What the check involves, who it applies to, and how your information is protected.

This is a working draft. Some details are still being decided, and those are marked below.

A safeguard, not a judgment

Background checks protect mentees, mentors, and the program. They are a standard safeguard, not a judgment of any individual. We also recognize that criminal-legal systems have disproportionately harmed QTPOC and trans people, so this policy is written so that a record does not automatically disqualify anyone, and so that sensitive information is tightly protected.

Who is checked

• Mentors: a background check is required.
• Mentees: a background check is required.
• Operating Committee and program leadership: a background check is required.

A record does not disqualify you on its own

• A clear result proceeds normally.
• A flagged result goes to a small review group, who may meet with you to understand the context before any decision.
• A disclosure or a record does not automatically disqualify anyone. Each is reviewed individually and in context.
• You are encouraged to disclose anything that may appear, and to give context, on the application itself.

Written decision criteria, agreed in advance so review is consistent, are still being finalized. (Pending.)

Confidentiality and data protection

• Your legal name and results are seen only by a small designated review group, not the wider committee and not the cohort.
• A legal name may be a deadname. It is never surfaced to the cohort and never used in any roster beyond the private admin record.
• Results are stored securely and deleted after a set retention period. (Retention period pending.)
• You are told a check will run, and you may explain any flagged item before a decision is made.

What you can expect

Every applicant is told a check is happening, sees nothing about it shared beyond the review group, and gets a chance to give context on anything flagged.

Related: Apply · Safety and Support