It is important for people who seek information on genetics and biotechnology to be able to get it from reliable sources that do not have competing financial interests. There is a need for independent sources of information and forums for people to feel free to openly discuss these issues. Accepting even a small amount of money from a business or political party that stands to gain from promoting or criticizing genetic engineering or other food and agriculture-related interests can compromise that independence. For this reason, Biology Fortified, Inc. is a nonprofit organization and does not accept funding from private companies, for-profit corporations, or political interests.
We make our own management and editorial decisions, and our views are not determined by, nor reflect the views of any financial supporter.
Funding Sources
The site hosting costs of Biology Fortified, Inc. (BFI) were initially footed by the founding editors, and currently the majority of financial support comes from individual personal donations. BFI is not supported by any companies, government entities, or political parties.
If you would like to support BFI or contribute to one of our projects, there are many ways you can do so, including donations, custom merchandise, and more. Visit our Support Us page to find out more.
Grants
In the fall of 2009, while still just a blog named “Biofortified,” we won the Changemakers “GMO Risk or Rescue” contest, a user-voted competition organized by Ashoka Changemakers. As a result, we received a $1,500 Changemakers grant.
In the summer of 2012, Biology Fortified, Inc. won a peer-reviewed Education Foundation Grant from the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) for the proposal, “Communicating Risk with Genetic Engineering Risk Atlas (GENERA).” This $10,000 grant supports our efforts to stimulate accurate science communication, a goal shared by ASPB. However, because Biology Fortified, Inc. is independently edited, views expressed on our site might not align with all ASPB position statements and might not be supported by ASPB.
We are currently seeking nonprofit organizations that can help us fund various projects through grants. If you represent one, or can suggest an organization that might be interested in supporting our efforts, please let us know on our contact page.
Non Profit Status
Biology Fortified, Inc. is a nonprofit organization, and is currently drafting documents in order to incorporate as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit educational organization. This will allow our donors to deduct their donations from their taxes, open up new grant opportunities, and provide an extra layer of transparency. We plan to complete this process during 2012.
Financial Reports
We are committed to openness and transparency. In addition to the state and federal filing requirements associated with nonprofit organizations, Biology Fortified, Inc. will also publish annual financial reports online. These will detail precisely how much we have raised and spent on our various projects and activities. Check back later for more information.
Expenditures
In the meantime, we do have some information available on how our organization’s funds are used. On the right is a pie chart of the proportion of
Biofortified’s expenses have mainly been spent on Promotion (prizes, posters, shipping), hosting costs (server, domains, photo album), conference reporting (gas, train, cheap motel), and site development (graphic design, plugins). Here is a visual breakdown of what proportion we have spent on each area. For those who are new to Biofortified, it is important to know that those who write here do so as volunteers, so our funds do not go to pay for what is written on the blog. We also contract out for the writing of interview transcripts.
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