Science Communication Lab INC FY2023 filing

Tax-deductible

Berkeley, CA501(c)(3)Science & TechnologyEIN 47-2404616Revenue $6.0M in FY2023

On file with the IRSibiology.org2081 Center St, 94704-1204 · Berkeley, CATax-exempt since May 2015Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The Science communiation lab's mission is to convey, in the form of open- access free videos,the excitement of modern biology and the process by which scientific discoveries are made. The organization's aim is to introduce the leading scientists in biology, how they think about scientific questions and conduct their research, and make known their personalities, opinions, and perspectives. The organization is innovating professional development of graduate students and postdocs through a series of courses that address experimental planning, design, and Communication. Through their existing video content and a far-reaching project seeking to reimagine an introductory biology textbook, they also endeavor to support educators who want to incorporate materials that illustrate the process and practice of Science into their curriculum. The Science communiation Lab is increasingly producing content for the general public that highlights the spirit of scientific discovery, expands the notion of

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
92¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$1.2M paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2023 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
2 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average deficit $294K a year · 9% of revenue · last 5 filings
Concern: a surplus in 2 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
92%
of spending
Looks good: 92% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.2M
to officers and key staff · 27% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 27% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
3 mo
of spending, in cash
Fine: 2.9 months of spending in cash; 1 to 3.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $100K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$373K
6% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 6% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
9
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 9 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$6.0M
+60% vs prior year
Spent
$4.4M
To programs
92%
Net assets
$5.9M
By yearFY2021–FY2025
Revenue
$6.0M
FY2023▲ +60%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2021$3.0M
FY2022$3.8M
FY2023$6.0M
FY2024$2.2M
FY2025$2.2M
Expenses
$4.4M
FY2023▲ +22%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2021$3.1M
FY2022$3.6M
FY2023$4.4M
FY2024$4.3M
FY2025$3.4M
Net assets
$5.9M
FY2023▲ +40%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2021$4.0M
FY2022$4.2M
FY2023$5.9M
FY2024$3.9M
FY2025$2.6M

From the FY2023 Form 990 (year ending June 2023) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2023 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2015.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

92 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 92% · $4.0M Management & general 7% · $321K Fundraising 0% · $8K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

17 people listed on the 990; $1.2M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2022); the FY2023 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive PR
$211,051Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Di
$210,221Pt VII · Sec A
$158,729Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Direc
$141,584Pt VII · Sec A
$138,443Pt VII · Sec A
$103,149Pt VII · Sec A
$101,299Pt VII · Sec A
$101,054Pt VII · Sec A

Elliot Kirschner’s $219K as Executive PR is at the 68th percentile of top reported officer pay among 363 $1–10M science & technology nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021
Elliot Kirschner$218,789$214,454$211,051$206,130$202,090
Sarah Goodwin$218,711$214,424$210,221$206,094$182,183
Michael Walter - Senior Director—$161,913$158,729$152,754—
Jennifer Frazier - Senior Director$152,885$137,553$103,149——
Shannon Behrman - Senior$150,281————
Shannon Behrman—$146,528$141,584$127,388$122,423
Evan Reeves - Director$140,599$138,171$138,443$117,927$93,022
Meredith Desalazar - Senior Produce$117,661$119,618———

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Creates free videos explaining modern biology and scientific discovery, and trains future scientists.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $3.7M · in their own filed words · FY2022
01

Ibiology

Short films and courses for life sciences ibiology uses film to tell the stories of scientific discovery and explain the process of scientific inquiry for undergraduate education. Ibiology also makes video courses to provide professional development for early career scientists.

$1.8Mprogram expense
02

The Wonder Collaborative

Feature-length and short films for the general public the wonder collaborative is a creative partnership that brings innovative storytellers and the global scientific community together in a spirit of experimentation and collaboration to revolutionize science filmmaking with the wonder, awe, and diversity of discovery.

$1.2Mprogram expense
03

Explorers Guide to Biology (xbio)

Educational materials for undergraduate students the mission of xbio is to create a free learning resource that emphasizes the wonders of life and the problem-solving nature of science. Many students approach biology with initial excitement but leave their course discouraged after memorizing a sea of facts.

$655Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$100K
Grants paid · 5 grants · $180K · 2020–2024
University of WisconsinFY2024$36,709
University of WisconsinFY2023$34,411
University of WisconsinFY2022$41,796
University of WisconsinFY2021$34,852
University of WisconsinFY2020$32,433

By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$6.0M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$5.7M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$166K
Investment incomeLn 3$127K
Money outPt IX
$4.4M
Ln 25
Programscol B$4.0M
Managementcol C$321K
Fundraisingcol D$8K
Owns and owesPt X
$5.9M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.1M
Total assetsLn 16$6.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$373K
PeoplePt VI, VII
17
listed · VII A
PaidVII A8
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b9
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$5.7M
Government grantsLn 1e$2.3M
Noncash giftsLn 1g$14K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$166K
Investment incomeLn 3$127K
Other incomeLn 4–11$30K
Gains on assetsLn 7−$3
Total revenueLn 12$6.0M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$77K
SavingsLn 2$982K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$4.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$26K
Other assetsLn 15$97K
Total assetsLn 16$6.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$373K
Net assetsLn 32$5.9M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 514
VolunteersI 693
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY23End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.4M$1.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$2.6M$4.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$25K$26K
Total assetsLn 16$4.7M$6.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$466K$373K
Net assetsLn 32$4.2M$5.9M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$42K$42K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$596K$464K$127K$5K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$1.5M$1.5M$5K$3K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$67K$65K$2K$206
Other employee benefitsLn 9$109K$106K$3K$333
Payroll taxesLn 10$155K$150K$5K$474
Legal feesLn 11b$5K$5K$57
Accounting feesLn 11c$49K$8K$41K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$1.5M$1.5M$13K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$13K$13K
Office expensesLn 13$33K$23K$10K
Information technologyLn 14$40K$30K$10K
OccupancyLn 16$66K$66K
TravelLn 17$86K$84K$2K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$19K$19K
InsuranceLn 23$15K$15K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$9K$8K$1K
Total functional expensesLn 25$4.4M$4.0M$321K$8K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $2.2M$3.4M−$1.2M$2.6M 990 PDF
FY2024 $2.2M$4.3M−$2.1M$3.9M 990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing $6.0M$4.4M$1.7M$5.9M 990 PDF
FY2022 $3.8M$3.6M$201K$4.2M 990 PDF
FY2021 $3.0M$3.1M−$50K$4.0M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $6,046,261 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $3,558,816$5,723,857
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $149,648$166,050
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $5,307$126,501
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $61,462$29,853
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $3,775,233$6,046,261
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $34,852$41,796
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $2,045,848$2,469,380
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $1,493,623$1,860,936
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $3,574,323$4,372,112
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $200,910$1,674,149
Part VI · Governance 9 of 9 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members9
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $6,046,261 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $29,853 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1e Government grants$2,306,163
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$3,417,694
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$14,279
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$5,723,857
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $166,050$166,050
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $126,504$126,504
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$3−$3
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $195,903 · Excluded from tax $126,501$6,046,261
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,372,112 across 17 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $41,796$41,796
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $464,315 · Management $126,883 · Fundraising $4,521$595,719
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $1,534,150 · Management $4,960 · Fundraising $2,765$1,541,875
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $65,289 · Management $2,000 · Fundraising $206$67,495
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $105,511 · Management $3,234 · Fundraising $333$109,078
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $150,139 · Management $4,600 · Fundraising $474$155,213
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $5,200 · Management $57$5,257
IX-11c Accounting feesPrograms $8,200 · Management $41,239$49,439
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $1,511,552 · Management $13,200$1,524,752
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $12,532$12,532
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $23,077 · Management $10,126$33,203
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $29,814 · Management $10,000$39,814
IX-16 OccupancyManagement $66,163$66,163
IX-17 TravelPrograms $84,013 · Management $2,454$86,467
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $19,264$19,264
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $15,054$15,054
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $7,662 · Management $1,329$8,991
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $4,043,250 · Management $320,563 · Fundraising $8,299$4,372,112
Part X · Balance sheet $6,310,061 assets, 18 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $486,638$76,646
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $946,933$981,868
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $453,934$213,988
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $117,925$252,621
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $23,439$26,468
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $24,635$25,668
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $2,621,539$4,610,120
X-14 Intangible assetsStart of year $12,096$25,195
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $5,834$97,487
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $4,692,973$6,310,061
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $360,777$259,608
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $99,760$17,009
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $5,578$96,245
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $466,115$372,862
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,621,373$2,014,235
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $2,605,485$3,922,964
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $4,226,858$5,937,199
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $4,692,973$6,310,061
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $5,937,199 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$6,046,261
XI-2 Total expenses$4,372,112
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$1,674,149
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$4,226,858
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$36,192
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$5,937,199

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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