Biophysical Society
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 46% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
TO LEAD AN INNOVATIVE GLOBAL COMMUNITY WORKING AT THE INTERFACE OF THE PHYSICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES, ACROSS ALL LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY.
- Income
- $5.3 million
- Spending
- $5.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 46%
- Reserves
- 36.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 81%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $402,635, executive officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 74 out of 100.
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 36.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 12% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 8% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1546% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 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
0 of 10Did not give 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 December 31, 2024, 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 (4)
- $1.9 million spent. MEETINGS - BPS' MEETINGS FACILITATE THE SHARING OF INFORMATION AND RESEARCH IN THE BIOPHYSICAL SCIENCES.
- $516,680 spent. PUBLICATIONS - THE BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL IS A SEMIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF BPS. IT INCLUDES ORIGINAL ARTICLES AND REVIEWS ON MOLECULAR, CELLULAR, AND SYSTEMS BIOPHYSICS, INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WITH A THEORETICAL OR MECHANISTIC FOCUS, OR RESEARCH DESCRIBING SIGNIFICANT METHODOLOGICAL OR TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES. AREAS COVERED INCLUDE: CELL BIOPHYSICS, CHANNELS/TRANSPORTERS/RECEPTORS, GENOME BIOPHYSICS AND NUCLEIC ACIDS, MEMBRANES, MOLECULAR MACHINES/MOTORS/NANOSCALE BIOPHYSICS, AND PROTEINS. THE BIOPHYSICIST AIMS TO HIGHLIGHT AND NURTURE EDUCATION, AND ITS SCHOLARSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT. THE OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL SERVES A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE TO MAKE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES IN BIOPHYSICS (AND RELATED DISCIPLINES), AS WELL AS EVIDENCE-BASED PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS AT ALL LEVELS: UNDERGRADUATE, GRADUATE AND POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS/TRAINEES, ACTIVE RESEARCHERS, AND SCHOLARS OF BIOPHYSICS TEACHING AND LEARNING. BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS IS A HIGH-QUALITY, FORWARD-LOOKING GOLD OPEN ACCESS (OA) PUBLISHING OPTION FOR THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. WE HELP YOU ADVANCE BIOPHYSICS BY MAKING IT EASIER FOR SPECIALISTS AND GENERALISTS TO SHARE NEW INSIGHTS INTO EXPERIMENTAL DATA OR NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODOLOGIES. AT BIOPHYSICAL REPORTS, OPEN MEANS RIGOROUS, ACCESSIBLE, CONCISE, AND FAST.
- $184,395 spent. PUBLIC AFFAIRS - THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY INVESTS IN PUBLIC POLICY EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF ITS MEMBERS AND THE SCIENCE OF BIOPHYSICS. THROUGH ITS PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, IT KEEPS SOCIETY MEMBERS CURRENT ON RELEVANT LEGISLATION AND SCIENCE POLICY ISSUES. THE SOCIETY HAS TAKEN THE INITIATIVE IN ADVOCATING FOR INCREASED FUNDING AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE LIFE SCIENCES AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES.
- OTHER PROGRAMS
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 1961.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.