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Passes our checks

The Center for Inquiry Based Learning Inc

EIN 14-1923044 · Durham, NC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood85 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 61 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

CIBL exists to nurture the natural excitement children have doing science. Its mission is to support NC K-8 teachers by providing training and by providing the most engaging, integrated, hands-on STEM curriculum materials that promote creativity, collaboration and communication.

Income
$1.0 million
Spending
$923,233
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
47.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 48%
Employees
18
Volunteers
8
Highest pay
$137,474, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 66% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 47.6 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 5% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 17% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 61 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $674,554 spent. Classroom Kit Provision CIBL provides STEM curriculum units filled with hands-on materials that promote creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. We have several different products that include 1 SCIENCE KITS - Each unit serves one teacher and up to 32 students K-5 or 125 students 6-8 for a 9-week instruction period. At the end of each instruction period, the kit is returned to CIBL for refurbishing and reuse, eliminating storage and replenishment issues for teachers. 2 STUDENT ACTIVITY PACKSSAP - These are individual student bags with STEM design challenges. Each pack serves 1 teacher/35 students. During the 2024-25 school year, CIBL provided 1,143 kits and 2,750 SAPs, serving approximately 200,000 students. 3 CUSTOM PRODUCTS AS NEEDED - CIBL supports the NC Science Festival by packing the Science Night kits. These kits are supplied to teachers throughout the state through the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center located on UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Last year CIBL provided 323 of these kits which served approximately 65,000 students.
  2. $70,442 spent. Consulting Professional Development CIBL offers professional development to its clients at no charge as part of its mission. During the 2024-25 fiscal year, CIBL provided charitable consulting and professional development workshops with approximately 2,000 teachers in attendance. All of these sessions were for K-8 classroom teachers and were focused on student acitivity packs and specific science kits with a 9-week kit use. In addition to the full day professional development sessions, CIBL offered online sessions for the new Student Activity Packs SAP created during the 24-25 school year. CIBL also led sessions at Bridging the Gap and NC Science Teachers conferences. CIBL also consults with school systems at no charge about science implementation for their schools/districts. In addition, in an effort to incentivize teachers to learn more about CIBLs mission, SAPs are given out to teachers during professional development sessions or conferences in which CIBL is presenting.
  3. $48,726 spent. Curriculum Development CIBL staff are engaged in developing curriculum to meet the NC Essential Science Standards. During the 2024-25 fiscal year CIBL developed additional Student Activity Packs SAP which are designed to be used by students in any type of learning environment such as virtual, in-person, or hybrid. CIBL designed additional teacher resources such as teacher videos, slide decks, teacher tip documents and student activity sheets for our kits and SAPs to help teachers with the successful implementation of the kits/SAPs. These can be found on our website.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 2006.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.