Why should I donate to Science Buddies?

Every year Science Buddies helps millions of students and teachers conducting science projects. Hands-on scientific investigations, such as science projects, are acknowledged to be the best way to teach science literacy. Science Buddies supports these activities by providing free science fair project ideas, answers, and tools to teachers, parents, and students from all walks of life. Our objective is to save our users' time while guiding them to a successful outcome.

By reducing the hassles of doing a science fair project, Science Buddies aspires to improve project quality and increase science fair participation, turning a good learning experience into a great one.

How is Science Buddies run?

As a website with low overhead costs, Science Buddies is an extremely cost-effective organization. In 2008, our cost per visitor served was just 10 cents!

Every year Science Buddies serves millions of students and teachers on the web. Thanks to our online environment we have put in place sophisticated tools to measure the results of our programs. Please read our Annual Reports for more information. Science Buddies adheres to the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance Standards for Charity Accountability. We are proud that 81.3 cents of every dollar donated funds programs rather than overhead.

How is Science Buddies funded?

Science Buddies is a 501c3 charity that depends on donations to operate. Mostly, we get donations from corporations. In the coming months, we're going to be trying some new fundraising strategies so that we won't have to rely so much on only one source of support (corporate). By broadening our fundraising to earn support from a variety of sources (like individuals, private foundations, government), Science Buddies will be more stable especially in economic times that are unpredictable or downright terrible for the companies that support us now.

Who recommends Science Buddies?

2008 Parents' Choice Recommended Award

American Library Association Great Websites for Kids

What do teachers say about Science Buddies?

Teachers in grades K-12 are thrilled to have open access to the Science Buddies resources. Here are quotes from just a few of our fans:

What do you plan to do with my donation?

Funds raised will be used to keep our resources online and to support programs such as our Ask an Expert online advice forum, to develop new educational content for students and teachers, to cover computer and technical expenses, and to pay for program staff (e.g. our staff scientists who develop new Project Ideas for our online library).

How do I donate?

To donate, please visit our fundraising page. You can donate using any major credit card (including VISA, Mastercard, Discover or American Express), PayPal, or by sending a check to Science Buddies.

Where do I send checks?

Send checks to:

Are my donations tax-deductible?

Donations to Science Buddies are tax-deductible in the United States. Canadian citizens may also deduct their contribution on any income earned in the United States. If you live outside of the United States, you can request a receipt for a donation but we cannot guarantee that it will be tax deductible in your country.

If I make a donation, how do I get my tax receipt?

Anyone who donates $100 or more will receive a tax receipt as long as their contact information was included with the donation. You may request a tax receipt for a smaller amount by sending an e-mail to scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org (please include your contact information, the method you used to donate, and the amount of your donation).

Can I give you a targeted or restricted donation to be used for something very specific?

Charities based in the United States, including Science Buddies, are required to honor restrictions requested by donors. This means that if you specify your donation needs to be restricted for a specific use, we will either honor your request or return your donation. But before you decide to do that, please consider that unrestricted donations are much more useful for us. Every restriction imposes administrative overhead and planning costs, and increases internal complexity.

If I can't afford to donate, or don't want to, what else can I do to support the Foundation?

There are many ways to show your support. Your time is just as important as a monetary contribution. For instance, you can volunteer on our Ask an Expert forums and help students answer their science project questions, you can volunteer to author one of our project ideas, or contact us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org to learn about other volunteer opportunities.

What is the Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation and how does it relate to Science Buddies?

The Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Family Charitable Foundation is the official legal name of Science Buddies. Science Buddies is the sole operating program of the Hess Foundation, which is a 501c3 public charity. Donations by check can be made in either name, but on some online systems such as PayPal, the Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation will be displayed as the organization receiving your donation.

Can I make an anonymous donation?

Yes, to make an anonymous donation you have several options. The easiest it to give online via a 3rd party donation system such as www.justgive.org. You could also send a money order via U.S. mail or you could make an anonymous donation to our endowment. See instructions #3 and #4 here: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/donating_now.shtml