How we handle your information.

Information we collect

You may explore most of The Lantern Project without creating an account or directly identifying yourself.

Information you provide

If you request a free magnet, we collect the information you choose to provide, including your email address, ZIP code, requester type, optional name, and optional note. If you apply for Lantern Community Resource, we collect the contact, organization, website, service, service area, credential and description information you submit so we can review and respond to your application.

Information processed automatically

Our hosting and security providers may process limited technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, pages requested, search terms, timestamps, and diagnostic or security logs. We do not use the site to sell personal information or serve behaviorally targeted advertising.

Own-words search and AI-assisted matching

If you choose to describe what is happening in your own words, the text you enter is sent to our server and may be processed through Cloudflare Workers AI, currently using Meta Llama models. We use the text to match you with existing Lantern feelings, qualities, pathways, audience routes, or verified resource categories. The system is restricted to those published options and is not intended to diagnose you or generate professional advice.

The Lantern Project does not intentionally save your raw own-words text in its application database, analytics events, AI-usage records, cookies, local storage, or session storage. Cloudflare processes the text to provide the AI service. Cloudflare states that Workers AI customer content is not made available to other customers and is not used to train Workers AI models or improve Cloudflare or third-party services without explicit consent. See Cloudflare's Workers AI data-use information.

Do not include names, email addresses, phone numbers, school names, medical-record information, or exact locations in an own-words field. Search wording may be included in the search page address so the results page can work. This means it may remain in your browser history or appear if you copy or share that address. Other own-words routing fields do not intentionally place the text in the page address.

We keep limited operational information about an AI request, such as an anonymous daily session hash, task type, provider and model identifier, outcome, response time, input length, token counts, estimated cost, and broad audience or theme. These records do not contain the raw prompt or model response. They are used for rate limits, budgeting, reliability, safety, and aggregate evaluation.

Functional browser storage and cookies

The site uses a short-lived, first-party, HttpOnly session cookie to apply AI-search rate limits and prevent misuse. This cookie is used even if you decline optional analytics because it supports the requested feature rather than advertising. If you allow first-party analytics, separate pseudonymous visitor and session cookies may also be set.

Session storage may temporarily remember broad journey choices—such as the audience, selected themes, campaign source, or recommended destination—so navigation can continue during the current browser session. It does not intentionally store your raw own-words text. Local storage remembers your analytics choice and the Arcade progress described below.

Optional analytics and cookies

If you allow analytics, Google Analytics and our first party measurement tools process information about The Lantern Project page visits, resource interactions, session duration, approximate location, browser and device information, and pseudonymous visit or session identifiers. Google Analytics may place a first party cookie on your device. We configure page measurement without the words entered into the site search and do not use analytics for behaviorally targeted advertising.

Our first party impact measurement may infer an approximate city, state, and country temporarily from an IP address. We do not store raw IP addresses in The Lantern Project impact dashboard, use GPS, identify exact locations, or create profiles tied to a visitor's name or contact information.

Optional feedback

If you allow analytics and respond to “Did this feel close?” or other brief usefulness questions, we may record the response with a broad resource or page identifier. We do not include your search wording in that feedback event. Feedback is used in aggregate to improve matching and educational resources.

Lantern Arcade progress stored on your device

Lantern Arcade uses your browser's local storage to remember progress on that device. This may include activity and completion dates, current and best streaks, total activities, completed daily games, game completion counts, best scores, best completion times or moves, the day's wheel result, and whether a release announcement has been dismissed.

Your selected answers, quality finder choices, and private reflections are not included in that saved progress and are not sent to The Guided Pathway Foundation. Arcade progress is not connected to an account or synchronized between devices. Someone who can use the same browser profile may be able to see the progress shown in the Arcade.

If you allow optional analytics, a visit to an Arcade page may be measured in the same general way as another page visit. We do not send your Arcade answer choices, streak, score, private reflection, or locally saved progress through that measurement.

Calendar reminders

When you create a device calendar reminder, the selected date, time, and alert setting are used in your browser to prepare a calendar file. The Guided Pathway Foundation does not receive or retain those selections.

If you choose Google Calendar, the neutral event title, selected date and time, a generic note, and a link to the selected pathway are sent to Google so it can display a calendar event for your review. A device calendar app may process the same information when you open the calendar file. The return link may identify the pathway you selected.

How we use information

• To review, respond to, and fulfill magnet requests and sponsored Lantern Community Resource applications.
• To operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website.
• To understand general use of our educational resources.
• To interpret optional own-words requests and match them with existing Lantern content or verified resource categories.
• To operate rate limits, control service costs, review aggregate matching quality, and troubleshoot the AI-assisted features.
• To let your browser remember Lantern Arcade progress on the device you use.
• To evaluate aggregate program reach, resource engagement, and voluntarily submitted anonymous outcome feedback.
• To comply with applicable law and protect the rights, safety, and integrity of our visitors, partners, and organization.

Submitting a magnet request does not enroll you in marketing messages. We will ask separately before using your contact information for a materially different purpose.

Service providers and third parties

We use service providers to host and protect the site, provide AI-assisted matching, measure optional analytics, and deliver magnet request and sponsored listing application submissions to our Foundation inbox. These providers include Cloudflare, Google Analytics, and Resend. They process information for the services they perform for us. Cloudflare's services may process site traffic, technical data, and own-words text submitted to Workers AI. Google Analytics processes optional measurement data only after you allow analytics. Resend processes the information submitted through our email-delivered forms.

These providers maintain their own privacy and security practices. You can review Cloudflare's Privacy Policy and Google's Privacy Policy.

Calendar providers and calendar apps are independent services. Information you choose to add to a calendar is governed by the provider's privacy practices and your calendar-sharing settings.

Donation and purchase links lead to Zeffy and other independent websites. Information you submit directly to those services is governed by their own privacy practices, not this policy. We encourage you to review their notices before submitting information.

We may also disclose information when required by law, to protect safety or legal rights, or as part of an organizational transaction permitted by law. We do not sell your magnet request information.

Retention and security

We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill requests, maintain appropriate records, resolve disputes, and meet legal obligations. Aggregate analytics, anonymous feedback, and AI operational records may be retained for program evaluation, security, reliability, and financial reporting. The raw text entered into own-words features is not intentionally retained by The Lantern Project after the request is completed, although hosting and AI providers may process associated technical logs under their own agreements and policies.

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards, but no online transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Children's privacy

The educational resources may be shared by families, teens, schools, and community organizations. The site does not require a visitor account, and the own-words tools are not designed to collect a child's identity. Children and teens should not enter names, school names, exact locations, or other identifying information in the own-words tools. The simplified magnet request asks only for an email address, ZIP code, and optional note; teenagers may choose the teen-friendly path so a trusted adult can help with fulfillment. Children under 13 should ask a parent or guardian to submit the request.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child under 13 through these forms. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so we can review and delete it as appropriate.

Your choices

You may allow or decline optional analytics when prompted. You can change that choice at any time through “Cookie choices” in the footer. Declining analytics does not prevent you from using the educational resources.

You can remove the temporary journey information by closing the browser tab or clearing session data. You can remove the AI rate-limit cookie and other site data through your browser, although doing so may reset feature limits or preferences.

You can remove locally saved Lantern Arcade progress by using “Reset Arcade progress” in the Arcade. Clearing your browser's site data may also remove it. Because that progress stays in your browser, we cannot retrieve it, transfer it to another device, or restore it after it is removed.

Before saving a calendar reminder, review the event details and the privacy or sharing settings of the calendar you choose. You can edit or delete the event through that calendar service.

You may ask to access, correct, or delete personal information you submitted through the magnet request or sponsored listing application forms. Some information may be retained when required for legal, security, or recordkeeping purposes.

Email info@theguidedpathwayfoundation.com with “Privacy Request” in the subject line. We may need to verify your request before acting on it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the project or applicable requirements change. We will post the revised policy here and update its effective date. Material changes will be communicated in an appropriate way.