Bionanomics Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
ADVANCE ACCESSIBLE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RESEARCH IN MICROSCOPY, BIOENGINEERING, AND STEM EDUCATION.
- Income
- $2.5 million
- Spending
- $49,225
- Spent on programs
- 70%
- Reserves
- Over 10 years of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 30
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
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 56 out of 100. Higher than 11% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 3 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.
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, 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 (1)
- $34,524 spent. IN 2024, BIONANOMICS, INC. (BNX) WAS INCORPORATED AS A NONPROFIT RESEARCH LABORATORY WITH A MISSION TO ADVANCE ACCESSIBLE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN RESEARCH IN MICROSCOPY, BIOENGINEERING, AND STEM EDUCATION. FOLLOWING INCORPORATION IN JULY, BNX ACQUIRED SEVERAL MAJOR PIECES OF EQUIPMENT INCLUDING A LASER SCANNING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE, A LASER CELL MICRODISSECTOR, AN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE (AFM), TWO HAPTIC FEEDBACK CONTROLLERS, AND TWO ROBOTIC ARMSTO SUPPORT RESEARCH INITIATIVES. BNX BEGAN CULTURING AND IMAGING CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS AS A MODEL SYSTEM AND DEVELOPED A SUITE OF INTERNAL PROTOCOLS, INCLUDING STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR INSTRUMENTATION AND LAB SAFETY. TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, BNX LAUNCHED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO LIVESTREAM TIME-LAPSE IMAGING EXPERIMENTS AND SHARE REGULAR LAB UPDATES AND FACILITY TOURS. STUDENT INTERNS PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN DESIGNING AND BUILDING THE LIVESTREAMING SYSTEM, INTEGRATING HARDWARE AND OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE TO CONNECT OUR MICROSCOPES TO THE INTERNET. BNX ALSO PARTNERED WITH A SENIOR CAPSTONE ENGINEERING TEAM FROM PURDUE UNIVERSITY FORT WAYNE (PFW) TO DEVELOP A CUSTOM CO INCUBATOR, LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE PROJECTS. COMPLEMENTING THE RESEARCH MISSION, BNX SIGNIFICANTLY EXPANDED STEM ACCESS ACROSS NORTHEAST INDIANA. BNX SPONSORED EDUCATORS TO LAUNCH FIVE NEW ROOKIE ROBOTICS TEAMS WITHIN FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, PROVIDING TOOLS, PARTS, AND MENTORSHIP TO SUPPORT TEAM DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITION READINESS. BNX ALSO FUNDED TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR STUDENT TEAMS ATTENDING STATE AND WORLD ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS, INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR COACHES TRAVELING TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOUSTON. TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY TRAINING AND PRACTICE, BNX PURCHASED A FULL-SIZE ROBOTICS PRACTICE FIELD AND SECURED SPACE AT ELECTRIC WORKS, MAKING THE FACILITY AVAILABLE TO ALL NORTHEAST INDIANA SCHOOLS FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON. TOGETHER, THESE EFFORTS IN 2024 MARKED A FOUNDATIONAL YEAR FOR BNX, ADVANCING BOTH SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY AND INCLUSIVE STEM EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
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 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 2024.
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 July 2025.
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.