Privacy Policy

Privacy

Mastercard Foundation Values your Privacy

Mastercard Foundation (the “Foundation”) values and respects your privacy. This “Privacy Statement” summarizes what personal information we collect, and how we use and disclose this information. By using our website (the “Site”), you signify your consent to the terms of our Privacy Statement. If you do not agree with any terms of this Privacy Statement, please do not use this Site or submit any personal information to us.

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Statement at any time. We will reflect any such modifications to this Privacy Statement on our Site. Your continued use of the Site after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of this Privacy Statement, as revised.

What Personal Information We Collect

Personal information is information about an identifiable individual (“Personal Information”). The Foundation collects Personal Information when you voluntarily provide it through using our Site, or when you provide it to us through other means. For example, we may collect Personal Information when you:

  • Contact us through email, telephone, mail; or other correspondence;
  • Register for a conference; or
  • Apply to participate in one of our programs or to receive services from us, such as applying to receive a scholarship.

The Personal Information we may collect will depend on the nature of your request or application, and may include your full name, contact information, such as your address, telephone number, or email address, date of birth, identification numbers (such as passport or driver’s license numbers), details of your background, photographs or videos or any other Personal Information that you choose to submit to us.

Consent

We only collect, use and disclose Personal Information with the consent of the individual. Your knowledge and consent are required for us to collect, use or disclose your Personal Information, except in certain limited circumstances. By using this Site, you are giving your consent for us to collect, use or disclose your Personal Information. If you do not want us to collect and use your Personal Information, then you should discontinue using our Site. You should also understand that, in many cases, our collection, use, or disclosure of Personal Information is a valid condition of service, which means that we need your Personal Information in order to provide a particular service, such as granting you a scholarship. If you do not wish to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your Personal Information, we may not be able to do certain things, such as process your application for a scholarship.

How the Foundation Collects Information through Technological Means

When you visit our Site, we may collect information that is automatically sent to us by your web browser. This information may include your domain name, and your numerical IP address. We may also collect other information, such as the type of browser you use, which pages you view and the files you request.

We collect this information to better understand how visitors use our Site, to improve the content of the Site and to improve your interaction with the Site by making it easier for you to get back to the pages you have looked at the next time you visit. The amount of information that is sent by your web browser depends on the browser and settings you use. Please refer to the instructions provided by your browser if you want to learn more about what information it sends to websites you visit, or how you may change or restrict this.

The Foundation may use “cookies” and other similar devices on this Site to enhance functionality. These devices may track information which includes, but is not limited to: (i) IP address; (ii) the type of web browser and operating system used; and (iii) the pages of the Site visited. If you wish to disable cookies, refer to your browser help menu to learn how. If you disable cookies, you may be unable to access some features on this Site.

How the Foundation Uses and Discloses Personal Information

The Personal Information we collect may be used by Foundation for the purposes for which it was collected, as provided in this Privacy Statement, or for other purposes that are disclosed to you. By using this Site, you are giving your consent for us to collect, use or disclose your Personal Information for these purposes.

For example, we may use your Personal Information to: process your registration for a conference or your application to receive services or a scholarship; determine whether you are eligible to to receive services or a scholarship; manage, operate, oversee and administer our programs, services and scholarships; support and monitor the students who have been granted scholarships; to share it with third party agencies and organizations that deliver many of our programs; to share it with our academic and non-governmental organization partners that assist us with carrying out our purposes or to carry out any other purpose permitted or required by law. We also may disclose your Personal Information for any other purpose that we tell you about and to which you consent.

Some or all of the personal information we collect may be stored or processed in jurisdictions outside of Canada. As a result, this information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in those jurisdictions according to laws in those jurisdictions.

Children and Youth

Although the collection of some Personal Information of children and youth is necessary to pro-vide our services, we do not collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13 unless we have the consent of their parents or guardians. If you are a child or youth, you should review this Privacy Statement with your parents or guardians to make sure that you understand and consent to everything in it. If you are under the age of 13, you should not access this Site or provide us with any Personal Information unless your parent or guardian has consented. If we discover that we have collected Personal Information from a child under the age of 13 without parental consent, we will delete that Personal Information.

How We Protect Personal Information

The security of your Personal Information is important to us. We protect your Personal Information by maintaining physical, organizational and technological safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of such Personal Information. Personal Information may only be accessed by persons within the Foundation who require such access to carry out our purposes as described above.

We retain Personal Information that we collect only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or to meet legal requirements. We securely destroy Personal Information when it is no longer needed.

Access and Correction

You have a right to access to your Personal Information and to request a correction to it if you believe it is inaccurate. If you have submitted Personal Information and would like to have access to it, or if you would like to have it corrected, please contact us using the contact information provided below.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Statement or to access your information, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Privacy Officer Mastercard Foundation 250 Yonge Street Suite 2400 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5B 2L7 email: [email protected]

Safeguarding Policy

Version 1.2
Prepared: December 2023
Approved by Executive Committee: 17 November 2021

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

The Mastercard Foundation ("Foundation") has a deep responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those who participate in our programs. Everyone has the right to freedom from harm, which includes all forms of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We share a high moral and ethical responsibility, with our partners and representatives, to support the individuals that we serve.

DEFINITIONS

  • Harm – all forms of abuse including physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment, neglect or negligent treatment or exploitation resulting in actual or potential harm to the health, survival, development, or dignity of Program Participants, in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust, or power. Harm transcends culture and legality (e.g., culturally accepted practices in some parts of the world, such as female genital mutilation and early marriage cause significant harm to girls and young women).

    • Physical abuse is actual or likely injury or failure to prevent physical injury or suffering.
    • Sexual abuse is actual or likely sexual exploitation, including direct or indirect sexual exploitation, or threatening to involve Program Participants in sexual activities. Sexual abuse may include assault, harassment, rape, defilement, oral sex, masturbation, kissing, touching, or making Program Participants look at or produce sexual or pornographic images.
    • Emotional abuse is actual or likely adverse effect on emotional or behavioural development by rejecting and humiliating someone or denying their worth or dignity. Emotional abuse may include belittling, threatening, scaring, or cyber bullying, and may occur verbally, in writing, in person, or online.
    • Neglect is the failure to provide care for development in all spheres: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter, and safe living or working conditions.
    • Commercial exploitation refers to the use of Program Participants in work or other activities for the benefit of others and to the detriment of the individual’s physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development (e.g., child labour).

  • Program Participants – participants of Foundation funded programming, including children, youth, and other Vulnerable Persons.

  • Relevant Persons – employees (fixed term and temporary), consultants, contractors, seconded staff, casual staff, agency staff, suppliers, partners and agents of the Foundation, including the Board of Directors, and its representatives in any jurisdiction in the world.

  • Vulnerable Persons – Program Participants who are particularly at risk of Harm and who are therefore in need of special care, support, or protection (e.g., children, economically marginalized young women and men, persons with disabilities, refugees, internally displaced people, young mothers, sexual minorities, etc.).

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Safeguarding Policy is to set out a framework for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Program Participants, in accordance with the following commitments:

  • Listening to Program Participants and upholding their best interests;
  • Encouraging Program Participants’ participation in decisions that affect them, and securing their safety, well-being, and agency;
  • Avoiding unintended Harm to Program Participants through our programs and operations; and
  • Combating Harm, including abuse or exploitation in any form.

APPLICATION

This Safeguarding Policy applies to all Relevant Persons.

SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES

The Foundation and all Relevant Persons shall adhere to the following Safeguarding Principles. The Safeguarding Principles apply equally with respect to all Program Participants, without discrimination of any kind based on race, colour, caste, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, language, age, disability, gender, gender identity/expression, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, or any other analogous status. However, we acknowledge that Vulnerable Persons may require special care, support, or protection.

1. Commitment

The Foundation and all Relevant Persons shall commit to safeguarding Program Participants while they are participating in Foundation funded programming. We shall uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour and integrity in line with the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Foundation’s values. We shall honor our positions of trust and commit to never take advantage of the inherent power imbalance between us and the Program Participants that we serve. We shall not tolerate Harm in any form and shall strive to ensure our programs and operations do not unintentionally cause Harm.

2. People

The Foundation and all Relevant Persons shall conduct appropriate reference and background checks on all individuals who have direct contact with Program Participants, assess such individuals’ suitability to work with Vulnerable Persons, ensure that such individuals have received appropriate training on safeguarding, and establish clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations for such individuals.

3. Prevention

The Foundation and all Relevant Persons shall put in place policies, procedures, and protocols to implement appropriate safeguarding measures necessary to sustain a safe environment for all Program Participants. Such safeguarding measures shall align with the standards set out in this Safeguarding Policy. The Foundation shall seek to work or partner with only those organizations who are aligned with this Safeguarding Policy and consistently conduct themselves in a fair and ethical manner.

4. Accountability

The Foundation and all Relevant Persons shall monitor, evaluate, and review their safeguarding measures to ensure appropriate application and effectiveness. Despite our best efforts to proactively minimize risk, we know we cannot prevent all Harm. We shall encourage and allow anyone to raise concerns, anonymously if desired, about any actual or suspected abuse or misbehaviour by Relevant Persons against Program Participants. We shall take all concerns seriously and investigate concerns in a fair and timely manner. We shall not take any retaliation against anyone who reports a safeguarding concern in good faith. We shall take a survivor-centered approach that ensures former participants of Foundation funded programming who experienced Harm during their participation can raise concerns about historical allegations of abuse or misbehaviour at any time, and can receive access to appropriate, accessible, and quality support.

In accordance with the Foundation’s Whistleblower Policy, any Relevant Person who has a concern about a matter may raise the concern with her/his manager or the Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management; Director, People & Culture Operations, Future of Work and Shared Services and/or Director, Assurance and Enterprise Risk Management (collectively, the “Whistleblower Committee”). Relevant Persons may also report anonymously through a telephone or online report via the Mastercard Foundation Ethics Line – available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, by visiting https://mastercardfdn.ethicspoint.com. In certain locations, Relevant Persons can also make a report by telephone. For more information, please consult the Foundation’s Whistleblower Policy.

IMPLEMENTATION

The General Counsel is the Safeguarding Policy administrator, and may authorize the Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management or any other person to exercise or perform any of the powers, duties, or functions of the General Counsel under this Safeguarding Policy. The Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management shall be responsible for implementing and ensuring adherence to this Safeguarding Policy. The Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management shall issue operational statements, notices, forms, policies, protocols, procedures, guidelines and/or training as necessary from time to time. The Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management shall monitor adherence to this Safeguarding Policy through periodic reviews, spot-checking and/or other compliance measures as necessary from time to time. The Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management shall review this Safeguarding Policy at least once every two (2) years.

Notwithstanding the above, safeguarding is a collective responsibility at the Foundation. Country Directors and Executive Directors for all programs shall be responsible for communicating the importance of safeguarding to individuals and organizations that the Foundation works or partners with, being vigilant for safeguarding risks, and helping to manage safeguarding incidents as they may arise. The Safeguarding Leads at Enterprise and Country Levels shall be responsible for mainstreaming safeguarding across the programs supported by the Foundation and monitoring the implementation of safeguarding measures across the Foundation. Foundation People Leaders will be responsible for championing safeguarding within their respective teams.

Implementation of, and adherence to, this Safeguarding Policy is without prejudice to any privileges and/or immunities that the Foundation may have pursuant to a Host Country Agreement or similar agreement in any jurisdiction in the world.

ADMINISTRATION

Policy Ownership
Document Name: Safeguarding Policy
Document Administrator: General Counsel
Document Implementer: Director, Compliance, Labour and Employment and Incident Management
Document Author: General Counsel
Target Audience: Mastercard Foundation Representatives: employees (current, former, fixed term and temporary), consultants, contractors, seconded staff, casual staff, agency staff, suppliers, partners and agents of the Foundation, including the Board of Directors, and its representatives in any jurisdiction in the world
Master Copy Storage Location: Mastercard Foundation Intranet: Global Ethics Hub
Document Classification: Mastercard Foundation Private and Confidential
Date Released: 22 August 2022

Policy History

Date Version Description
17 November 2021 1.0 Mastercard Foundation Safeguarding Policy dated 17 November 2021 was approved by the Mastercard Foundation Executive Committee.
August 2023 1.1 Policy updated to reflect job title changes for accountable administrator and implementer.
December 2023 1.2 Policy updated to reflect job title change for accountable implementer and responsibilities of Safeguarding Leads.