Access to Information Policy

Public access to information is part of our accountability to the communities we serve, our members, donors and partners. We start from the presumption that information about our policies, programmes, governance and finances should be available to the public, unless one of the exceptions in this policy applies.

• “Information”: printed or electronic records held by GCTCH.
• “Requester”: any person or organization asking for information under this policy.

The following is available on gctch.org or on request at info@gctch.org:

• our mission, purpose, goals and activities;
• our governance and leadership, and our institutional policies — including this policy, our Privacy Notice, Terms of Use, Cookie Policy, Refund & Donation Policy and Accessibility Statement;
• public statements, news and announcements;
• publications and research reports, on the licence terms stated for each title;
• our IRS determination letter confirming 501(c)(3) status;
• as U.S. federal law requires of a tax-exempt organization, our application for exemption and our annual information returns (IRS Form 990 series) for the three most recent years once filed — with the names and addresses of donors withheld as the law allows;
• information about our events and summits.

Openness must not put people at risk. Some of the communities we work with live in difficult or dangerous conditions, and their safety comes first. We therefore do not disclose:

• personal data about members, applicants, donors, staff, volunteers or anyone else, except to the person concerned under our Privacy Notice;
• information that could endanger the life, safety, security or freedom of any individual or community, or expose them to discrimination or reprisal;
• the identity of donors who have not agreed to be named;
• information received in confidence from partners, institutions or other third parties, or covered by a confidentiality agreement;
• information covered by legal privilege, or relating to investigations, complaints or legal proceedings;
• internal deliberations, drafts and working communications before a decision is made public;
• security information about our systems, premises or events;
• information whose disclosure would break the law or a contract, or seriously harm the legitimate financial interests of GCTCH or others.

• Write to info@gctch.org, or to Global Council of Turk Communities and Heritage, Somerset Place NW, Washington, DC 20011, USA. Please describe the information you are looking for as precisely as you can and say how you would like to receive it.
• We acknowledge every request within five working days and normally reply within 30 calendar days. If we need longer, we tell you why and when to expect a reply.
• The documents described above under U.S. law are provided free of charge electronically, or on paper for no more than a reasonable copying and postage fee, which we tell you about in advance.
• We may refuse a request in whole or in part if an exception applies, if the request would place an unreasonable burden on our resources, or if it is manifestly unfounded or repetitive. We always give our reasons in writing and explain how to ask for a review.

If you disagree with our reply, you may ask for a review within 30 calendar days by writing to info@gctch.org with “Information review” in the subject. The review is carried out by a senior officer of GCTCH who did not take the original decision. We acknowledge the request within five working days and give a final, reasoned answer within 30 calendar days; in complex cases we may extend this once by up to 30 days, telling you why.

In exceptional cases we may release information covered by an exception when the public interest clearly outweighs the harm, after consulting those it concerns — but never where disclosure could endanger anyone’s safety.

We use the details you give us only to handle your request; only the people dealing with it can see them. We keep them for up to 24 months after our last exchange, and keep anonymous statistics on the number and type of requests. See our Privacy Notice for your rights.

Global Council of Turk Communities and Heritage, Somerset Place NW, Washington, DC 20011, USA · info@gctch.org · +1 202-933-3336.