Public Invention
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Public Invention relieves the poor and distressed and the underprivileged through the advancement of science. Our mission is to "invent in the public, for the public" by creating free-libre, open-source, and humanitarian technologies. We focus on developing accessible, non-proprietary inventions that improve human health, education, and quality of life while bypassing traditional patent-and-profit models. n particular, Public Invention creates teams of volunteers who produce humanitarian open source inventions and machines usable by all. Our method is creating teams of volunteers who collaborate to "work in the light". Many of our projects focus on global health, such as our ventilator, ventilator tester, and our work for NASA creating a digital control system for a ceramic oxygen generator made by for-profit firm. Often our projects use microcontrollers, such as the Krake, a genarl purpose alarm device, but sometimes we make pure-software systems, such as Global Distributed Tracking.
- Income
- $59,248
- Spending
- $231,397
- Reserves
- 4.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 65%
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 57 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (science, under $250k).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 291% of income.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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)
- $90,058 spent. Global Distribute Tracking (GDT) is fully encrypted, free-of-charge and free software website that tracks an asset by keeping an amend-only history of the asset. This includes quality tests and chain-of-custody. Innovativelly, it does not require authentication by its users, and can be used world-wide with anyone with a smart phone. It is already in use tracking tourniquets and external fixators, and is under consideration by MSF (Doctors without Borders).
- $45,268 spent. NASA is developing a ceramic oxygen generator for filling space suits and preparing oxidants for return trips; we have build a digital control system for it. This year we documented a major phenomena that may make the whole system simpler in the future. This system has few moving parts and may have a huge impact providing thereapeutic oxygen in a point-of-care system in rural clinics.
- $2,996 spent. EcoPot is a more efficient cooking pot. One billion people still gather firewood for cooking, which is labor-intensive, adds to deforestation, and produce indoor pollution. A pot that required less wood would have a major impact on the lives of one billion people, mainly women. Using computational fluid dynamics and small 3D-printed metal test pots, we are measuring boil times approcaching half that of traditional pots.
- $1,296 spent. The Krake is a general purpose alarm device---like a programmable smoke alarm. It is highly modular, allowing it to be added to other open source projects (like the Public Invention PolyVent) which require a sophisticated alarm system for safety. Backed by a general purpsoe software system (the Alarm Dialog Management System, ADaM), this wireless device is meant to be spun out to for-profit businesses free-of-royalties to local businesses anywhere in the world.
- $35,810 spent. LibreCorder is a machine-learning empowered point-of-care diagnostic system that combines open source image capture tools with modern AI diagnostic systems. We have submitted two papers on this system, which is live and expanding, and have applied for additional grants.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 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 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 2025.
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 October 2019.
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.