We take your data privacy and security seriously

The Leche Trust collects and holds personal information for the purpose of processing applications for grants, whether from organisations or individuals. This statement explains what personal information we hold, how we use it and how long we keep it.

We seek your consent to our holding this information at the same time that you make an application to us for a grant, and if you don't give us your explicit consent, we don't hold your data. You can also withdraw your consent during the application process, but if and when an award has is made, we will hold your data for the purpose of contractually servicing the award, and to comply with regulatory audit requirements.

Your Rights

We have actively taken steps to ensure that we comply with the relevant legislation, including the Data Protection Act (1998), and the more recent General Data Protection Regulation (2018).

At any time, you have the right to ask us to do the following:

  • Request access to your data from us ('Subject Access Request')
  • Request that we rectify inaccuracies with your data
  • Request that we restrict processing of your data, for example, if you contest the accuracy of the data this will effectively suspend processing of your application until the matter is resolved
  • Request that we erase your data, where you believe that it is being held outside our stated policy
  • Request that we supply your data in a structured, commonly used, machine read-able format.

Should you make any such requests, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity, to ensure that we protect you from unauthorised requests.

Transfers to third parties

Except where required to submit details to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under the Common Reporting Standard (see grants to Overseas PhD Students and other Individuals), the Leche Trust does not transfer your data to any third parties, nor to any other countries.

A Note about Shredding

In any circumstance where we shred paper copies of information, we always do this to the European standard for information destruction (BSEN15713:2009), so you can be sure that the information is destroyed securely and safely.

Privacy Enquiries

Any queries regarding access to your data and your privacy should be addressed to the following person who is responsible for all aspects of data privacy for the Leche Trust, in its role as the 'Data Controller' of your personal data: Rosemary Ewles, Grants Director on 020 3233 0023 (direct line) or at info@lechetrust.org.

Main Grants Programme

Under the Leche Trust's grants programme for conservation and the performing arts, applications are only accepted on behalf of organisations. The personal information submitted normally comprises the name, job title and organisational contact details of the person making the application on the organisation's behalf. In some cases the person making the application, for example a volunteer on behalf of a charity, supplies their private address and contact details.

We maintain a record of all applications received, whether successful or unsuccessful, on a grants database. This includes the organisation's name, project description and details of the Trustees' decision but does not include any personal data. This information is kept for internal statistical research.

If your application is successful and you are awarded a grant, we will keep your grant file, which includes personal data, for six years for audit purposes from the financial year in which the payment was made. The charity's auditors may seek to consult a sample of individual grant files in the course of verifying that the charity's financial transactions have been properly carried out. Beyond six years paper files are shredded and digital files deleted.

If your application is unsuccessful we do not keep a copy of it: paper applications are shredded and digital copies deleted. As noted above, our grants database enables us to keep permanent record of an application having been made by the organisation concerned.

We do not share personal data supplied by applicants with any other organisation or individual.

In the course of processing applications we may consult publicly-available information about organisations on the websites of the Charity Commission and Companies House.

Grants to Overseas PhD Students

The Leche Trust runs a scheme to provide small, living-cost grants to PhD students from developing countries who are studying at UK universities. Applications are made to us directly by individual students. The information we collect on our standard application form includes a wide range of personal data including contact details, date of birth, nationality, academic qualifications, employment record and financial circumstances, including responsibility for dependents. The application also includes a report by the student's PhD supervisor, given under the official stamp of the university.

We hold copies of applications received both as paper and digital copies. They are used by the Leche Trustees in making decisions on awarding grants.

If your application is successful and you receive a grant, we will keep a digital copy of your application and the associated correspondence for audit purposes for six years from the financial year in which the payment was made. The paper copy of your application will be shredded. The charity's auditors may seek to consult a sample of individual grant files in the course of verifying that the charity's financial transactions have been properly carried out. After six years the digital files will be deleted.

If your application is unsuccessful we will not keep a copy of your application once we have let you know the Trustees' decision.

If you are awarded a grant and your country of residence for tax purposes is among those with which the UK has agreed to exchange tax information under the Common Reporting Standard, we ask you as a condition of grant to provide us with the following details: name, date of birth, address in country of residence for tax purposes and Tax Identification Number. The Leche Trust is required to report this information to HMRC on an annual basis. Once the information has been submitted to HMRC we will not keep a copy of it.

To enable us to report on the number of student grant applications processed each year, we keep a summary list, containing no personal information, of the number of applications received and the number and amount of grants awarded.

Other Grants to Individuals

The Leche Trustees also award bursaries from time to time to individual students studying conservation and craft skills. This is not an open application scheme but is operated through invited submissions from the training institutions concerned. The personal information we receive in these cases is similar to that provided by Overseas PhD Students and how we use and hold this information is the same. The submission by the training institution must include the student's consent for the information to be shared with the Leche Trust.

Where a bursary is awarded, the digital case file which contains the student's personal information together with related correspondence and subsequent progress reports, is retained for audit purposes for six years following the financial year in which the payment was made. The same requirement to submit personal information to HMRC under the Common Reporting Standard applies (see above).

Where a submission does not result in the award of a bursary it is deleted together with any associated information.

We keep a summary list, containing no personal information, of the number of submissions received each year from the selected institutions and the course content of the bursaries awarded.