Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 20 August 2026

1. Introduction

The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you visit our website (rie-coper.org), interact with us, subscribe to our newsletter, provide donor funding, or engage with our digital catalogue and archives.

We operate as a registered charity in England and Wales under Charity Number 1215357. For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the Foundation is the Data Controller.

2. The Data We Collect

We may collect, store, and process the following types of personal information:

  • Contact Information: Your first name, last name, and email address (e.g., when you subscribe to receive news and updates or inquire about our work).

  • Donor and Funding Information: Names of individual donors or institutional contact persons, business titles, billing addresses, and bank transfer transaction details (such as bank name, account number, and sort code). We do not collect or process credit card numbers or online card payments.

  • Catalogue and Archive Data: Names, biographical information, letters, provenance details, and photographic records relating to our digital catalogue and archive, and historical preservation activities.

  • Technical and Usage Data: IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, and information about how you interact with our website via essential and analytics cookies.

3. Lawful Bases for Processing Data

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases to handle your personal information:

  1. Consent: You have given clear, explicit consent for us to process your data for a specific purpose (e.g., ticking a box to subscribe to our newsletter). You can withdraw consent at any time.

  2. Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our operational needs as an educational arts charity, such as answering public inquiries, conducting academic research, managing donor relationships, or coordinating funding with partner institutions.

  3. Legal Obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with financial reporting, anti-money laundering regulations, and gift aid or tax accounting requirements set by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

  4. Archiving in the Public Interest: In accordance with UK GDPR Article 89, we process historical, biographical, and provenance data indefinitely to maintain a catalogue and archive preserving the legacy of Lucie Rie and Hans Coper.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your data strictly to fulfil our charitable purposes, including:

  • Sending you email updates and newsletters about the Foundation’s work (only when explicitly requested).

  • Processing, tracking, and acknowledging charitable donor funds received via bank transfer.

  • Maintaining internal financial ledgers, gift logs, and auditing records required for UK charity compliance.

  • Constructing and maintaining a catalogue of works.

  • Responding to historical, artistic, or general inquiries submitted through our contact channels.

5. Sharing Your Data

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We will only share your information with trusted entities under strict confidentiality terms:

  • Service Providers: Third-party entities providing technical architecture, cloud storage, web hosting, or email delivery infrastructure.

  • Financial and Regulatory Bodies: Independent examiners or auditors verifying our accounts, banking institutions handling our transfers, and public bodies like HMRC or the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

  • Legal Requirements: Courts or law enforcement authorities if mandatory by law.

6. International Data Transfers

When our third-party infrastructure components route or store data outside the UK (for example, to servers based in the United States), we secure these pathways using UK International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or European Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to ensure equivalent data security.

7. Data Retention

  • Marketing Data: We keep your newsletter contact records until you choose to unsubscribe or withdraw your consent.

  • Financial and Donor Records: We retain transaction logs, bank transfer receipts, and funding documentation for a minimum of 6 years following the end of the financial year they relate to, complying with UK tax and charity laws.

  • Archival and Provenance Material: Information built into our public educational catalogue and archive remains retained indefinitely to preserve the artists’ legacies.

8. Your Statutory Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your data:

  • Right of Access: Request a copy of the information we hold about you.

  • Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete records.

  • Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): Request deletion of data where it is no longer required for the purpose it was gathered. (Note: This right is legally limited regarding data processed under statutory tax retention rules or the Archiving in the Public Interest framework).

  • Right to Restrict or Object: Limit how we process your personal data under specific conditions.

  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Unsubscribe from our distribution lists at any moment using the link provided in our emails.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@rie-coper.org.

9. Regulatory Compliments and Complaints

If you believe the Foundation has not managed your data transparently, you have the right to file a complaint directly with the UK supervisory authority:

  • The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

  • Website: https://ico.org.uk

10. Contact Information

For all questions, data requests, or privacy concerns, please contact the Foundation at:

  • Email: contact@rie-coper.org

  • Postal Address: Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation, c/o Devonshire Green, Lodges Wood Oast, Goodley Stock Road, Westerham, TN16 1TW