Nonprofit · EIN 94-3216541
SCIENCE BUDDIES
Tax-exempt · MILPITAS, CA 95035
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2025 | 990 | $941,253 | $1,332,395 | -$391,142 | $1,156,154 | $137,750 | $1,018,404 |
| December 31, 2024 | 990 | $1,397,437 | $1,170,074 | $227,363 | $1,533,474 | $123,928 | $1,409,546 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 | $1,476,269 | $1,120,086 | $356,183 | $1,296,852 | $116,298 | $1,180,554 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $795,023
- Program service revenue
- $829
- Investment income
- $28,104
- Royalties
- $88,732
- Net income from sales of inventory
- $1,891
- Other revenue
- $117,297
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $11,159
- Other salaries and wages
- $941,511
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $1,060,450
- Professional fundraising fees
- $0
- Accounting fees
- $7,072
- Travel
- $280
- Program services (functional)
- $1,061,691
- Management and general (functional)
- $60,309
- Fundraising (functional)
- $210,395
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $1,533,474
- Total assets, end of year
- $1,156,154
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $137,750
- Net assets, end of year
- $1,018,404
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $1,018,404
- Gross receipts
- $941,253
- Employees
- 10
- Volunteers
- 30
- Year formed
- 1994
- State of legal domicile
- CA
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.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUGO PAZ | CHIEF SOFTWARE ARCH Highest-paid employee | 45 | $201,534 | $18,197 |
| TINA LANESE | PRESIDENT Highest-paid employee | 45 | $163,023 | $13,887 |
| CLARK BAKER | PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER Highest-paid employee | 45 | $121,558 | $0 |
| KENNETH L HESS | CHAIRMAN Trustee or director, Officer | 30 | $0 | $0 |
| CONNIE IRISH-HESS | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
| M LYNN BREWER | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
| GEMMA LENOWITZ | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2024: 7 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUGO PAZ | CHIEF SOFTWARE ARCH Highest-paid employee | 45 | $225,024 | $16,421 |
| TINA LANESE | PRESIDENT Highest-paid employee | 45 | $167,040 | $12,276 |
| AMY COWEN | ONLINE COMMUNITY MANAGER Highest-paid employee | 45 | $105,972 | $11,738 |
| KENNETH L HESS | CHAIRMAN Trustee or director, Officer | 30 | $0 | $0 |
| CONNIE IRISH-HESS | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
| M LYNN BREWER | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
| GEMMA LENOWITZ | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 5 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUGO PAZ | CHIEF SOFTWARE ARCH Highest-paid employee | 45 | $198,580 | $14,505 |
| TINA LANESE | PRESIDENT Trustee or director, Officer | 45 | $132,653 | $10,621 |
| KENNETH L HESS | FOUNDER Trustee or director, Officer | 30 | $0 | $0 |
| CONNIE IRISH-HESS | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
| M LYNN BREWER | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 0.5 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 560 VALLEY WAY, MILPITAS, CA 95035-4106
- In care of
- % KENNETH LAFFERTY HESS
- Principal officer (990 for 2025)
- KENNETH HESS, PO BOX 5038, CARMEL, CA 93921
- Signed the 990
- KENNETH HESS, PRESIDENT
- Phone
- (888) 794-7875
- Website
- WWW.SCIENCEBUDDIES.ORG
- Return prepared by
- CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
California records
California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 94-3216541 or by the name SCIENCE BUDDIES.
- Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers
- Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)
- Secretary of State, bizfile Online
- Corporation status, entity number, agent for service
- Franchise Tax Board
- Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)
Mission
SCIENCE BUDDIES MISSION IS TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE STUDENTS OF ALL AGES WITH HANDS-ON STEM EXPLORATIONS THAT REFLECT THEIR UNIQUE PERSONAL INTERESTS. BY PROVIDING HIGHLY PERSONALIZED EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES, WE DRIVE STUDENT DISCOVERY, ENGAGEMENT, AND LEARNING IN STEM SUBJECTS. OUR VISION IS TO DEVELOP HIGH-QUALITY SCIENTIST-AUTHORED EXPLORATIONS COVERING ALL KEY AREAS OF STEM, FROM THE CLASSICS TO THE CUTTING EDGE, IN FORMATS TAILORED FOR THE NEEDS OF THE AUDIENCES HAVING THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO IMPACT STUDENT STEM LEARNING, STUDENTS THEMSELVES, CLASSROOM TEACHERS, INFORMAL EDUCATORS, AND PARENTS. FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE, WE LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD, MAKING STEM LEARNING POSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS OF ALL DEMOGRAPHICS.
Program accomplishments
- THE SCIENCE BUDDIES WEBSITE CONTAINS PERSONALIZED LEARNING TOOLS, OVER 16,000 PAGES OF SCIENTIST-DEVELOPED SUBJECT MATTER (INCLUDING EXPERIMENTS BASED ON THE LATEST ACADEMIC RESEARCH), AND AN ONLINE COMMUNITY OF SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS WHO VOLUNTEER TO ADVISE STUDENTS. WE ALSO PROVIDE RESOURCES, INCLUDING SCIENCE KITS AND LESSON PLANS, TO SUPPORT PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS THEY GUIDE STUDENTS DOING HANDS-ON SCIENCE PROJECTS. DURING 2025, WE REACHED MORE THAN 20 MILLION INDIVIDUALS ON OUR WEBSITE AND YOUTUBE, REPRESENTING A NUMBER EQUAL TO APPROXIMATELY 36% OF THE K-12 ENROLLMENT IN THE UNITED STATES.Expenses $1,061,691 · grants $11,159 · revenue $118,126
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.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | May 15, 2026 | 990 on file |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | May 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 94-3216541
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1996
- Accounting year ends
- December
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking foundations (T99Z)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $1,156,154
- Income (IRS master file)
- $941,253
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | December 2025 | $941,253 | $1,332,395 | $1,156,154 | XML |
| 990 | December 2024 | $1,397,437 | $1,170,074 | $1,533,474 | XML |
| 990 | December 2023 | $1,476,269 | $1,120,086 | $1,296,852 | XML |
| 990 | December 2022 | $1,048,625 | $1,071,834 | $957,365 | IRS |
| 990 | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
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 94-3216541).
Questions about SCIENCE BUDDIES
- What is the EIN of SCIENCE BUDDIES?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of SCIENCE BUDDIES is 94-3216541.
- Is SCIENCE BUDDIES tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1996.
- Are donations to SCIENCE BUDDIES tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does SCIENCE BUDDIES 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 SCIENCE BUDDIES 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 SCIENCE BUDDIES 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 SCIENCE BUDDIES?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names KENNETH HESS.
- Who are the officers and directors of SCIENCE BUDDIES?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 7 people; 3 received compensation from the organization, the highest $201,534 (HUGO PAZ, CHIEF SOFTWARE ARCH).
- How much revenue does SCIENCE BUDDIES have?
- On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $941,253, expenses of $1,332,395 and total assets of $1,156,154 at year end.
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- HAN & KONG FOUNDATION EIN 20-1994439 · last filed 990-PF for 2025
All nonprofits in MILPITAS · California · Philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking foundations