Good Science Project
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Good Science Project is dedicated to improving scientific progress via education, research, publications, and public advocacy as to effective science policy and funding.
- Income
- $1.0 million
- Spending
- $710,291
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- 9.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $285,423, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (social science, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 30% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 57% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 53 out of 100. Higher than 6% of charities in its peer group (social science, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 4 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
0 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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, 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 (2)
- $614,402 spent. In 2025, Stuart Buck published dozens of newsletters that are widely read in the science policy community. Additionally, he published "Let Unfunded Grant Applications See the Light of Day," Issues in Science and Technology (Spring 2025), available at https://issues.org/unfunded-grant-applications-open-science-buck-marcum/, and "Science Under Threat in the United States," eLife (Mar. 27, 2025), available at https://elifesciences.org/articles/106819. He also published "Reforming NIH: A blueprint for 21st-century medical research," STAT News (2025), available at https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/08/nih-reform-budget-cuts-trump-administration-rfk-jr/. "The State of American Science Funding (For the Next Five Minutes)," Asterisk Magazine (2025), available at https://asteriskmag.com/issues/11/the-state-of-american-science-funding-for-the-next-five-minutes. "The Case for Crazy Philanthropy," Palladium Magazine (2025), available at https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/08/22/the-case-for-crazy-philanthropy/. With Ben Reinhardt, "The Paradox of Harmful Information: Risk and progress in the sciences," Arena (2025), available at https://arenamag.com/articles/the-paradox-of-harmful-information.
- In 2025, Stuart Buck gave a talk at the Foresight Institute's Vision Weekend (a major science conference), and was a panelist at the Association of Health Care Journalists annual conference, the Science and Politics Symposium at Northwestern University, and the Metascience 2025 conference. He was asked to testify before the House Veteran Affais Committee on as to VA-supported research.
Source: Form 990 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 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 December 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 2024.
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.
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.