Privacy Policy

Overview

The Hidden Handbook is a free public directory. We do not require you to create an account or log in to use this site. We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties for marketing purposes.

What we collect

For visitors who only browse the site, we collect no personally identifiable information (PII). Standard hosting infrastructure may log:

• •Your IP address (anonymized or discarded — not stored by us)
• •Browser type and version
• •Pages visited and time of visit
• •Referring URL

This data is used solely for aggregate traffic analysis and is never linked to an individual identity.

Email collection

If you choose to subscribe to The Hidden Handbook newsletter or download the free Household Resource Planner, we collect your email address. This is collected only with your explicit consent.

• •Your email is stored securely in our Supabase database.
• •It is used only to send you updates, guides, and resource alerts from The Hidden Handbook.
• •We do not sell, share, or rent your email address to any third party.
• •You can unsubscribe at any time by emailing privacy@hidden-handbook.org with the subject “Unsubscribe.”
• •Unsubscribe requests are honored within 5 business days.

Eligibility quiz

If you complete the eligibility quiz, your responses are stored anonymously to improve program recommendations. Specifically:

• •We collect your answers (household type, income range, primary need, and role) as anonymous data only.
• •No name, email address, IP address, or any personally identifiable information is collected with quiz responses.
• •Anonymous quiz responses cannot be linked back to you in any way.
• •If you optionally provide your email after the quiz, that email is stored separately under the Email Collection policy above.

Cookies & local storage

The Hidden Handbook does not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies. A localStorage key is set in your browser when you interact with the newsletter modal. This key contains a timestamp (not personal data) used to manage how often the modal appears. It does not identify you and is never transmitted to our servers.

Third-party services

The site is hosted on Vercel and uses Supabase as a database. Neither service receives personal information about you beyond what is described above.

• •Vercel Privacy Policy
• •Supabase Privacy Policy

External links

Each program listing links to an external government or nonprofit website. Once you leave The Hidden Handbook, you are subject to the privacy policy of that external site. We have no control over and accept no responsibility for the content or privacy practices of third-party sites.

Children

This site does not knowingly collect information from children under 13. The newsletter and eligibility quiz opt-in forms are intended for adults only.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes materially, the “Last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised. Continued use of the site after any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.