About Biofortified

Biology Fortified, Inc. (BFI) is an independent educational tax-exempt non-profit organization incorporated in Wisconsin.

Our motto is: Stronger Plants, Stronger Science, and Stronger Communication.

Mission

Our mission is to enhance public discussion of biotechnology and other issues in food and agriculture through science-based resources and outreach. To carry out this mission, we have three primary activities:

  1. Develop resources.
    • Provide expert scientific analyses to support the public good and the scientific community. This includes publishing thoughtful articles through the Biofortified Blog.
    • Generate public resources to promote accessibility and comprehension of the scientific literature. This includes the Genetic Engineering Risk Atlas (GENERA), a searchable database of peer-reviewed research on the relative risks of genetically engineered crops.
  2. Encourage discussion.
    • Maintain open comments on each blog post and seek out diverse viewpoints via social media.
    • Encourage civil discussion through a clear Comment Policy.
  3. Cultivate communication.
    • Provide editorial services and advice to scientists on how to communicate with the public.
    • Connect specific scientific experts with journalists, policy makers, and others seeking expertise.

Meet our experts

Experts in science and science communication of biotechnology serve on our Board of Directors and help develop resources for BFI. Scientists, farmers, students, and more contribute to the Biofortified Blog. The next author could be you!

Frank N. Foode

Frank N. Foode is your friendly neighborhood genetically modified organism. Learn more about Frank and other Plant Plushies!

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the authors’ employers or any other authors. Our opinions are ours alone.

Any mention of a specific company or product is for educational purposes only and does not indicate endorsement of that company or product.

Funding

There is a need for independent sources of information on topics in food and agriculture. Funding from vested interests can compromise independence. For this reason, Biology Fortified, Inc. is a nonprofit organization and we are transparent about our funding sources. Donors do not influence our management or editorial decisions.

Financial support for overhead costs such as web hosting comes from individual personal donations. If you would like to support BFI or contribute to one of our projects, there are many ways you can do so, including direct donations and purchasing custom merchandise.

Grants

  • We are currently seeking grants for multiple projects. If you represent a granting organization, or can suggest an organization that might be interested in supporting our efforts, please contact us.
  • In 2016, BFI received a grant of $2,300 from the Winkler Family Foundation.
  • In April 2013, BFI was awarded a $500 New Arts Venture Challenge grant from the Arts Enterprise at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to support our Cooking with Frank N. Foode™ educational video project.
  • In 2012, BFI was awarded a $10,000 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 grant supports our efforts to stimulate accurate science communication, a goal shared by ASPB. However, views expressed on our site might not align with all ASPB position statements and might not be supported by ASPB.
  • In November 2009, BFI was awarded a $1,500 grant from Ashoka Changemakers in the GMO Risk or Rescue contest (We won!).

Non-profit status

In 2012, we incorporated in the state of Wisconsin as a nonprofit corporation, changing our name from Biofortified to Biology Fortified, Inc. In 2013, we achieved 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as EIN 45-5503492. This allows for tax-deductible donations for our U.S. donors and provides an extra layer of transparency. Due to our very small budget, we file the 990N e-Postcard with the IRS. You can verify our tax exempt status and view our 990N e-Postcards on the IRS website by searching for our EIN.

Download our IRS Determination Letter here.

Expenses

Biology Fortified has a small budget, and the majority of our regular expenses include hosting costs, site development, media production (artists, program licenses, storage), conference reporting (travel, motel), science communication workshops (travel, coffee and food for attendees), and shipping for blog reader prizes.

Authors of the Biofortified Blog are volunteers and are not paid for their work.

Acknowledgements

Biology Fortified gratefully acknowledges in-kind contributions of services from the following companies. Thanks to their generosity we are able to do more with our tight budget. We appreciate that many companies offer nonprofit discounts!

Google Suite offers many services that are vital to our organization, including email and document sharing.
Slack helps us stay in touch around the world, and plan and execute projects with our collaborators.
Microsoft Azure enables us to have a secure, stable, cloud-based hosting plan.
Zapier allows us to more efficiently manage our social media channels.