Privacy Policy

Forest Finance Initiative – Effective Date: May 2026

Introduction

Forest Finance Initiative ("FFI," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who visits our website at forestfinanceinitiative.ca or engages with our organization. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights regarding that information.

This policy is governed by Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation. If you have any questions about this policy or our practices, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this document.

What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

Contact information: name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you contact us directly, submit an inquiry, or sign up for updates.
Professional information: organization name, job title, and sector when you engage with us as a potential partner, investor, or collaborator.
Website usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on our site, collected automatically through cookies and analytics tools.
Communications: the content of emails, messages, or inquiries you send to us.

We collect only the information that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

Directly from you when you contact us, fill out a form, or request information about our work.
Automatically through your use of our website via cookies and third-party analytics tools such as Google Analytics.
From publicly available sources in the course of identifying potential partners, investors, or collaborators relevant to our mandate.

Why We Collect and How We Use Personal Information

FFI collects personal information for the following purposes:

To respond to inquiries and communicate with potential partners, investors, landholders, Indigenous governments, and other stakeholders.
To provide information about our projects, research, and nature financing initiatives.
To improve our website and understand how visitors engage with our content.
To fulfill legal or regulatory obligations.
To develop and maintain professional relationships in support of our mission.

We do not use personal information for purposes other than those identified at the time of collection, or for which you have subsequently given consent, except as required or permitted by law.

Sharing of Personal Information

FFI does not sell personal information. We may share personal information in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers: third-party providers who assist us with website hosting, analytics, or communications, who are contractually required to protect your information and use it only as directed by FFI.
Legal requirements: where required by law, court order, or government authority.
With your consent: where you have explicitly authorized us to share your information with a third party.

Any third parties with whom we share personal information are required to maintain standards of protection consistent with this policy.

Transfers Outside of Canada

Some of our service providers, including website hosting and analytics tools, may store or process data outside of Canada, including in the United States. When personal information is transferred outside of Canada, it may be subject to the laws of the receiving jurisdiction. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any such transfers are made to organizations that maintain comparable levels of protection to those required under Canadian law.

How We Protect Personal Information

FFI uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These include:

Secure data storage and transmission practices.
Access controls limiting who within FFI can access personal information.
Regular review of our security practices.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies (small text files stored on your device) to improve your browsing experience and understand how our site is used. We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about site traffic and user behaviour. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, though some features of our website may not function as intended if you do.

Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When personal information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymized.