Privacy policy

1. Introduction and communication

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. We will only contact you regarding projects you may be interested in, your membership or other relevant information; moreover, we do not sell or share your details with other parties who may send you unsolicited emails or letters/communications, although we may provide you with opportunities to opt into selected partners’ communications if you choose. Art Fund will use your contact details to send you communications from time to time about inspiration for your next art visit; National Art Pass members will also receive information on how to make the most of the National Art Pass. We also contact you in order to promote the exhibition programmes of the organisations we work with and how you can make a difference by helping us with major appeals to support museums and galleries across the UK. For example, we use the address provided by those who have a National Art Pass to send them copies of our magazine Art Quarterly, and we use the email address, with your consent or if you signed up to become an Art Fund member you receive this as a benefit of your membership, for our fortnightly e-newsletter 'Art in your inbox', which contains ideas for great days out, must-see exhibitions and the latest Art Fund news.

If you prefer not to receive certain types of letters or emails from us, we will respect your wishes.

We may, only on very specific occasions and always with your permission to do so, share your details with museums and galleries or relevant partners, for example if a person has donated towards a specific appeal to buy an important work of art for a museum, we will ask at the time of the donation if they will be happy for the museum to get in touch. We also work with a number of trusted suppliers to deliver our goods and services. Please see Section 7. Who we share your personal information with for more information.

We collect some information about you indirectly, for example through cookies and URL tracking, to assess the performance of our marketing activities and inform future marketing content.

We use third party suppliers to process payments and support us with our marketing and other activities, some of whom are based outside the UK. We only do so after putting adequate safeguards in place, in line with UK data protection legislation.

This document details our approach to privacy and how we use and store the information you provide to us. Please read more to find out:

  • how we collect your personal data
  • what information we collect
  • how we use your personal information
  • your rights and how to make a complaint
  • how we protect your information and how long we keep it for
  • who we share your personal information with

More about Art Fund

This is the Privacy Notice of The National Art Collections Fund (trading as Art Fund) and its wholly owned trading subsidiary, Art Fund Services Limited. The National Art Collections Fund is a charity registered in England and Wales with charity no. 209174 and in Scotland with charity no. SC038331. Art Fund Services Limited is a company registered in England & Wales, company no. 01487654.

The address of The National Art Collections Fund and Art Fund Services Limited is 2 Granary Square, London N1C 4BH.
The National Art Collections Fund is responsible for the website and Art Fund's mobile applications.

2. How we collect your personal data

We collect your personal data at the point when you first interact with us. This could be when you sign up to become a member or make a donation online, when you RSVP to an event, when you submit an application for funding or when you sign up to receive one of our regular communications. We also collect your personal data when you subsequently update it, or communicate with us.

We may also collect your personal data when this is provided to us by a third party, for example when a friend, family member or employer buys membership for you, or, if you are a museum professional, by a colleague submitting a grant application.
We may also collect your personal data through cookies or from publicly available sources (such as Companies House, social media or your company website) as described in section 3 below.

More about how we collect your personal data

We collect your data in the following instances:

  • submissions to our website
  • use of our mobile applications
  • completion of membership forms
  • completion of grant applications
  • fundraising or campaign responses
  • competition entries
  • emails or letter correspondence
  • events and events bookings
  • telephone calls to or from us
  • booking of tickets for Museums

3. What information we collect

We collect the information we need to service your relationship with us, whether that be as a National Art Pass holder, a museum professional, artist or donor. This might include information to enable us to send you your National Art Pass, keep you informed about elements of our charitable programme you can benefit from, or fundraising appeals and events we believe you will be interested in.

We may also, in some instances, collect (or combine your information with) publicly available data to determine which projects you may care most about and anticipate whether you might want to support us in future.

Our website uses cookies, as almost all websites do. For more information on the cookies we use and to manage your cookie preferences visit our cookie policy and settings page.

More about the information we collect directly

Information we obtain from you directly may include:

  • Prefix and name
  • Gender
  • Email address
  • Date of birth
  • Contact phone number(s)
  • Payment card details. Please note, we will not hold payment information for any longer than it takes to process your transaction
  • Company name
  • Delivery address(s)
  • Billing address
  • Your attendance at our events
  • Photo/Video of you with your consent

If you are a student we may also collect:

  • Name of college/university
  • Area of college/university
  • Course name
  • Course faculty
  • Course level
  • Course end date

If you are a museum professional we may also collect:

  • Name of the museum you work for
  • Your job title and department

If you are an artist we may also collect:

  • The gallery you are represented by
  • Information regarding work by you that has been supported by Art Fund
  • Your year of birth, nationality, gender or other biographic information that is publicly available or provided to us for the purposes of providing contextual information for cataloguing work that has been supported by Art Fund.

More about the information we collect indirectly

Information you give us indirectly may include the following instances:

When you interact with us on our website

Art Fund uses cookies to make our website run more efficiently, to help remember and store your preferences as you travel through our site, and to help us understand who is visiting our website and how they interact with it. Find out more about the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences.

Art Fund uses UTM URL tracking to track the source of purchases made on its website. The source from which you clicked through to the website (for example an email from Art Fund or social media advertisement linking to the website), medium (for example the type of advert or communication), name (for example the name of the advertising campaign), and sometimes information about the term (for example paid terms used in the advertising) or content (for example which artwork was used in the advert) is stored in your browser session and then stored on our systems when you complete a purchase.

Social Media

We may record and share the information that you post publicly on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. For example, if you tag an Instagram post with the hashtag #NationalArtPass, we may share your image and caption with our own followers.

Automated tools

From time to time we will use marketing automation to send timely, personalised and relevant content to monitor and engage with members throughout their lifecycle with us. For example we will use automated tool in order to broadcasting emails such as Art in your inbox, Museum Bulletin, etc.

More about how we combine your information with publicly available data

From time to time we may use the information you have provided in combination with publicly available data to:

  • determine whether and in what ways you might be interested in supporting Art Fund
  • conduct assessments of the likelihood of future donations
  • identify professional networks you are involved with as a museum professional
  • identify professional interests and specialisms of museum professionals to determine whether we may wish to consult with them in the course of researching, developing and delivering our programmes
  • monitor the policy interests and work of politicians, civil servants and sector bodies as part of our advocacy work
  • complete due diligence checks to manage our resources properly by knowing our donors, partners and beneficiaries

Examples of information sources we may use include:

  • Companies House
  • Charity Commission and Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) registers
  • Employment information you have made public through social media
  • Philanthropic information you have opted to make public through organisations you have supported
  • Newspaper articles or other publications (offline and online)
  • Your current or previous company website

4. How we use your personal information

We use the data we collect to provide you with products and services we offer. We also use data to communicate with you about our activities, special promotions, events we organise, etc. We only use your information if we have legal grounds to do so which might be for any of the following reasons:

  • you gave us consent
  • it is necessary for our legitimate interests (meaning our interests in fulfilling our charitable objects)
  • it is necessary for us to perform a contract with you (for example a membership contract), or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you, or if
  • we have legal or regulatory obligation to do so, or it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims

If at any time you do not wish us to hold your information please refer to section 5 of this notice which outlines how you can contact us to change your preferences

More about how we use your personal information

Your personal data may be used by (or on behalf of) us for any of the following purposes:

  • administration of your membership or the membership of an organisation you represent
  • administration of gifts, bequests, donations and legacies made by you or an organisation you represent
  • supplying goods ordered from us to you
  • communicating with you by telephone, text, email and/or post (in accordance with, where applicable, your preferences) about our activities, promotions and events and activities of carefully selected trustworthy organisations linked to us
  • contacting you about appeals you have previously supported
  • email communication about how Art Fund can work with and benefit your organisation for example through our charitable programme, National Art Pass or partnership opportunities
  • in relation to the administration of an estate Art Fund has an interest in (where you are a solicitor, executor or otherwise)
  • where consent has been given, we may provide your personal data to carefully selected organisations which we feel will be of interest to you
  • Administration of our charitable programme, such as applications for funding, training and development opportunities; this may include sharing details with members of our board, advisory committees, external advisors and partner organisations, evaluation of grant-giving activities and promotion of our charitable activities
  • Undertaking due diligence with regards to acquisitions grants and high-level donations
  • As part of our advocacy and research work to promote our public affairs agenda in support of museums and galleries. We may monitor the policy interests of, and conduct research relating to, politicians and their staff, civil servants, sector bodies, museum professionals, and individuals where relevant. We may also share updates and invitations to events to this group
  • To make payments in return of the supply of goods or services in line with the contract in place or invoice received

From time to time we use anonymised data about the use of our website and mobile app in order to better understand and improve services we provide to you. In addition, your data may be processed by (or on behalf of) Art Fund in an anonymised form for research and marketing purposes.

From time to time we process data solely as a Data processor on behalf of our partners. For example, Art Tickets platform is a ticket booking service offered for free by Art Fund to UK Museums and Galleries.

4.1. Using publicly available information for fundraising activities

At Art Fund we want to not only meet, but deepen our connection with, individuals and organisations who share our passion for the incredible work taking place in museums and galleries across the UK. We are committed to nurturing collaborative relationships with donors, influencers, prospective donors and others so that together we can do more than ever before for museums and galleries.

To enable us to find and connect with people with a passion for art and the interest and ability to support us in new and exciting ways, we may also use the information you provide to us in combination with publicly available information.

More about how we use publicly available information for fundraising activities

  • This can include information about your property value, trusteeships and level and frequency of gifts to Art Fund or others.
  • We may combine this information with an understanding of your interests and circumstances gained through face to face meetings, including special events, which also provide opportunities for you to learn more about us and our work.
  • We may do this to brief staff and senior trustees so that when we meet you we can tell you about the areas of our work we think will be most exciting to you. This could include a history of your relationship with us, a professional or personal biography and other information found from the above sources.
  • We may identify you as someone we would love to get to know through the publicly available data sources listed above. When we do this we endeavour to contact you within a suitable timeframe in order to introduce ourselves and find out if you are interested in getting involved with Art Fund, giving you an early opportunity to opt out. We may use third party suppliers to undertake these activities on our behalf but these suppliers will not retain your data. All third party suppliers are carefully chosen and we sign data-sharing agreements with them to ensure the safety of your personal information.

The purpose of processing your information in these ways is to help us to determine whether and in what ways you might be interested in getting involved with Art Fund including assessing how likely it is that you would be interested in donating to us and the level of donation that you may be able to give, as well as to ensure we contact you responsibly in a sensitive way. This enables us to fulfil our legitimate interest of knowing our donors and maximising the impact of our charitable resources, while being mindful of your interests and privacy rights.

We will also only store and use this information for as long as it is relevant for its specified purpose. We will always give you a chance to decline further engagement with our organisation. To opt out of your information being used for these purposes please contact Supporter Services on 020 3757 9772 or members@artfund.org.

4.2. Information provided for the purposes of administering grants/ training

If you/your organisation contact us regarding or to apply for a grant, we will collect personal data about you and other people connected to the grant application. In some instances our grant holders and evaluators also send us information about individuals who benefit from projects funded by our grants.

If you provide us with personal data of people who benefit from your project’s work it is your responsibility to inform those individuals and if they have any questions about our use of their personal data, you must refer them to this notice.

We may use your contact details to keep you informed about Art Fund’s work, (including by email, where an email address has been supplied), unless you have indicated that you would prefer not to receive information that is not connected to your application or grant.

Provenance information or vendor information regarding the purchase of works of art will be kept in perpetuity for due diligence. The name of the vendor may be published by us, unless the vendor indicates that they wish to remain anonymous. It is the grant applicant’s responsibility to ensure that individuals are happy for their data to be shared with us.

If you have provided advice to Art Fund to support our grant-making, we may contact you in the future to request your advice or expertise. The advice provided will comprise a formal record associated with the grant and will be archived in perpetuity where an acquisition of a work of art has taken place with our support. Your name may be published in recognition of your support if you are happy for us to do so.

As part of our evaluation and statistical analysis to improve the future of our programme we may contact you in relation to any grants with which you, or the organisation which you may be employed by, are associated.

If you have applied for or attended a training course delivered by or in partnership with Art Fund, we will share your personal data with the third parties co-ordinating this activity for the purposes of delivering and evaluating the training opportunity. If you are wait-listed for a course, we may keep your information to alert you when future opportunities

5. Your rights and how to make a complaint

We want you to be completely happy with the ways in which we hold and use your personal data. You always have the right to opt out of marketing and fundraising communications and you also may want to opt out of the use of publicly available data as described in section 4.1.

At any time you can also contact us to request that we:

  • Stop holding or processing your personal data;
  • Correct or update the personal data we hold about you;
  • Erase your personal data;
  • Restrict or stop the way we use your data (including by objecting to our processing based on our legitimate interest and by withdrawing your consent);
  • Access to the personal data we hold about you, and for us to provide that to you in an easily accessible format, either for your own use or to transfer to another organisation of your choosing;

Please note that these rights are not absolute and there may, for example, be instances where we are not able to comply with your request, for example if certain activities are necessary in order to provide a service.

Please contact us if you would like to exercise any of these rights. You can contact us in the following ways:

Art Fund
PO Box 4387
Chippenham
SN15 9NY

If you are unhappy about how we use your personal information, please contact us, and we will do all we can to address your concerns.

If, despite our best efforts, you feel we have fallen short and are not satisfied with our response, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which regulates information rights in the UK – you can find more information how to do so here.

6. How we protect your information and how long we keep it for

We follow appropriate security procedures in the storage and disclosure of personal data so as to guard against loss, damage and unauthorised access by third parties. We also require those parties to whom we transfer personal data to comply with the same. We adopt robust technological solutions to ensure your personal data is protected from unauthorised access. For example we use encryption for logging in to your online account and for all financial information you provide to us.

We will only hold your personal information for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice and to fulfil our legal obligations. The retention periods will vary depending on the purpose, for example if you make a card payment we will only hold your card details while the payment is being processed.

For further information on how long we keep your personal information, please read our Personal Data Retention Policy.

More about how we protect your information

We view our responsibility to safeguard your data with the utmost seriousness, and we take appropriate steps to protect you. Nevertheless cybercrime and data theft are increasingly prevalent and as such the Internet is not (and mobile devices are not) a 100% secure medium. We cannot therefore guarantee the security of information disclosed to us and want to make you aware of some particular risks when using internet and mobile devices.

Some links on our website may take you to third party sites, over which we have no control. When linking to another website we encourage you to read the privacy policy stated on that website.

Phishing is a cybercrime in which an individual is targeted and contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data. If you have concerns about any communication that might seem to be a genuine Art Fund communication, please review our helpful explanation on phishing before reacting.

Art Fund does not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area or use suppliers which process your personal data outside the European Economic Area without first putting in place adequate safeguards as required by data protection legislation to ensure the security of your data. For example, we use a reputable, well-known US-based supplier for payments and have in place standard contractual clauses with the supplier as required by data protection legislation.

7. Who we share your personal information with

We use a number of trusted data processors in order to deliver our goods and services. This includes Supporter Services who can assist you with enquiries six days a week, and our mailing house who may, for example, send you your Art Quarterly magazine, suppliers who process payments, support our website and technology and our professional advisers.

In some instances we will share your data with your consent, for example you may ask us to share your information with a museum whose Art Happens project you have supported. In other instances, such as when you have applied for funding, we may share your details with specialist advisors with whom we work to ensure that we spend our charitable resources responsibly.

All third parties we work with are very carefully selected and are bound by data-sharing or data processing agreements or supplier agreements containing data processing or data sharing clauses where appropriate to ensure that they treat your data with the same care and respect as Art Fund.

More about who we share your personal information with

  • your personal data may be shared with our employees, volunteers and/or third-party organisations that we appoint to assist Art Fund. We will only share the personal information necessary for the purposes in question and we shall endeavour to ensure that any such recipients of your personal data use appropriate security measures to protect your personal data
  • where appropriate measures have been taken to minimise the extent of the personal data in question, this data may be provided to third parties to process lawfully:
    • in relation to any fundraising campaigns, competitions and promotions that we run jointly with a third party
    • in circumstances in which we are required or authorised by regulatory or governmental authorities requesting disclosure of your personal data, for example in the case of court orders

This Privacy Notice was last updated on 28 Feb 2024. In the event that we update the Privacy Notice, we will notify you and post the changes under the Privacy Notice and/or Privacy and Cookies section of our website.

If you have any queries about this Privacy Notice or any queries about the protection of personal data we hold about you, please do not hesitate to contact us as in the way that is most convenient to you:

Art Fund
PO Box 4387
Chippenham
SN15 9NY

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