- For visits after September 30th, 2025, the below policy applies. If you visited GetCalFresh.org prior to September 30th, 2025, our past Privacy Policy applies to your prior visit. View our past Privacy Policy here.
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For visits after September 30th, 2025, the below policy applies.
If you visited GetCalFresh.org prior to September 30th, 2025, our past Privacy Policy applies to your prior visit. View our past Privacy Policy here.
On this page:
Our privacy policy
GetCalFresh.org is a non-profit website run by Code for America Labs, Inc. (“Code for America”, “we”, “us”, “our”).
This Privacy Policy describes how the GetCalFresh.org website (the “Site”) collects, uses, and protects your personal information.
By submitting your personal information on the Site, you agree to the terms in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not use the Site. You can go to www.benefitscal.org to find other websites where you can apply for CalFresh and other California benefit programs.
Overview
We will only use your personal information to:
- Help you get and keep CalFresh and any other benefit programs that you apply for on future versions of the Site (“CalFresh” herein refers to all such programs).
- Suggest other services or assistance programs that may be useful to you. We will only use your personal information in order to present those services or programs to you as an option, but will never send your personal information to any other services or programs without your permission.
We will not knowingly disclose or sell your personal information to any third party, except as provided in this privacy policy.
We will take all reasonable measures to protect your personal information.
The personal information we collect
We collect and store:
- Any messages you send us through SMS, email, or live chat
- Any answers or comments you provide in response to a survey we send you
In addition to the information you provide, we automatically collect and store information about your visit to the Site:
- Domain from which you access the Internet
- IP address (an IP or internet protocol address is a number that is automatically given to a computer connected to the Web)
- Operating system on your computer and information about the browser you used when visiting the site
- Date and time of your visit
- Pages you visited
- Address of the website that connected you to the Site (such as google.com or bing.com)
We use this information to understand how the Site is used, improve the Site, and monitor usage for security purposes. This data is stored separately from the personal information you submit in the CalFresh application.
We will not collect personal information from you without your knowledge and consent, except in a few limited circumstances as described in this policy.
We currently retain all data for 24 months after you submit your application unless you specifically request that we delete it. You can make this request by emailing us at: gcf-program@codeforamerica.org
How we use your information
We will not send you an email unless you consent to email communication or you email us first. Every automated email will include a link to unsubscribe.
We will not send you a text message unless you consent to text message communication or you text us first. You can reply ‘STOP’ to 80620 or to any text message to unsubscribe.
How we share your information
We learn from and share comments that you have in the application, Live Chat, SMS, email, and surveys to better understand CalFresh enrollment in order to reduce barriers in the safety net system. This may include sharing your information with your county to help them provide better service to you and improve the services they provide. It may also include sharing anonymized quotes in the course of our work with partners.
We also disclose your personal information to Code for America employees, contractors, and affiliated organizations that need to know the information in order to provide the services of the Site.
We do not share your personal information with any other individuals or organizations, except to the minimal extent required by law.
How we protect your information
Protecting your personal information is extremely important to us and we take all reasonable measures to do so. When entering your information on our site, we take industry standard steps to ensure that information is protected. We utilize Amazon Web Services (AWS), a trusted third party data storage service, and Intercom, a trusted third party messenger service.
Although we try our best to protect the privacy of your personal information, we cannot guarantee complete security. The transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Unauthorized entry or use, hardware or software failure, and other factors, may compromise the security of user information at any time.
For more information on our privacy practices, please feel free to reach out to: gcf-program@codeforamerica.org
Changes
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Please check this page frequently for updates as your continued use of this site after any changes in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of the changes.
Effective date
This version of the policy is effective October 1st, 2025.
Questions?
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or complaints with the Site, please contact us by email at gcf-program@codeforamerica.org or by mail at:
GetCalFresh
c/o Code for America
2323 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
We will do our best to resolve the issue.
To report a security issue, email: gcf-program@codeforamerica.org