What are cookies?
A cookie is a small text file that is stored in your browser and will be transmitted back to the website that set it when your browser makes another request for something from that website. Some other technologies also store data on your device for transmission back to the originating website, or act to identify your device in future requests (for example, Local Storage and web beacons). These are not actually cookies, but our policy and the statements here apply to all such technologies.
This site uses cookies to improve your experience in a number of ways, and to enable us to see how well the site is serving the needs of the people that use it.
What cookies does the British Academy website set?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires website owners to have a legal basis for setting any cookies that contain “personal” data – “personal” being broadly defined to include anything that could identify an individual. It does not therefore cover all cookies, and there are several legal bases for their use when they are covered, but at the British Academy we seek to give you as much choice and control as possible over the cookies used on our site. To this end we seek your explicit consent for much of the functionality that would set cookies, which we seek through our cookie consent tool. This tool groups the cookies according to their purpose, using the categories that follow.
Necessary
These we regard as essential for the proper functioning of the website (and for nothing else), and we do not provide a means to turn them off. You can use browser controls to do this but may experience problems with the site as a result. The following table shows the necessary cookies that may be set during your visit, together with the domain that they are linked to and their function.
Necessary
Analytics
These cookies let us monitor how many people come to the site and how they reached it, and then learn which pages they visit and how they interact with them. The cookies do not contain any sensitive information, only alphanumeric identifiers. Whilst identifiers are regarded as personal, the data are aggregated so we cannot see who has visited or what they have done.
Analytics are turned off by default when you visit the British Academy site, but can be turned on with our cookie control tool. They are first party cookies (that is, tied to the British Academy domain), which means that when you turn them off we can delete them from your browser. If you disable these cookies we cannot know that you have visited the site or improve how well it works for you. The following tables shows the analytics cookies that may be set during your visit.
Surveys and marketing
We use some additional tools to help us understand what visitors want and how they arrive at the website. Sometimes we run surveys (from Informizely) to ask people about their experience and what they might like to see on the site.
We also use a "pixel" from Facebook and Twitter so we can tell when people have seen one of our promotions or campaigns on Facebook or Twitter and so understand if they are working for us. This functionality is turned off by default, but if you enable it then it will help us to make a better site. The following table shows the cookies that may be set for surveys and marketing during your visit.
Maps and media
We embed some content on the site that comes from other services, namely maps (from Google Maps, to show our location), videos (hosted at YouTube) and audio (hosted by SoundCloud and Transistor.fm). When embedded like this they may set third-party cookies – that is, cookies associated with the domain of a host other than thebritishacademy.ac.uk. In addition, if you are logged into one of these services then cookies from their domains may already be on your device and will be exchanged with the service when your browser requests the media. Maps and media are turned off by default so that these third-party cookies are not set, but you can enable them if you want to see/hear the media or view the map.
Controlling cookies
The cookies itemised above, with the exception of the "necessary" category, can be managed with our cookie consent tool. You can toggle each category on or off as you please, and the tool should always be available at the lower left corner of the window for you to change your consents. Please note that the majority of cookies are "first party", meaning they are linked to the domain name of this website, and if you remove consent then the tool can delete them directly.
However the functions in the "Maps and media" category set third-party cookies and the consent tool cannot delete these once they are set. They are turned off by default, but should you enable them and subsequently wish to revoke consent and remove the cookies, you will need to do so via your browser settings or following the directions given by YouTube / Google and SoundCloud.
Fundraising privacy policy
Who does the British Academy collect data from?
Supporters
The British Academy generally collects personal data directly from supporters and donors, for example when donating, registering for newsletters or an event, or otherwise communicate with the Academy. This information is likely to include a name, contact details (including postal address, telephone number, email address) and information such as (but not limited to):
- The nature of your relationship with the British Academy
- Bank or payment card details, if provided to donate
- Information about relevant events, activities, and products which the Academy deems of interest to you
- Intention to leave a legacy: information regarding its purpose, or next of kin, which has been provided to the Academy
- UK taxpayer status to enable the Academy to claim Gift Aid
- Any other personal information provided to the Academy, including for the purposes outlined above
How much of this information the Academy collects will depend on the type of relationship we have with you and the information we compile during your relationship with us.
If you set up a direct debit directly with us your details will be held and processed by a third party – Moorepay. We do not keep financial data if your gift is made online. If you donate via our website, these details are processed by third parties Stripe and GoCardless, all domiciled in the UK and subject to the GDPR. This processing is governed by their own privacy policies.
We need to keep the details of financial transactions for seven years after the financial year of a donor’s last gift, in the event of a tax or banking enquiry. All other information about you will be kept while we have an ongoing relationship with you.
Certain types of personal information are in a special category under data protection laws, as they are more sensitive. Examples of this would be information about health, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, political views. We only collect this type of information where there is a clear reason for us to do so, for example asking for health information if you are attending an event, or where we ask for information for the purpose of providing appropriate facilities or support.
We also collect your information when you give it to us indirectly via third parties, for example when you donate to us through other websites like Just Giving, Ticket Tailor, or the British Schools and Universities Foundation. These independent third parties will only share your information with us when you give consent and we will use your personal information, including your address and telephone number, for the purpose of contacting you in the future. You are free to change your contact preferences at any time.
We will use personal information to:
- Provide any information requested or agreed, such as annual reports on funded areas
- Personal invites to meetings and events that the Academy considers of interest
- Manage donations including processing Gift Aid
- Keep a record of support and any relationships with the Academy, including feedback
- Contact preferences
- Recording and honouring wishes, for example opt out of any specific data processing, or special requirements
- Fulfil any legal, regulatory, or risk management obligations, such as undertaking due diligence before accepting substantial donations
Communications to donors and prospects
To help better understand donors, what they would like to support and preferred method of communication, the Academy uses a variety of research techniques. This helps the Academy be efficient and cost-effective with its resources and reduces the risk of someone receiving irrelevant or intrusive information.
We may use existing data from our database and combine this with information from publicly available sources, such as Companies House, the electoral register, the Charity Commission’s Register of Charities, Who’s Who, LinkedIn, company annual reports, and articles in newspapers and magazines. We do not use data that we believe has not been lawfully or ethically obtained, or sources which have not been broadcast or made public.
Please contact us at [email protected] (or [email protected]) if you would prefer that we did not use your data in these ways.
Partners and funders
The British Academy receives funding from government departments, philanthropic organisations and private donors.
As part of our agreement with funders and partners (or their representatives), the personal data provided in grant applications, subsequent reports, and financial statements will be used for the purposes of:
- Reporting activities: research outputs and impacts arising from grants and awards,
- Monitoring and evaluation: including statistical analysis in relation to the evaluation of research and the study of trends,
- Contacting you about upcoming activities and events or those of relevant partners/funders,
- Contacting you to help inform or evaluate activities / events, application processes, strategy and / or policy work. This may be in the form of newsletters, social media, surveys, and questionnaires.
More information about how we use data from our award holders and those who apply to our grants can be found in our code of practice.
Storing your personal data
Where we store your data
We are wholly based in the UK and store data within the European Economic Area. Some organisations that provide data processing services to us do so under contract and may be based outside of the EEA. We will only allow them to do so if your data is adequately protected.
Retention of your personal data
We will only retain your personal data for as long as it is required for the purposes for which we collected it (eg we have a genuine and legitimate reason and we’re not harming any of your rights and interests). This will depend on our legal obligations and the nature and type of information and the reason for which we collected it. For example, should you ask us not to send you marketing emails, we will stop storing your email address for marketing purposes; we will, however, need to keep a record of your preference.
We continually review what information we hold and will delete personal data that is no longer required.
The British Academy is committed to ensuring you remain in control of your data and you are free at any time to opt out from any activity. To find out more, please contact us at [email protected] (or [email protected]).