Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $3.0 million
- Spending
- $2.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 62%
- Reserves
- 26.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 93%
- Employees
- 89
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $1.9 million, 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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 83% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 26.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 4% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1562% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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 (5)
- $1.3 million spent. THE MISSION OF GSSIMR IS TO PREPARE A SUPERB CADRE OF PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR THE PURSUIT OF INNOVATIVE AND CREATIVE INVESTIGATIONS IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. ALL SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS SHARE A DEMONSTRATED ABILITY TO PERFORM BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, AS EVIDENCED BY PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. THE PROGRAM FOCUSES ON EXTENDING THE ABILITY OF PREDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS (STUDENTS) THROUGH HANDS-ON LABORATORY EXPERIENCE THAT STRESSES HIGHLY CRITICAL THINKING IN COMBINATION WITH IN-DEPTH EXPERIENCE IN THE LATEST METHODOLOGIES AND APPROACHES. STUDENTS PERFORM THESIS RESEARCH IN LABORATORIES WORKING AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF MODERN BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY. IN AN AVERAGE TIME OF SIX YEARS FROM MATRICULATION, STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND EXECUTE A RESEARCH PROJECT THAT ADDRESSES A SIGNIFICANT BIOLOGICAL QUESTION, WHICH WILL RESULT IN A PH.D. IN BIOLOGY. THE PROGRAM OF GSSIMR STRESSES CRITICAL THINKING AND THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL PROWESS, INSTEAD OF TRADITIONAL DIDACTIC COURSEWORK. IN AUGUST, THE PH.D. PROGRAM STARTS WITH A SERIES OF SEVEN INTENSIVE ALL-DAY MODULAR COURSES WITH TOPICS INCLUDING GENETICS, GENE EXPRESSION, GENOMICS, PROKARYOTIC BIOLOGY, CELL BIOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION, AND NEUROSCIENCE. THE MODULES INCLUDE SIGNIFICANT LAB WORK, AS WELL AS LECTURES AND CRITICAL READING AND DISCUSSION OF RELEVANT PAPERS. IN SPRING OF THEIR FIRST YEAR, STUDENTS ENGAGE IN THREE CONSECUTIVE TWO-MONTH ROTATIONS IN LABS OF THEIR CHOICE. UNDISTRACTED BY TRADITIONAL COURSEWORK, EXPECTATIONS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH FOR STUDENTS TO FOCUS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON A SHORT-TERM RESEARCH PROJECT. STUDENTS ALSO PARTICIPATE IN A COURSE THAT IS DEVOTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NECESSARY PROFICIENCY IN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION. STUDENTS ENTER THEIR THESIS LABS IN JUNE OF THEIR FIRST YEAR AND UNDERGO AN ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, PERFORMANCE, AND RESEARCH PROGRESS WITHIN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THEIR THESIS RESEARCH. UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS, STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY INTERESTING BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, DEVISE AND CREATE INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO THOSE PROBLEMS, AND EXECUTE INVESTIGATIONS USING THE BEST TOOLS AVAILABLE. STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY IN THE CORE COMPETENCIES BY THE END OF THEIR PROGRAM. THE COMPLETION OF A BODY OF RESEARCH THAT ADDRESSES A SIGNIFICANT BIOLOGICAL PROBLEM AND IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN AT LEAST ONE PUBLICATION IN A HIGH-IMPACT JOURNAL IS REQUIRED FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE PH.D. RESEARCH PROGRAM. THE PUBLICATION FORMS THE MAIN BODY OF A THESIS. A DETAILED LITERATURE REVIEW PRECEDES THE THESIS AND A DISCUSSION OF THE POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS IN THE RESEARCH FOLLOWS THE THESIS. PRESENTATION OF AN OPEN SEMINAR ALSO IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE RESEARCH PROGRAM. GSSIMR ADMITTED ITS FIRST CLASS TO BEGIN THE PH.D. PROGRAM IN AUGUST 2012 AND HAS ADMITTED A NEW CLASS EACH AUGUST. AS OF JUNE 30, 2025, THE PROGRAM CONSISTED OF 45 STUDENTS WITH VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH BACKGROUNDS FROM 24 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. 40 PH.D. DEGREES HAVE BEEN CONFERRED SINCE THE 2016-2017 ACADEMIC YEAR. (Expenses $ 94,722 including grants of $ 0)(Revenue $ 133,000) SEE SCHEDULE O
- $182,217 spent. GSSIMR HAS ANOTHER INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM, POSTDOC EDGE. POSTDOC EDGE IS A RIGOROUS, FIVE-YEAR POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PREPARE AND POSITION POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS FOR SUCCESSFUL INDEPENDENT SCIENTIFIC CAREERS. THE INSTITUTE'S STRONG TRADITION OF VALUING CURIOSITY-DRIVEN SCIENCE AFFORDS POSTDOCS AN UNMATCHED RANGE OF RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES TO ASK BOLD QUESTIONS AND ADVANCE THE FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE CRITICAL FOR UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BOTH HEALTH AND DISEASE. WORKING IN THE LAB OF A HIGHLY DISTINGUISHED STOWERS INVESTIGATOR AND GUIDED BY TEAMS OF SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS, POSTDOCS ARE EXPECTED TO LEVERAGE COMPREHENSIVE AND UNPARALLELED SUPPORT TO PERFORM RIGOROUS, IMPACTFUL RESEARCH AT THE FOREFRONT OF THEIR FIELDS.
- $176,426 spent. GSSIMR HAS ANOTHER INSTRUCTION PROGRAM KNOWN AS THE STOWERS SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM.THE MISSION OF THE STOWERS SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM IS TO PROVIDE AN INVALUABLE LABORATORY EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE SCHOLARS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT GRADUATE SCHOOL AND A FUTURE IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH. EACH SCHOLAR PARTICIPATING IN THE STOWERS SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM WORKS ON AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT. THE PROGRAM OFFERS SCHOLARS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME IMMERSED IN A RESEARCH TOPIC FOR A FULL-TIME EIGHT-WEEK PERIOD. STOWERS SCHOLARS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT AND COLLABORATE WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR LABORATORY AND THE STOWERS COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. IN THIS WAY, STOWERS SCHOLARS EXPERIENCE NOT ONLY THE INTELLECTUAL BUT ALSO THE COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT OF RESEARCH. IN ADDITION, STOWERS SCHOLARS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE LATEST TECHNIQUES IN LABORATORIES AND SUPPORTING TECHNOLOGY CENTERS, WHICH ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. STOWERS SCHOLARS SPEND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME IN THE LABORATORY. ALL SCHOLARS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND WEEKLY SCIENTIFIC SEMINARS ON AN ARRAY OF RESEARCH TOPICS. OTHER ACTIVITIES INCLUDE A WEEKLY LUNCH WHERE SCHOLARS HEAR PRESENTATIONS BY STOWERS SCIENTISTS, SHARE IDEAS, AND DISCUSS INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AND EXPERIMENTS. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE PROGRAM, SCHOLARS PRESENT THEIR WORK IN AN ALL-INSTITUTE POSTER SESSION. IN 2025, THE STOWERS SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM HAD 18 PARTICIPANTS FROM SEVEN COUNTRIES, REPRESENTED 15 SCHOOLS, AND PERFORMED RESEARCH IN 13 DIFFERENT LABS AT THE STOWERS INSTITUTE. (Expenses $ 94,722 including grants of $ 0)(Revenue $ 133,000) SEE SCHEDULE O
- $94,722 spent. SEE SCHEDULE O
- ANOTHER GSSIMR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM IS THE COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY SCHOLARS PROGRAM. THIS ONE-YEAR PROGRAM PROVIDES A VALUABLE, CAREER-ENHANCING RESEARCH AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITY FOR EARLY-CAREER COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGISTS AND BIOINFORMATICIANS. COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY SCHOLARS ARE IMMERSED IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF INDIVIDUALS, TECHNOLOGIES, AND APPROACHES THAT TOGETHER PRODUCE INNOVATIVE AND IMPACTFUL RESEARCH. THE SCHOLARS RECEIVE MENTORSHIP AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WORKING ALONGSIDE EXPERTS FROM STOWERS TECHNOLOGY CENTERS WHILE ANSWERING BIOLOGICAL QUESTIONS FROM A STOWERS LABORATORY. THE PROGRAM REQUIRES PARTICIPANTS TO HAVE RECEIVED A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR HIGHER IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, BIOINFORMATICS, DATA SCIENCE, OR A RELATED FIELD, INCLUDING A BIOLOGY DEGREE WITH EXPERIENCE IN CODING. APPLICANTS NEED TO DEMONSTRATE EXPERIENCE WITH LINUX, R, PYTHON, DATA ANALYSIS, AND VISUALIZATION; ABILITY TO READ EXISTING CODE AND MAKE CHANGES; AND FAMILIARITY WITH STATISTICS AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING. FOR THE 2024-2025 PROGRAM YEAR, THE PROGRAM HAD TWO PARTICIPANTS WORKING WITH TWO DIFFERENT LABS AT THE STOWERS INSTITUTE.
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
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.
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 November 6, 2026.
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.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2014.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 November 4, 2026.
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