Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This Policy applies to visitors of www.sparsfoundation.com, and to anyone who submits information to us through our Contact form, Newsletter subscription, or Volunteer Application form.

The forms on this website are intended to be used by adults — parents, guardians, prospective volunteers, donors, and partners. Where a form is used on behalf of a child (for example, a parent or guardian inquiring about program admission for their child), the personal data submitted is that of the adult submitting the form, provided voluntarily on the child's behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children through this website's forms.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information you choose to provide to us directly, through the following forms:

• Contact form: your name, email address, phone number, the purpose of your message, and the message itself.
• Newsletter subscription: your email address.
• Volunteer application form: your name, email address, phone number, preferred role, location, availability, and any message you provide.

3. Information We Do Not Collect

We do not use third-party advertising trackers or sell any personal data to any party, for any purpose. We do not require you to create an account or log in to use this website. Beyond the information you actively submit through our forms, and the strictly necessary session cookie described in Section 9 below, we do not track your activity across other websites.

4. How We Use Your Information

• To respond to inquiries submitted through the Contact form.
• To send newsletter updates about our programs and impact, to those who have subscribed.
• To review and respond to volunteer applications.
• To maintain records required for our own administrative, financial, and legal accountability as a registered non-profit organisation.

5. Legal Basis and Consent

We process your personal data on the basis of the consent you provide at the point of submitting a form on this website. You will see a clear consent checkbox linking to this Policy before your information is submitted. Your consent is recorded, together with the date and the version of this Policy in effect at the time, alongside your submission.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the details in Section 12. For the newsletter specifically, every email we send includes a self-service unsubscribe link — no need to contact us directly unless you prefer to. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of anything we did with your data before the withdrawal.

6. Children's Personal Data

SPARS Foundation's programs serve children and young athletes, but this website's own forms (Contact, Newsletter, Volunteer Application) are designed to be completed by an adult — a parent, guardian, coach, or prospective volunteer — not directly by a child. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from a child through this website.

Where personal data relating to a child is provided to us by a parent or guardian (for example, as part of a program enquiry or admission), we process that data only for the purpose it was provided, on the basis of the parent's or guardian's consent, and with the same protections described throughout this Policy, consistent with Section 9 of the DPDP Act concerning the personal data of children.

SPARS Foundation's broader child safeguarding practices for young athletes participating in its programmes (as distinct from this website's own data handling) are maintained separately from this website Policy. For enquiries about those practices, contact [email protected]. A formal, published Child Safeguarding Policy may be added to this website once the organisation adopts one for programme delivery.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain Contact form submissions for 60 days and Volunteer Application submissions for 60 days, both counted from the date of submission, after which they are deleted unless one of the exceptions below applies. Newsletter subscriber email addresses are retained for as long as you remain subscribed, and deleted upon unsubscription or a deletion request.

We may retain your information for longer than the period stated above where a mutual transactional or legal obligation between you and SPARS Foundation remains unresolved — for example, an ongoing volunteering arrangement, a partnership or sponsorship commitment, a pending legal or regulatory matter, or an incomplete transaction. In such cases, we retain only the information relevant to that obligation, only until it is resolved, or for as long as applicable law separately requires, whichever is longer.

Erasure before the stated period, where legally possible, is handled manually on request — see Section 10 and Section 12 — rather than by an automatic process, so that any such unresolved obligation can be checked first.

Separately, our technical system logs (which do not ordinarily contain your submitted personal data) are retained for 180 days, in line with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team's (CERT-In) Cybersecurity Directions, 2022.

8. How We Protect Your Information and Who Can Access It

We do not share, sell, rent, or otherwise disclose your personal data to any third party, except where required by law or a valid legal process.

Your information is stored on servers located in India. Access is restricted to authorised SPARS Foundation staff/volunteers who need it to carry out the purposes described in Section 4, and to our website developer solely for the purpose of maintaining the website's technical operation. We apply reasonable security safeguards appropriate to the nature of the data we hold, and we review these safeguards on an ongoing basis.

We do not transfer your personal data outside India. If this ever changes — for example, if a future service provider processes data outside India — we will update this Policy to describe the transfer and the safeguards that apply to it, consistent with the DPDP Act's requirements for cross-border transfer of personal data.

9. Cookies

This website uses one strictly necessary session cookie (named SPARSSESSID) to keep your session secure while you fill out a form, and to protect the website against cross-site request forgery. This cookie does not track you across other websites, is not used for advertising, and is deleted automatically when your browser session ends or expires. We do not use any analytics or advertising cookies on this website.

10. Your Rights

Under the DPDP Act, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction or updating of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Request erasure of your personal data, where it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected for.
• Withdraw your consent at any time.
• Nominate another individual to exercise these rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity, in accordance with the DPDP Act.
• Register a grievance with our Grievance Officer (Section 12) if you believe your rights under this Policy or applicable law have not been respected.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in law or in how we use your information. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Where a change is significant, we will take reasonable steps to make it prominent on this website.

12. Grievance Officer & Contact

For questions about this Policy, your personal data, or to raise a grievance under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), please contact SPARS Foundation's designated Grievance Officer at [email protected].

We aim to acknowledge grievances promptly and to respond within a reasonable period. For general programme or website enquiries that are not data-protection grievances, you may also write to [email protected].

If you are not satisfied with our response to a grievance, you may also have the right to approach the Data Protection Board of India, once constituted and operational under the DPDP Act, or such other authority as applicable law provides.

1. About SPARS Foundation

SPARS Foundation is a non-profit Society, registered under Society Registration No. 443 of 2015 with the Registrar of Societies, Telangana, holding tax-exemption registration under Sections 12A/12AB (Unique Registration Number AANAS1652AE20241) and 80G (Unique Registration Number AANAS1652AF20241) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, based in Secunderabad, Telangana, India, dedicated to developing young table tennis talent through structured coaching, values, and opportunity pathways.

2. Definitions

• "SPARS", "we", "us", or "our" means SPARS Foundation.
• "You" or "user" means any person who visits or uses this website.
• "Donor" means any person or entity making a voluntary contribution to SPARS Foundation.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree to use this website only for lawful purposes. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of this website or its underlying systems, interfere with its normal operation, or submit false, misleading, or malicious information through any of our forms.

4. Intellectual Property

All content on this website — including text, images, video, our logo, and design — is the property of SPARS Foundation or is used with permission, and is protected by applicable intellectual property law. You may view and share content from this website for personal, non-commercial purposes, but may not reproduce, modify, or distribute it for commercial purposes without our prior written consent.

5. Donations, Receipts, and Tax Benefits

Donations to SPARS Foundation, whether by bank transfer or other methods described on our Support page, are voluntary contributions used to further our stated mission. Eligibility for tax-deduction receipts, and the specific terms applicable to donations, are set out in full in the "Donation Eligibility & Tax Benefits" section of this document, which forms part of these Terms.

6. Volunteer Applications and Submitted Information

By submitting a volunteer application, contact message, or newsletter subscription, you confirm that the information you provide is accurate to the best of your knowledge. Submitting a form does not guarantee acceptance as a volunteer, a response within any specific timeframe, or any particular outcome — we aim to respond to genuine inquiries as promptly as we reasonably can.

7. Third-Party Links and Embedded Content

This website may include links to third-party websites (such as our social media pages) or embed third-party content (such as a Google Maps location or YouTube/Vimeo videos). We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of any third-party website or service.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SPARS Foundation, its trustees/directors, staff, and volunteers from and against any claim, liability, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your misuse of this website, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any applicable law.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SPARS Foundation shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss or damage arising out of your use of, or inability to use, this website — including, without limitation, loss of data, loss of an expected tax benefit due to a donor's own non-compliance with the conditions described in "Donation Eligibility & Tax Benefits", or reliance on any impact figures or testimonials published on this website (see Disclaimer).

10. Force Majeure

SPARS Foundation shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under these Terms where such failure or delay results from causes beyond its reasonable control, including natural disaster, act of government, internet or telecommunications failure, or other event of force majeure.

11. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms, this Privacy Policy, the Disclaimer, and the Donation Eligibility & Tax Benefits section are governed by the laws of India. The parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute arising in connection with them amicably through good-faith discussion; failing that, the dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts having jurisdiction over Hyderabad/Secunderabad, Telangana.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

13. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, the Disclaimer, and the Donation Eligibility & Tax Benefits section, constitute the entire agreement between you and SPARS Foundation regarding your use of this website, and supersede any prior agreement or understanding on the same subject.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of this website after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be directed to SPARS Foundation at [email protected].

1. General Disclaimer

This website and its content are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied. While we make reasonable efforts to keep information on this website accurate and up to date, we do not guarantee that it is complete, error-free, or uninterrupted at all times.

2. No Professional, Financial, or Tax Advice

Nothing on this website constitutes legal, financial, or tax advice. Statements about tax deductibility of donations (including under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961) describe SPARS Foundation's own registration status and are provided for general information only — they are not a guarantee of any specific tax outcome for any donor. Every donor's eligibility for, and the amount of, any tax deduction depends on their own individual circumstances and compliance with applicable law. Donors are strongly encouraged to consult their own tax advisor before claiming any deduction.

3. Testimonials, Photographs, and Impact Stories

Photographs, videos, testimonials, and impact stories published on this website are genuine and used with appropriate consent, but are illustrative of our work in general. They do not represent a guarantee of any specific outcome, result, or level of impact from any particular donation, sponsorship, or contribution.

4. Accuracy of Information

We take reasonable care to ensure that information published on this website (including program details, impact figures, and organisational information) is accurate at the time of publication, but this information may change over time and we do not warrant its continuing accuracy. Please contact us directly to confirm any information you intend to rely on.

5. External Links

This website may link to, or embed content from, third-party websites and services (including our social media pages, Google Maps, and YouTube/Vimeo videos). We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or privacy practices of any third-party website or service.

1. Domestic Donations

SPARS Foundation accepts voluntary donations from resident Indian individuals and Indian entities, by bank transfer or such other methods described on our Support page.

2. Tax Deduction Eligibility Under Section 80G

SPARS Foundation holds registration under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (Unique Registration Number AANAS1652AF20241), which allows eligible donors to claim a deduction for donations made to SPARS Foundation, subject to the conditions of that registration and applicable law.

To claim a deduction, a donation must be made through a banking channel (cheque, demand draft, UPI, net banking, or other electronic mode) — under Section 80G(5D) of the Income Tax Act, a cash donation exceeding ₹2,000 is not eligible for deduction. We encourage all donors to use a traceable, non-cash payment method for this reason.

A donor must provide their full name, address, and PAN (Permanent Account Number) for us to issue a valid 80G receipt, and to report the donation correctly in our statutory Form 10BD filing, without which we cannot issue a Form 10BE certificate to the donor for their own tax filing. Until an online payment gateway (if introduced) collects these details at payment time, please email [email protected] after donating with your full name, postal address, PAN, payment reference, amount, and date. SPARS Foundation will process the receipt and statutory reporting manually as soon as practicable after receiving complete details.

3. Anonymous Donations

Under Section 115BBC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, donations received without a record of the donor's identity ("anonymous donations") may be taxed at a specified rate in the hands of the recipient organisation, subject to certain exemptions. To support compliance with this provision, and to allow us to issue valid 80G receipts, we request identifying donor information as described in Section 2 above, and reserve the right to decline to process a donation where we are unable to record the donor's identity.

4. Foreign Contributions Are Not Accepted

SPARS Foundation does not hold registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA), and does not currently intend to seek such registration. Accordingly, SPARS Foundation does not accept contributions from foreign sources — including from foreign nationals, foreign companies or organisations, or funds otherwise originating from a foreign source — through this website or any other channel at this time. All donations accepted by SPARS Foundation are domestic donations as described in Section 1 above.

If you are unsure whether your intended contribution would be treated as originating from a foreign source, please contact us before making any payment.

5. Refunds and Cancellations

Donations made to SPARS Foundation are voluntary contributions and are generally non-refundable. Where a donor believes a payment was made in error (for example, a duplicate transaction or an incorrect amount), SPARS Foundation will review the matter on a case-by-case basis on written request to [email protected] within 15 days of the transaction, and, where a genuine error is confirmed, will process an appropriate correction or refund by the original payment method.

6. Donor Declaration

By making a donation to SPARS Foundation, you confirm that the funds you are contributing are your own, or that you are otherwise authorised to contribute them, and that your donation is a genuine domestic contribution as described in Section 1 above.