BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

101 N HAVEN ST STE 105, BALTIMORE, MD 21224-1635

In care of

% THOMAS BURKETT

Mailing address (990-N for 2014)

101 n haven st ste 105, baltimore MD 21224

Principal officer (990 for 2025)

Thomas Burkett PhD, 14 Howard Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228

Principal officer (990-N for 2014)

thomas burkett, 101 n haven st ste 105, baltimore MD 21224

Signed the 990

Thomas Burkett PhD, president

Phone

(443) 452-8498

Website

bugssonline.org

Mission

See page 1, Part I, 1.

Program accomplishments

• YOUTH COURSES AND SCHOOL PROGRAMS: BUGSS hosted classes, camps and outreach events to support science learning for students from kindergarten through high school. Students come from across the Baltimore region and either sign up as individuals or as part of homeschool groups. We served 163 students in twelve classes held at the BUGSS lab, on topics including acid-base chemistry, electrical signaling in plants and microbes, mycelium as a building material, randomness in mathematical functions, zebrafish development and techniques in molecular biotechnology. Several courses were taught by local graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and we continue to not only provide STEAM enrichment for students but also mentored teaching opportunities for fledgling instructors. In addition, we hosted a month-long elementary school camp for our nonprofit partner STEMx, hosted four high school interns, who were part of the Building Steps mentoring program, and hosted a two-week co-design workshop as part of the Synthetic Biology and Me program, an NSF-funded project for middle school students to design culturally responsive biomarker activities. We also engaged in thirteen outreach activities at schools, activity fairs and the Artscape arts festival, and a symposium honoring the 75th anniversary of the National Science Foundation. Furthermore, we partnered with the Bioeyes nonprofit educational organization to deliver a week-long program called Small Worlds to middle school students in Baltimore City. In 2025, this program reached over 500 students in seven different schools.
  Expenses $50,097 · revenue $79,745
• COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL MEMBER PROJECTS: BUGSS occupies a unique niche in the Baltimore ecosystem by enabling people of all backgrounds to engage with sophisticated scientific research in a safe, supportive and collaborative space. We provide lab space, rigorous lab-safety training and oversight, procurement support and scientific guidance. BUGSS brings together people of diverse backgrounds, from hobbyists pursuing projects of personal interest to those working at the intersection of art and science, who are using living organisms as artistic collaborators, to new biotechnology companies, who are at the earliest stages of inception. By year-end, BUGSS had 29 individual members including eighteen student members. Several members pursued independent research on microbiology, plant biotechnology and cancer detection, and several prior members successfully transitioned from working in the BUGSS lab to working at larger bioincubator spaces as their companies grew and became more well established. This year, we focused on developing a more robust safety-training program that could accommodate members whenever they chose to join the lab and that could provide faster approval for their use of new chemicals and biological reagents. This focus has helped us to expand our capacity and professionalism. BUGSS continued to support two member projects. Open Insulin is a long-standing project in collaboration with Open Insulin Foundation. It met twice weekly to engineer yeast cells to express a long-acting form of the insulin protein, and our focus this year was to increase the level of protein produced to make a production strain that could be viable for small-scale manufacturing. BUGSS also collaborated with the NASA STELLA program to develop a low-cost fluorometer that would detect fluorescence from a biological sample. Because fluorescent molecules are often used as readouts of biological reactions, this instrument could help to democratize expensive biological instrumentation to make scientific research and education more accessible.
  Expenses $39,107 · revenue $60,352
• iGEM: The international Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition is the premiere international competition in synthetic biology. In 2025, we hosted our tenth consecutive team; our group of 21 high school students and nine mentors met at BUGSS throughout the spring and summer to pursue their research project. This year, the team chose an oncology project, working to develop a low-cost sensor for recurrence of triple-negative breast cancer, the deadliest form. Students designed a genetic system with chromogenic reporters to measure the levels of two microRNAs associated with this specific type of cancer. They consulted scientific experts, patients, caregivers and experts in diagnostic technologies to design a practical device. They then conducted extensive experimentation to demonstrate how well their system worked and what its limitations would be. The team also designed a wiki site, created video presentations to describe their work and engaged in education and outreach to the community. Some students traveled to the iGEM Jamboree in Paris, where they presented their work to a panel of expert judges, and our team was awarded a gold medal for their highly successful project. in addition, two groups of students continued to develop the project in new directions after the conclusion of iGEM's season, attesting to the power of the iGEM program at BUGSS to develop student interest and capabilities in long-term science careers.
  Expenses $29,246 · revenue $18,742
• ADULT COURSES AND SEMINARS: BUGSS supports individual and group research projects, as previously described, but also provides foundational training allowing scientists and members of the public to learn modern science techniques in an applied manner and develop technical skills so that they can conduct more independent research. In 2025, BUGSS served 453 attendees at its adult courses and seminars. We hosted eight in-depth, hands-on courses for the public on topics spanning environmental metagenomics, personal genotyping, nanopore sequencing, lab robotics and Arduino-based lab hardware. We also hosted Lab Skills Nights, teaching fundamental molecular biology lab skills such as purifying proteins, DNA isolation and ELISA assays. BUGSS also facilitated science communication between professional scientists and our Baltimore community by sponsoring science seminars. We hosted four seminars on topics including the use of functional MRI to monitor Brain Dynamics in Schizophrenia, Sex, Genetics and Athletics, Rapid Detection of Pathogens and Gene Silencing in the Mitochondria. Our most popular offering this past year was our four Science Slam events, a group of 5-7 short, 5-minute talks from diverse scientists that we host at a community site. Science Slams bring science out of sequestered laboratories and into our Baltimore community, thereby achieving our mission of connecting people directly with the breadth and depth of scientific research being conducted in our region.
  Expenses $41 · revenue $10,845

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

46-0738285

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

2015

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Education (B28)

Assets (IRS master file)

$103,910

Income (IRS master file)

$177,995

Revocation and reinstatement

Exemption revoked

May 15, 2015

Posted by the IRS

November 10, 2015

Reinstated

Effective May 15, 2015

From the IRS automatic revocation list: organizations that did not file a required return or e-Postcard for three consecutive years.

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 46-0738285).

Questions about BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE

What is the EIN of BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE?

The employer identification number (EIN) of BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE is 46-0738285.

Is BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS revoked its exemption on May 15, 2015 and reinstated it effective May 15, 2015.

Are donations to BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE due?

The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.

Who is the principal officer of BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names Thomas Burkett PhD.

Who are the officers and directors of BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 8 people; 1 received compensation from the organization, the highest $11,389 (Joel Tyson, director).

How much revenue does BALTIMORE UNDERGROUND SCIENCE SPACE have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $177,995, expenses of $195,616 and total assets of $103,910 at year end.

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