Science Communication Lab Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION LAB, FORMERLY NAMED IBIOLOGY, WAS INCORPORATED ON NOVEMBER 21, 2014, PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL CORPORATION LAW OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (SECTION 102). THE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION 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
- Income
- $2.2 million
- Spending
- $3.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 93%
- Reserves
- 6.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 57%
- Employees
- 16
- Volunteers
- 15
- Highest pay
- $231,860, executive di
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: 73 out of 100. Higher than 48% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 7% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 55% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1593% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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 68% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 257 of 9 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)
- $1.6 million spent. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE: FEATURE-LENGTH AND SHORT FILMS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE IS THE SCL'S PUBLIC FILM INITIATIVE, AND 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. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE COLLABORATES WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF SCIENTISTS AT ALL STAGES OF THE STORYTELLING PROCESS, AND EXPERIMENTS IN STYLE, STRUCTURE, AND CONTENT. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE'S EFFORTS INCLUDE THE RECENTLY RELEASED OBSERVER, WHICH EXPLORES THE POWER OF OBSERVATION IN HOW WE UNDERSTAND OUR WORLD. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE STORIES ARE PRODUCED WITH A BROAD, GLOBAL, GENERAL (SCIENCE-CURIOUS) AUDIENCE IN MIND, AND AIMS TO CREATE NOVEL PARTNERSHIPS, DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS, AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COMMUNITY SCREENINGS, ACTIVITIES, AND DIALOGUE, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE: FEATURE-LENGTH AND SHORT FILMS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE IS THE SCL'S PUBLIC FILM INITIATIVE, AND 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. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE COLLABORATES WITH A DIVERSE GROUP OF SCIENTISTS AT ALL STAGES OF THE STORYTELLING PROCESS, AND EXPERIMENTS IN STYLE, STRUCTURE, AND CONTENT. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE'S EFFORTS INCLUDE THE RECENTLY RELEASED OBSERVER, WHICH EXPLORES THE POWER OF OBSERVATION IN HOW WE UNDERSTAND OUR WORLD. THE WONDER COLLABORATIVE STORIES ARE PRODUCED WITH A BROAD, GLOBAL, GENERAL (SCIENCE-CURIOUS) AUDIENCE IN MIND, AND AIMS TO CREATE NOVEL PARTNERSHIPS, DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS, AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH COMMUNITY SCREENINGS, ACTIVITIES, AND DIALOGUE, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC.
- $992,280 spent. SCIENCE COMMUNICATION LAB: SEMINARS AND COURSES FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS THE SCL CREATES STORY-BASED MULTIMEDIA AND ASSOCIATED TEACHING MATERIALS THAT HELP AUDIENCES CONNECT WITH SCIENTIFIC IDEAS, THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCIENCE, AND THE REAL-WORLD PROCESSES THAT DRIVE IT. GUIDED BY THE VALUES OF COMMUNITY, OPEN ACCESS, INCLUSION, AND EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING, THE SCL WORKS WITH EDUCATORS TO DEVELOP FILMS AND CLASSROOM RESOURCES; PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS THROUGH ITS AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AND WORKSHOPS; PARTNERS WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO SCREEN FILMS AND CREATE ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES FOR INFORMAL EDUCATION SETTINGS; RIGOROUSLY EVALUATES THE IMPACT OF ITS WORK IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATION; AND BUILDS A GROWING NETWORK OF EDUCATORS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION CONFERENCES. THE SCL ALSO CREATES FREE ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES FOR ASPIRING AND EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS THAT HELP UNPACK KEY ELEMENTS OF BEING A SCIENTIST, INCLUDING HOW TO DESIGN RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS, COMMUNICATE RESEARCH, AND BUILD A MENTOR NETWORK. THESE EFFORTS HELP ADVANCE A SHIFT IN SCIENCE EDUCATION TOWARD ENGAGEMENT, AUTHENTICITY, AND RELEVANCE. SCIENCE COMMUNICATION LAB: SEMINARS AND COURSES FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS THE SCL CREATES STORY-BASED MULTIMEDIA AND ASSOCIATED TEACHING MATERIALS THAT HELP AUDIENCES CONNECT WITH SCIENTIFIC IDEAS, THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCIENCE, AND THE REAL-WORLD PROCESSES THAT DRIVE IT. GUIDED BY THE VALUES OF COMMUNITY, OPEN ACCESS, INCLUSION, AND EVIDENCE-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING, THE SCL WORKS WITH EDUCATORS TO DEVELOP FILMS AND CLASSROOM RESOURCES; PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCIENCE EDUCATORS THROUGH ITS AMBASSADOR PROGRAM AND WORKSHOPS; PARTNERS WITH ORGANIZATIONS TO SCREEN FILMS AND CREATE ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES FOR INFORMAL EDUCATION SETTINGS; RIGOROUSLY EVALUATES THE IMPACT OF ITS WORK IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATION; AND BUILDS A GROWING NETWORK OF EDUCATORS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION CONFERENCES. THE SCL ALSO CREATES FREE ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES FOR ASPIRING AND EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS THAT HELP UNPACK KEY ELEMENTS OF BEING A SCIENTIST, INCLUDING HOW TO DESIGN RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS, COMMUNICATE RESEARCH, AND BUILD A MENTOR NETWORK. THESE EFFORTS HELP ADVANCE A SHIFT IN SCIENCE EDUCATION TOWARD ENGAGEMENT, AUTHENTICITY, AND RELEVANCE.
- $252,363 spent. ENHANCING BIOMEDICAL TRAINING AND DIVERSITY THROUGH A HISPANIC SCIENCE NETWORK THE SCL IS PRODUCING FREE ONLINE COURSES FOR THE YALE CIENCIA ACADEMY (YCA) FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT, A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES DOCTORAL STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED BACKGROUNDS IN BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR MENTORING, NETWORKING, AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, AND FOR MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGH SCIENCE OUTREACH.
- $242,059 spent. SPECIAL INITIATIVES IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION SPECIAL INITIATIVES ENCOMPASS SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES THAT FALL OUTSIDE THE PRIMARY PROGRAM CATEGORIES. THE CURRENT INITIATIVE, SUPPORTED BY A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANT, BRINGS THE SCIENCE OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS PROGRAM - A COMMUNITY OF CREATIVE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLERS. TO DATE, SCL HAS DELIVERED WORKSHOPS AT CONFERENCES AND HOSTED WEBINARS FEATURING EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, INCLUDING FACILITATED BREAKOUT SESSIONS. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS ARE PLANNED TO HELP EXPLORERS UNDERSTAND NEW WAYS TO MEASURE THEIR IMPACT AND FOSTER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEM AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION RESEARCHERS. EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO BIOLOGY (XBIO): EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THE MISSION OF XBIO IS TO CREATE A FREE LEARNING TEXT AND IMAGE-BASED 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. XBIO'S GOAL IS TO OFFER STUDENTS A MORE EXCITING AND ACCURATE WINDOW INTO THE LIFE SCIENCES THROUGH TURNING MAJOR DISCOVERIES INTO STORIES TOLD BY THE SCIENTISTS. IN ADDITION, WE WANT TO OFFER STUDENTS A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR FREE, RECOGNIZING THE FINANCIAL BURDEN IMPOSED BY TEXTBOOK COSTS. AS OF JULY 1, 2023, XBIO IS A FISCALLY SPONSORED SEPARATE PROJECT.
- SPECIAL INITIATIVES IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION SPECIAL INITIATIVES ENCOMPASS SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES THAT FALL OUTSIDE THE PRIMARY PROGRAM CATEGORIES. THE CURRENT INITIATIVE, SUPPORTED BY A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANT, BRINGS THE SCIENCE OF SCIENCE COMMUNICATION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORERS PROGRAM - A COMMUNITY OF CREATIVE SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLERS. TO DATE, SCL HAS DELIVERED WORKSHOPS AT CONFERENCES AND HOSTED WEBINARS FEATURING EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, INCLUDING FACILITATED BREAKOUT SESSIONS. ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS ARE PLANNED TO HELP EXPLORERS UNDERSTAND NEW WAYS TO MEASURE THEIR IMPACT AND FOSTER CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEM AND SCIENCE COMMUNICATION RESEARCHERS. EXPLORER'S GUIDE TO BIOLOGY (XBIO): EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS THE MISSION OF XBIO IS TO CREATE A FREE LEARNING TEXT AND IMAGE-BASED 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. XBIO'S GOAL IS TO OFFER STUDENTS A MORE EXCITING AND ACCURATE WINDOW INTO THE LIFE SCIENCES THROUGH TURNING MAJOR DISCOVERIES INTO STORIES TOLD BY THE SCIENTISTS. IN ADDITION, WE WANT TO OFFER STUDENTS A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR FREE, RECOGNIZING THE FINANCIAL BURDEN IMPOSED BY TEXTBOOK COSTS. AS OF JULY 1, 2023, XBIO IS A FISCALLY SPONSORED SEPARATE PROJECT.
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 October 13, 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 May 2015.
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 October 21, 2026.
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