing your information for advertising that is targeted based on your interests and online behavior or other personal information that we or third parties may have collected about you. If you consent to our use of your personal information for any purpose, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time by contacting us, as explained below.

Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation that applies to the Forté Foundation: We will process personal information when necessary to comply with an obligation under EU or Member State law.

Processing is necessary for purposes that are in Forté Foundation’s legitimate interests:  Forté Foundation has a legitimate interest in processing your personal information to comply with applicable laws and for certain business and security purposes, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Product and Service development, management, delivery and enhancement;
  • Fraud detection and prevention;
  • Network and system security;
  • General corporate operations;
  • User personalization;
  • Compliance with applicable laws outside of the EU;
  • Communications regarding Products and Services you have purchased; and
  • Non-targeted marketing.

Rights of Individuals Located in the EU

If you are located in the EU, you have the following rights, subject to applicable exceptions:

You have the right to request access to the personal information we have collected about you for the purposes of reviewing, modifying, or requesting erasure of the information.  You also have the right to request a copy of the information we have collected about you.  In certain situations, you may also request that we restrict or cease processing your information.

If you would like to make a request to access, review, or correct the personal information we have collected about you, please contact us at info@fortefoundation.org or through one of the methods in the “Contact Information” section, below.

To help protect your privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity, such as requiring a password and user ID, before granting access to your information.

You will be notified of any actions taken on your personal information in response to a request submitted for modification, deletion, or restrictions on the processing of your personal information.

When data processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before such withdrawal.  You also have a right to data portability when the data processing is based on your consent or on a contract between you and Forté Foundation and the data was processed by automated means.  You may exercise these rights by submitting a written request to info@fortefoundation.org.

You have the right to object to our processing of your personal information based on our legitimate interests.  You can do so by contacting us as described above.  However, the processing of some types of personal information is necessary to provide you the Services.  Therefore, if you object to certain types of processing, we may not be able to provide you the Services.

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the appropriate privacy or data protection regulator in your jurisdiction.

Information We Transfer

The Sites to which this Privacy Policy applies are subject to United States law, unless otherwise provided herein. By using the Sites or providing us with your personal information, you are transferring your personal information to us in the United States. In addition, we transfer the personal information we collect on the Sites to other countries where we do business, which may not have the same data protection laws as the country in which you reside.

When we transfer your information to other countries, we will protect that information as described here, even though a given country may not have the same privacy and data protection laws as the country in which you reside. All such transfers shall be made through an approved transfer mechanism which may be requested by contacting info@fortefoundation.org.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits you to request information regarding the disclosure of your personal information by Forté Foundation to third parties for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes within the immediately preceding calendar year.  Forté Foundation will provide you with a list of the categories of personal information disclosed and a list of the names and addresses of the third parties.  To make such a request, please send an email to info@fortefoundation.org or write us at:

Forté Foundation
9600 Escarpment #745, PMB 72
Austin, TX 78749

If you are a California resident under the age of 18, and a registered user of any site where this Privacy Policy is posted, California Business and Professions Code Section 22581 permits you to request and obtain removal of content or information you have publicly posted.  To make such a request, please send an email with a detailed description of the specific content or information to info@fortefoundation.org.  Please be aware that such a request does not ensure complete or comprehensive removal of the content or information you have posted and that there may be circumstances in which the law does not require or allow removal even if requested.

Children’s Privacy

The Forté Foundation Sites are general audience sites not directed at children under the age of 16. If we obtain actual knowledge that any information we collect has been provided by a child under the age of 16, we will promptly delete that information.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, you can contact:

Forté Foundation
9600 Escarpment #745, PMB 72
Austin, TX 78749

You can also send an email to info@fortefoundation.org.

If you would like to update your contact information or preferences, have your information removed from our mailing lists, or no longer receive marketing emails, you may do so by:

  • Adjusting the settings in an account you created through the Sites;
  • Unsubscribing via the links contained in emails from us; or
  • Contacting us at info@fortefoundation.org.

Last Revision Date

This Privacy Policy was last revised on, and effective as of December 11, 2023.