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Science Buddies

EIN 94-3216541 · Milpitas, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair63 out of 100GovernanceFair64 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SCIENCE BUDDIES MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE STUDENTS OF ALL AGES WITH HANDS-ON STEM EXPLORATIONS THAT REFLECT THEIR UNIQUE PERSONAL INTERESTS. BY PROVIDING HIGHLY PERSONALIZED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES, WE DRIVE STUDENT DISCOVERY, ENGAGEMENT, AND LEARNING IN STEM SUBJECTS. OUR VISION IS TO DEVELOP HIGH-QUALITY SCIENTIST-AUTHORED EXPLORATIONS COVERING ALL KEY AREAS OF STEM, FROM THE CLASSICS TO THE CUTTING EDGE, IN FORMATS TAILORED FOR THE NEEDS OF THE AUDIENCES HAVING THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO IMPACT STUDENT STEM LEARNING, STUDENTS THEMSELVES, CLASSROOM TEACHERS, INFORMAL EDUCATORS, AND PARENTS. FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE, WE LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, MAKING STEM LEARNING POSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS OF ALL DEMOGRAPHICS.

Income
$941,253
Spending
$1.3 million
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
9.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 85%
Employees
10
Volunteers
30
Highest pay
$219,731, chief software arch

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

Fair: 63 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 9.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 12% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 42% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 33% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 26 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: 64 out of 100. Higher than 36% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    18 of 25

    4 of 4 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    6 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (1)
  1. $1.1 million spent. THE SCIENCE BUDDIES WEBSITE CONTAINS PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS, OVER 16,000 PAGES OF SCIENTIST-DEVELOPED SUBJECT MATTER (INCLUDING EXPERIMENTS BASED ON THE LATEST ACADEMIC RESEARCH), AND AN ONLINE COMMUNITY OF SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS WHO VOLUNTEER TO ADVISE STUDENTS. WE ALSO PROVIDE RESOURCES, INCLUDING SCIENCE KITS AND LESSON PLANS, TO SUPPORT PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS THEY GUIDE STUDENTS DOING HANDS-ON SCIENCE PROJECTS. DURING 2025, WE REACHED MORE THAN 20 MILLION INDIVIDUALS ON OUR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE, REPRESENTING A NUMBER EQUAL TO APPROXIMATELY 36% OF THE K-12 ENROLLMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1996.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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.

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.