Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Settle the West, a remote worker relocation program operated by Seed Foundation (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) and part of the Black Hills Consortium ecosystem, is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website, submit a relocation application, participate in the program, or attend site visit events. Our headquarters are in Custer, South Dakota. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you do not agree with the practices described herein, please do not use our website or apply to the program.

2. Information We Collect

We collect several categories of information to evaluate applications, administer the program, and improve our services:

• Application Information: Name, email address, phone number, current address, date of birth, household composition (spouse/partner, dependents), employment details, income verification, remote work documentation, and relocation preferences
• Relocation Data: Selected partner town, move-in date, housing preferences, community integration participation, check-in responses, and program milestone completion
• Financial Information: Bank account details for incentive payment disbursement (processed through secure third-party payment providers)
• Site Visit Information: Registration details for site visit weekends, travel preferences, dietary restrictions, accessibility needs, and post-visit feedback
• Testimonials and Media: Photos, videos, written testimonials, and social media content shared by participants with consent
• Website Usage Data: IP addresses, browser type, device information, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and geographic location data

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Evaluate relocation applications and determine eligibility
• Administer the relocation program, including incentive payments and community integration
• Coordinate housing through Pass Creek Holdings and partner housing providers
• Facilitate coworking access at Grow Campus and educational enrollment at Seed Academy
• Organize site visit weekends and community events
• Communicate with applicants and participants about program updates, events, and opportunities
• Measure program outcomes, including retention rates, economic impact, and participant satisfaction
• Generate aggregate impact reports for partner towns, grantmakers, and stakeholders
• Improve our website, application process, and program services
• Comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Partner Towns: We share limited applicant and participant information with partner municipalities (city administrators, housing authorities, school districts) to facilitate relocation services, housing placement, school enrollment, and community integration. We share only the minimum information necessary for these purposes.
• Black Hills Consortium Affiliates: We share relevant information with Pass Creek Holdings (for housing), Grow Campus (for coworking memberships), Seed Academy (for educational enrollment), and other BHC entities as needed to deliver program benefits.
• Service Providers: We use third-party vendors for payment processing, website hosting (Vercel), database management (Supabase), email communications, and analytics. These vendors are contractually bound to protect your information.
• Seed Foundation and Grantmakers: We share anonymized and aggregated program data with Seed Foundation (our parent organization) and grantmakers for reporting, impact measurement, and program evaluation.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, subpoena, court order, or governmental regulation.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We will never share your income or financial information with partner towns or community members.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information, including encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest, secure payment processing through PCI-compliant providers, access controls limiting data access to authorized staff, secure hosting on enterprise-grade infrastructure, and regular security assessments. Despite these measures, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but will promptly notify affected individuals in the event of a data breach as required by applicable law.

6. Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, request corrections to inaccurate information, request deletion of your personal information (subject to program obligations and legal retention requirements), opt out of marketing communications at any time, and request a copy of your data in a portable format. Current program participants should note that certain data must be retained for the duration of their program participation and incentive payment period. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the information provided below. We will respond within 30 days.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience. We use essential cookies for website functionality, analytics cookies (via Vercel Analytics) to understand visitor behavior and improve our website, and preference cookies to remember your settings. We do not use advertising or targeting cookies. You may control cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may impact the functionality of our application portal and other interactive features.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website and relocation program are directed to adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. For family relocation applications that include dependent children, we collect only the minimum information necessary for household composition assessment and partner town coordination (such as ages for school enrollment). Parents or guardians control all information provided about their children. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will promptly delete that information.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal information for the following periods: active participant data is retained for the duration of program participation plus 3 years for outcome tracking and impact measurement. Successful applicant records are retained for 5 years after program completion for alumni services and longitudinal impact studies. Unsuccessful application data is retained for 1 year and then securely deleted. Financial records related to incentive payments are retained for 7 years for tax and audit purposes. Website analytics data is retained in anonymized form indefinitely. You may request early deletion of your data at any time, subject to our legal obligations and program requirements.

10. Geographic Information

Settle the West operates across two states (South Dakota and Wyoming) and 9 partner towns. Your data may be accessed by program staff and partner town administrators in multiple jurisdictions within this service area. All data handling complies with applicable state privacy laws in both South Dakota and Wyoming. If you are accessing our website from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, programs, or legal requirements. We will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. For material changes, we will notify current program participants by email. Your continued use of our website or participation in the program after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: