Privacy Policy & terms of use

Last Updated: September 27, 2026

Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to personal information collected through the Services and other interactions that expressly reference it. It does not automatically govern employment records, Board records, confidential whistleblower reports, or information processed solely under a separate agreement or notice. Our Services are operated from the United States. Some programs, including physical Muse Mail Club fulfillment, may be limited to the United States even though people elsewhere may visit the website or contact us.

This Policy applies to information submitted through an online employment application unless Muse provides a separate applicant privacy notice. Information maintained after a person is hired is governed by Muse’s personnel and records practices rather than this public website Policy.

Muse will evaluate this Policy as its programs and technology change. We may update it by posting a revised version and changing the last-updated date. We will provide additional notice or obtain consent when required by law for a material change.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

Depending on how you interact with Muse, you may provide:

  • Contact and inquiry information, including first and last name, email address, organization, title, optional phone number, the contents of your message, and whether you choose to receive news and updates.

  • Donation information, including the amount, whether the gift is one-time or recurring weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually, whether you elect to help cover processing fees, donor contact and acknowledgment information, transaction status, and information required by our payment or donation provider.

  • Muse Mail Club and transaction information, including name, email address, billing and mailing or shipping address, optional phone number, subscription selection, payment and renewal status, customer-portal activity, communications, and fulfillment or replacement information.

  • Application and program information, including information submitted for a Muse Funding Challenge, grant, Muse Academy, Featured Creative opportunity, event, survey, vendor relationship, employment opportunity, or other program. This may include organizational history, role, portfolio or website links, social handles, work samples, budgets, demographic information, and narrative responses.

  • Communications and permissions, including newsletter and text-message choices, feedback, survey answers, correspondence, photographs, video, audio, quotations, testimonials, releases, and other materials you choose to provide.

Fields marked required must be completed to submit the applicable form. Other fields are optional. If you provide information about another person, you represent that you are authorized to do so and will direct them to this Policy when appropriate.

Payment Information

Payments are processed by third-party providers such as Stripe, Givebutter, Subbly, or a successor provider identified at checkout. The provider may collect a payment-card number, bank information, billing address, authentication information, and fraud-prevention data under its own privacy policy. Muse receives transaction records and limited payment information, such as payment status, card type, expiration information, and a truncated account number. Muse does not intentionally store complete payment-card numbers or card security codes in its ordinary systems.

Information Collected Automatically

When you use the Services, Muse and its providers may automatically collect IP address, approximate location derived from IP address, browser and device type, operating system, language, referring and exit pages, pages viewed, links selected, dates and times, session duration, error and security logs, cookie or device identifiers, and interactions with communications or advertisements. We do not claim to collect precise device location, contact lists, or mobile-device serial numbers unless a feature clearly requests that information.

Information from Other Sources

We may receive information from payment, donation, subscription, website, analytics, advertising, email, social-media, event, fraud-prevention, grantmaking, fiscal-sponsorship, or program partners. We may also review public professional, organizational, portfolio, sanctions, eligibility, or fraud-prevention information when reasonably relevant to a transaction, application, safety concern, or legal obligation. We combine information only for purposes described in this Policy or disclosed at collection.

3. Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising

Muse and its providers may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, software-development kits, and similar technologies. These technologies may be used to operate the website, maintain security and sessions, remember preferences, understand traffic and engagement, measure email or campaign performance, prevent fraud, improve the Services, create audiences, and deliver or measure advertising on other services.

  • Essential technologies. These support website operation, checkout, security, fraud prevention, accessibility, network management, and functions you request.

  • Functional technologies. These remember preferences and support enhanced website or communication features.

  • Analytics technologies. These help Muse understand visits, pages, referrals, conversions, errors, and aggregate use so we can evaluate and improve our work.

  • Advertising technologies. These may measure campaigns, limit repetition, create or match audiences, and present messages based on activity or inferred interests.

The providers and technologies actually in use may change. Current website and platform settings, any cookie banner, and the privacy policies of the identified providers give additional information. Where required, Muse will request consent before activating nonessential technologies. You may use any cookie-preference control made available through the Services, browser settings, provider controls, or a legally recognized opt-out signal to express available choices. Blocking technology may affect some functions.

Muse does not use confidential grant narratives, payment-card information, safeguarding or health information, or information known to relate to a person under 18 to create interest-based advertising audiences or engage in targeted advertising. Browser Do Not Track signals are not interpreted uniformly across the industry; Muse will respond to Global Privacy Control or another signal when applicable law requires it.

4. How We Use Information

Muse may use personal information to:

  • provide, administer, secure, personalize, troubleshoot, and improve the Services and Muse programs;

  • respond to inquiries and provide requested information, customer service, receipts, acknowledgments, account notices, fulfillment updates, and other transactional communications;

  • process donations, subscriptions, payments, refunds, cancellations, address changes, mailings, replacements, accounting, tax, audit, and financial reporting;

  • administer applications, eligibility, conflicts, review, interviews, awards, grants, creative engagements, events, surveys, evaluations, and program learning;

  • send news, fundraising messages, opportunities, surveys, or marketing communications and, with consent where required, telephone or text messages;

  • measure audience engagement, campaign performance, referrals, and conversions, and develop new services or outreach;

  • protect people, Muse, its partners, and the public; detect fraud, abuse, security threats, or violations; enforce agreements; and establish or defend legal rights;

  • comply with laws, court orders, regulator requests, funder requirements, insurance obligations, and nonprofit governance duties; and

  • create aggregated or deidentified information for research, reporting, learning, fundraising, and program improvement, provided Muse does not attempt to reidentify it except to test safeguards or as permitted by law.

5. When We Disclose Information

Muse may disclose personal information in the following circumstances:

  • Service providers. To vendors that support website hosting, forms, cloud storage, communications, analytics, advertising, subscriptions, fulfillment, payments, donations, accounting, payroll, grantmaking, events, security, legal, insurance, research, or other operations. They receive information appropriate to their services and contractual role.

  • Program and funding partners. To reviewers, advisors, funders, event partners, or collaborating organizations when reasonably necessary to administer or evaluate a disclosed program and consistent with the applicable application, notice, consent, or agreement. Reviewers and external partners receive only the information reasonably necessary for their assigned role and are subject to applicable confidentiality, conflict-of-interest, and data-access requirements.

  • At your direction or with consent. To a recipient you select or for a use you authorize, including publicity, testimonials, introductions, or information sharing requested by you.

  • Legal, safety, and integrity. When reasonably necessary to comply with law or legal process; investigate fraud, abuse, infringement, or security issues; protect rights, property, or safety; respond to an emergency; or enforce agreements.

  • Organizational transition. In connection with a proposed or completed merger, restructuring, fiscal sponsorship, financing, dissolution, transfer of a program or asset, or succession to another charitable organization, subject to applicable law, donor restrictions, confidentiality, and appropriate safeguards.

  • Aggregated or deidentified information. When the information does not reasonably identify an individual, subject to applicable restrictions against reidentification.

Muse does not sell, rent, or exchange subscriber, donor, applicant, grantee, participant, or personnel lists for another organization's independent marketing. Muse does not publicly identify a donor without permission, except when disclosure is required by law. Some privacy laws may define disclosure for targeted advertising as a sale or sharing even when Muse receives no money. Where such a law applies, Muse will provide the required notice and opt-out mechanism.

6. Communications and Choices

  • News and marketing email. You may decline the optional news-and-updates checkbox or use the unsubscribe link in a marketing email. Muse may still send nonmarketing communications concerning a transaction, donation, subscription, application, security issue, or legal notice.

  • Text messages and calls. When offered, consent to marketing texts or calls is optional and not a condition of a donation or purchase. You may withdraw consent using the instructions in the message, including replying STOP where supported.

  • Cookies and advertising. Use the available cookie-preference control, browser or provider settings, legally recognized signal, or contact method described above.

  • Customer information. Use the applicable customer portal or contact Muse to update subscription, billing, communication, or mailing information.

7. U.S. Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and whether a law applies to Muse, you may have rights to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of personal information; information about collection, use, or disclosure; or an appeal of a decision. You may also have a right to opt out of certain targeted advertising, profiling, sales, or sharing and to limit certain uses of sensitive information. Muse will not unlawfully discriminate against you for exercising a privacy right.

Submit a request to admin@musecollaborative.org. We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity, authority, and state or country of residence. An authorized agent may submit a request where permitted, subject to verification. Rights are subject to legal exceptions, including records needed for transactions, grants, security, legal claims, nonprofit governance, tax, audit, and required retention.

8. Additional Notice for EEA, United Kingdom, and Swiss Individuals

To the extent European data-protection law applies, Muse Collaborative Inc. is the controller of personal data described in this Policy unless a specific notice identifies another arrangement. Muse processes personal data as necessary to perform or take steps toward a contract; comply with legal obligations; pursue legitimate interests that are not overridden by individual rights, including operating and improving the Services, administering programs, communicating, fundraising, preventing fraud, and protecting security; protect vital interests; and obtain consent where required.

You may have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict, or receive personal data; object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing; withdraw consent prospectively; and complain to a supervisory authority. Muse does not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects concerning applicants, recipients, employees, contractors, or participants.

Information may be processed in the United States and other countries whose laws may differ from those where you live. When required, Muse will rely on consent, contractual safeguards, adequacy decisions, or another lawful transfer mechanism. Contact admin@musecollaborative.org to exercise a right or ask about an applicable transfer safeguard. Physical products and some programs may remain limited to U.S. participants.

9. Children’s Privacy

The general Services are not directed to children under 13, and Muse does not knowingly collect personal information online from a child under 13 without a legally sufficient process. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, contact admin@musecollaborative.org. Muse will investigate and delete or otherwise address the information as required. Any future youth-directed program may use a separate notice and parental or guardian consent process.

10. Security

Muse uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information in proportion to its sensitivity. Measures may include access restrictions, multifactor authentication, organization-controlled accounts and recovery methods, secure service providers, encryption, records controls, training, and incident response. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, and Muse cannot guarantee absolute security. Notify us promptly at admin@musecollaborative.org if you believe your information or a Muse account has been compromised.

11. Data Retention

Muse retains information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, an ongoing relationship, accounting and tax obligations, donor and grant records, contracts, disputes, security, legal claims, nonprofit governance, insurance, and other legal requirements. Retention varies by record and system. Information may remain temporarily in backups, suppression lists, fraud-prevention records, or records subject to a legal hold. Muse deletes, deidentifies, or securely disposes of information when retention is no longer authorized.

12. Third-Party Services and Links

The Services may link to or integrate services operated by other organizations, including payment, donation, subscription, social-media, event, embedded-media, analytics, and advertising providers. Their privacy practices and terms apply to their services, and Muse does not control them. Review the information presented by the third party before submitting information or leaving the Muse website.

13. Contact

Questions, choices, requests, and complaints concerning this Privacy Policy may be sent to admin@musecollaborative.org or Muse Collaborative Inc., 1055 South Arizona Avenue, Suite 7 #346, Chandler, AZ 85286. Please include enough information for Muse to understand and respond to the request, but do not send payment-card details, passwords, government identifiers, or other unnecessary sensitive information by ordinary email.

Website Terms of Use

Acceptance and Eligibility

These Terms of Use are an agreement between you and Muse Collaborative Inc. governing the Services. You must be at least 13 to use the general website. If you are under the age of legal majority where you live, a parent or legal guardian must authorize any purchase, recurring payment, donation, contractual submission, or activity requiring legal consent. Certain programs may impose different eligibility requirements in their published rules.

Changes to the Terms of Use

Muse may revise these Terms by posting an updated version and changing the last-updated date. Changes apply prospectively unless law permits otherwise. Material changes affecting an existing paid subscription will be communicated as required. Continued use after an effective revision constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Access, Accounts, and Availability

Muse may change, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any part of the Services, subject to applicable law and existing obligations. Features may be unavailable because of maintenance, providers, security, events beyond Muse's reasonable control, or program changes. Muse does not guarantee continuous availability.

If a customer portal or account is provided, you must submit accurate information, protect credentials, use the account only as authorized, and promptly report suspected unauthorized access. Muse may suspend or disable access reasonably believed to be compromised, fraudulent, unlawful, or in violation of these Terms.

Muse Mail Club Subscriptions

Recurring Billing and Authorization

Muse Mail Club is a recurring monthly subscription currently offered at $15 per month, or the then-current price clearly displayed before checkout, plus any disclosed taxes or charges. By subscribing, you authorize Muse and its payment provider to charge the selected payment method when you enroll and automatically at each monthly renewal until you cancel. The checkout page will disclose the billing frequency and material terms before you submit payment. After enrollment, Muse or its service provider will provide an electronic confirmation containing the material recurring-payment terms and cancellation instructions.

Cancellation

You may cancel through the available customer portal or by contacting admin@musecollaborative.org. Cancellation stops future renewals and ordinarily becomes effective at the end of the current paid billing period. To avoid the next charge, submit cancellation before the renewal is processed. Cancellation does not ordinarily produce a prorated or partial-period refund, except when required by law or expressly stated by Muse.

Cutoffs, Fulfillment, and Address Changes

Muse may publish a monthly subscription or address-change cutoff for an upcoming mailing. A subscription or address change completed after the cutoff may apply to the following edition. You are responsible for maintaining a complete and deliverable U.S. mailing address in the customer portal. Muse Mail Club currently ships only to eligible U.S. addresses. Estimated preparation and mailing dates are not guaranteed delivery dates, and postal or carrier delays may occur.

Failed Payments, Refunds, and Replacements

A payment provider may retry a failed charge and notify you to update payment information. Muse may pause or cancel fulfillment while payment is unsuccessful. Except as required by law or expressly stated at checkout, subscription charges are nonrefundable after processing. If an item arrives materially damaged, is materially incomplete, or does not arrive within a reasonable period, contact admin@musecollaborative.org within 30 days after expected delivery with the name, mailing address, edition, and available documentation. Muse may replace the item, provide a credit, issue a refund, or offer another reasonable resolution in its discretion and as required by law.

Creative Content and Product Variation

Each edition may feature different creative work, formats, colors, materials, dimensions, contributors, and themes. Website images and descriptions are illustrative; reasonable differences caused by artistic process, display settings, printing, sourcing, or production are not defects. Ownership of an edition does not transfer copyright, trademark, publicity, or other intellectual-property rights in the artwork or materials.

Donations

Muse may accept one-time or recurring donations on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual schedule. The donation form will display the donation amount, frequency, any processing fee you elect to cover, and the total amount of each charge before submission. If you choose to help cover processing fees, the displayed fee amount becomes part of the authorized transaction. By establishing a recurring donation, you authorize future charges at the selected frequency until you cancel through the provider or contact Muse. Cancellation applies prospectively and should be submitted before the next charge. After a recurring donation is established, Muse or its provider will send an electronic confirmation containing the amount, frequency, and cancellation instructions.

Completed donations are generally final and are not refundable except to correct a duplicate, processing error, unauthorized transaction, rejected restriction, or as otherwise required by law. A donation does not purchase a Muse Mail Club subscription, product, grant, selection decision, or other benefit unless the transaction expressly states otherwise.

Tax status. Muse Collaborative Inc. is an Arizona nonprofit corporation and intends to apply to the Internal Revenue Service for recognition of exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Muse has not yet received an IRS determination recognizing that status. If recognition is granted effective as of Muse’s formation date, qualifying contributions made on or after that date may be deductible to the extent permitted by law. Muse does not guarantee any donor’s individual tax treatment, and donors should consult their own tax advisors.

Applications, Grants, and Creative Opportunities

An application, nomination, inquiry, interview, or invitation does not guarantee eligibility, selection, funding, an engagement, or continued participation. Muse may establish application windows, eligibility rules, evaluation criteria, review stages, conflicts procedures, award ranges, reporting requirements, and separate agreements for each opportunity. Those materials control the applicable process.

An applicant seeking a Muse Funding Challenge Grant as an Individual Creative must be at least 18 years old as of the applicable application deadline and reside in the United States or a U.S. territory. The applicable request for proposals may impose additional eligibility requirements. Eligibility for other Muse Academy programs, creative opportunities, or events is governed by the rules published for that particular opportunity.

Applicants must submit information that is accurate to the best of their knowledge and that they are authorized to provide. Muse may verify eligibility, request clarification, reject incomplete or ineligible submissions, address conflicts, modify or cancel an opportunity before an award is executed, and protect the integrity and safety of the process. Muse does not promise that feedback or scoring will be provided.

Submissions and Content License

You retain ownership of original content you submit. Except for Excluded Materials defined below, by voluntarily submitting content through the Services you grant Muse and its licensees, successors, service providers, and partners a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, and sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, translate, format, publish, display, perform, distribute, create derivative works from, and otherwise use that content, together with submitted names, handles, likenesses, and credits, in any media for Muse's charitable, programmatic, educational, fundraising, archival, reporting, advertising, and promotional purposes.

Excluded Materials. The license above does not apply to payment credentials, passwords, private contact-form messages, information identified and accepted by Muse as confidential, grant narratives, unpublished applicant work samples or portfolios, reviewer materials, confidential grant or employment records, or creative work governed by a separate written agreement, except to the limited extent reasonably necessary to receive, review, administer, secure, archive, or comply with law regarding those materials. A separate agreement, release, application notice, or specific permission controls if it grants different rights.

You represent that you have the rights and permissions necessary for content you submit and that Muse's authorized use will not infringe another person's intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, confidentiality, or contractual rights. Do not submit sensitive personal information or third-party content unless requested and authorized.

Muse Intellectual Property and Permitted Use

The Services and their text, graphics, photographs, video, audio, artwork, logos, trademarks, software, design, selection, and arrangement are owned by Muse or used with permission and are protected by law. Subject to these Terms, Muse grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferable license to access the Services for personal, informational, and other expressly authorized noncommercial purposes.

You may not reproduce, modify, republish, distribute, sell, exploit, remove rights notices from, create derivative works from, or use Muse or contributor content for commercial purposes, artificial-intelligence training, dataset creation, model development, or automated scraping without the applicable owner's prior written permission. Muse Collaborative, Muse Mail Club, related program names, logos, designs, and slogans may not be used in a manner suggesting affiliation or endorsement without authorization.

A copyright owner who believes material on the Services infringes their rights may contact admin@musecollaborative.org with identification of the work and material, contact information, a good-faith statement, an accuracy and authority statement under penalty of perjury, and a physical or electronic signature. Muse may request additional information, send the notice to the person responsible for the challenged material, and act as permitted by law.

Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Services to:

  • violate law, another person's rights, an applicable program rule, or these Terms;

  • submit false, misleading, fraudulent, infringing, defamatory, threatening, exploitative, hateful, obscene, malicious, or unlawfully discriminatory material;

  • impersonate a person or organization, misrepresent affiliation, interfere with a review or selection process, or obtain information through deception;

  • introduce malware, probe or bypass security, gain unauthorized access, disrupt operation, overload infrastructure, or harvest personal information;

  • use a robot, scraper, crawler, or automated process to access or copy the Services except as permitted by Muse in writing or by standard search-engine instructions; or

  • use the Services or their content to train an artificial-intelligence system, create a commercial database, compete with Muse, or exploit another person without authorization.

Third-Party Services and Social Media

Links, embeds, payment tools, customer portals, social-media pages, and other third-party services are provided for convenience or functionality. Muse does not control and is not responsible for their content, availability, security, accessibility, privacy practices, or terms. Your use of a third-party service is governed by that provider's terms.

Reliance on Information and Contributor Content

Information presented through the Services is provided for general informational, creative, educational, and social-connection purposes. Muse does not guarantee that every item is complete, current, or suitable for a particular purpose. Views, artistic expression, statements, links, and other materials supplied by a Featured Creative, grantee, applicant, partner, or other contributor are the responsibility of that contributor and do not necessarily represent Muse's views or constitute Muse's endorsement.

No Professional or Emergency Services

Muse content and programs are for general informational, creative, educational, and social-connection purposes. They are not medical, mental-health, legal, financial, tax, or other professional advice and do not create a professional-client relationship. Muse does not provide crisis or emergency services. If you or another person may be in immediate danger or experiencing an emergency, contact the appropriate emergency service or qualified provider.

Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Services are provided as is and as available. Muse disclaims express and implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. Muse does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, complete, accurate, or free of harmful components. These disclaimers do not limit rights or warranties that cannot lawfully be disclaimed.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Muse and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, agents, licensors, contributors, and service providers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost data, profits, revenue, goodwill, or opportunities, arising from or related to the Services, even if advised of the possibility. Muse's aggregate liability arising from the Services will not exceed the greater of $100 or the amount you paid Muse through the service giving rise to the claim during the six months before the event. These limitations do not apply where prohibited or to liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Muse and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and agents from third-party claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, and reasonable legal fees arising from your unlawful use of the Services, your material breach of these Terms, or content you submit that infringes another person's rights. Muse may control the defense and settlement of a covered claim, and you will reasonably cooperate. This section does not require indemnification for Muse's own conduct where prohibited by law.

Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising from them or the Services are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Subject to applicable consumer protections and any court with mandatory jurisdiction, the state and federal courts located in Maricopa County, Arizona will have exclusive jurisdiction, and you consent to their venue and personal jurisdiction.

Enforcement and Termination

Muse may investigate suspected violations and restrict, suspend, or terminate access; reject or remove submissions; preserve information; cooperate with lawful requests; and take other reasonable action to protect the Services, people, rights, and program integrity. Muse is not obligated to monitor all activity or content. Sections that by their nature should survive termination, including ownership, licenses, disclaimers, limitations, indemnification, disputes, and records obligations, will survive.

Waiver, Severability, and Entire Agreement

If a provision is invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions will continue. Muse's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without Muse's written consent; Muse may assign them as part of a lawful organizational transition. Headings are for convenience. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, and any incorporated checkout disclosures or specific agreements constitute the applicable agreement concerning the Services and supersede prior communications about the same subject.

Accessibility

Muse aims to provide Services that are accessible to people with disabilities. If you have difficulty accessing content or using a feature, contact admin@musecollaborative.org and describe the page, feature, and assistance requested. Muse will consider reasonable steps to provide access or an alternative method, consistent with applicable law.

Contact

Questions concerning these Terms may be sent to admin@musecollaborative.org or Muse Collaborative Inc., 1055 South Arizona Avenue, Suite 7 #346, Chandler, AZ 85286. Customer questions concerning subscriptions, fulfillment, donations, or transactions may be sent to admin@musecollaborative.org.