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SCIENCE FRIDAY INITIATIVE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 134252173 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE U30 · Science & Technology · Medium ($1M-$10M)
revenue
$6.2M
expenses
$3.7M
net assets
$9.4M
employees
23
volunteers
14
program ratio
63%
mission · from form 990

THE ORGANIZATION CREATES NEW AND EXCITING WAYS TO BRING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH ITS WEBSITE, RADIO PROGRAM, VIDEO, AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH.

profile · synthesized from sources

Science Friday Initiative Inc. produces science and technology media for public engagement through its radio program, digital platforms, and educational outreach. It creates original reporting, videos, and educational content distributed via its website and social media channels, reaching hundreds of thousands of monthly page views and over a million social media followers. The organization also develops lesson plans, hosts live events, and conducts research on media's role in STEM learning.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $373K
    SCIENCE FRIDAY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCESOUR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH WORK CREATES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING, CONTENT, AND EXPERIENCES TO INVITE COMMUNITIES, PARENTS, EDUCATORS, AND THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE IN SCIENCE THROUGH DOING AND LEARNING. OUR ORIGINAL LESSON PLANS AND ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN DOZENS OF NATIONAL CURRICULUM AND OUT OF SCHOOL TIME ACTIVITY REPOSITORIES SERVING TENS OF MILLIONS OF EDUCATORS, INCLUDING SHARE MY LESSON, PBS LEARNING MEDIA, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CHEMISTRY TEACHERS, NEWSELA, AND CODE.ORG. SCIENCE FRIDAY'S EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES INCLUDE THE HOSTING OF MONTHLY LIVE AND VIRTUAL LEARNING EVENTS WITH EXPERTS, A NATIONAL BOOK CLUB, CITIZEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES, FIELD TRIPS AND LIVE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
  2. #2 $30K
    SCIENCE FRIDAY DIGITAL CONTENT AND WEBSITESCIENCE FRIDAY'S DIGITAL PLATFORMS PUBLISH ORIGINAL REPORTING, NEWSLETTERS, BOOK EXCERPTS, AS WELL AS MULTIMEDIA ADDITIONS TO AUDIO SEGMENTS. OUR WEBSITE, SCIENCEFRIDAY.COM, IS THE PUBLIC'S ONE STOP-SHOP FOR EVERYTHING THAT SCIENCE FRIDAY CREATES, INCLUDING ORIGINAL DIGITAL REPORTING THAT GIVES READERS A FLAVOR OF THE CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS BY SCIENTISTS WORKING TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS. OUR WEBSITE RECEIVES 350,000 PAGEVIEWS/MONTH AND WE HAVE A SOCIAL FOLLOWING OF OVER A MILLION COMBINED FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BLUESKY, X AND TIKTOK.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Science Friday Digital Content and Website
Produces original reporting, newsletters, multimedia content, and longform journalism on science topics through sciencefriday.com and social media platforms
Science Friday Education and Outreach
Creates educational programming, lesson plans, and activities for educators and students; hosts live and virtual learning events, a national book club, and citizen science initiatives
Science Friday Research Initiatives
Conducts research on media’s influence on learning, equity and representation in science media, and informal STEM education outcomes
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Podcast and Radio Production 2 activities
    • Produces and distributes a weekly science broadcast program
      Produces a 2-hour weekly science broadcast program distributed to public radio stations, reaching 1.8 million listeners each week. The program covers diverse scientific topics such as cancer neuroscience, extreme heat impacts in India, Neanderthal healthcare practices, and AI ethics.
    • Produces science podcasts and digital audio content
      Produces multiple podcasts including Science Diction, which explores the origins of scientific terms with historians and etymologists; Undiscovered, co-produced with WNYC Studios, which shares human-centered stories about science; and Universe of Art, which examines intersections between art and science. Audio production includes original music composition and hosting.
  • Game Design and Development Education 1 activity
    • Co-develops interactive science-themed games
      Collaborated with Grand Gamers Guild to co-develop a puzzle adventure game featuring the chambered nautilus, combining storytelling and gameplay to engage the public with scientific concepts.
  • Hands-On STEM Education Programs 1 activity
    • Creates educational resources and hands-on STEM activities
      Develops and publishes original lesson plans, experiments, puzzles, and challenges for use in classrooms and informal learning environments. Examples include modeling volcano sounds with straw kazoos, analyzing volcanic eruption data to graph escape scenarios, and studying screen time habits using scientific methods. These resources are included in national curriculum and out-of-school repositories serving tens of millions of educators.
  • Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
    • Hosts live and virtual public engagement events
      Organizes monthly live and virtual learning events featuring experts, including livestream Q&A sessions with authors like Craig Childs as part of the SciFri Book Club. Also hosts citizen science initiatives, field trips, and national book club discussions to engage the public in science.
  • Teacher Professional Development 1 activity
    • Provides professional development for STEM educators
      Offers training and professional development to over 500 in-service educators annually, supporting effective science communication and teaching practices in diverse learning environments.
  • Storytelling and Literacy Resource Development 1 activity
    • Publishes curated science media and reading lists
      Releases annual curated collections including recommended science books for children, nonfiction books on nature and environmental science, and compilations of favorite stories and projects. These publications aim to promote science literacy and reading engagement among young audiences.
  • Wildlife Monitoring and Field Research 1 activity
    • Supports marine ecosystem research through shark monitoring
      Supports scientific research involving the annual capture, tagging, and release of approximately 600 sharks to monitor population trends and assess marine ecosystem health.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Conducts research on informal STEM learning and media equity
      Conducts research on media influence on learning and engagement, equity and representation in science media, and informal STEM education. This research informs the organization’s content development and outreach strategies.
    • Engages audiences through social media and digital platforms
      Uses social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok) to share science content, reaching over one million followers. Generates approximately 240,000 monthly page views on its website and produces digital videos with an average annual viewership of 30.6 million.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$6.18M
Contributions & grants$4.21M68%
Program service revenue$1.28M21%
Investment income$688K11%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$3.71M
Program expenses63%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising20%
Salaries & benefits$2.38M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$10.59M
Cash$2.41M
Investments$4.43M
Liabilities$1.18M
Net assets$9.41M
Liquid reserves22.2 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +35.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DANIELLE DANA JOHNSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $146K
JOHN DANKOSKY DIRECTOR OF NEWS & AUDIO 40 $140K
board members · 14
  • BENNET EPSTEIN — DIRECTOR
  • BRENNA BERMAN — DIRECTOR
  • CAMILLA SMITH — DIRECTOR
  • CHRIS LEE — TREASURER
  • DAVE VERNIER — DIRECTOR
  • IRA FLATOW — PRESIDENT
  • JULIE LANASA — SECRETARY
  • MARY SMART — DIRECTOR
  • MEERA RAJA — DIRECTOR
  • RAY CHAO — DIRECTOR
  • RENEE WONG — DIRECTOR
  • SEEMA KUMAR — DIRECTOR
  • THEA TRUE WELLS — DIRECTOR
  • WILLIAM COX III — DIRECTOR
relationships · 20

Who they work with

  • American Association of Chemistry Teachers Partner — Partner repository hosting Science Friday's educational materials
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund Funder — Funder of the fellowship program for science journalism at Science Friday.
  • Code.org Partner — Partner repository hosting Science Friday's educational materials
  • Craig Childs Partner — Collaborated with author Craig Childs for a SciFri Book Club livestream event.
  • Facebook Partner — Platform for sharing user-generated content related to Science Friday projects.
  • Florida research team Partner — Collaborates with a Florida-based research team to study shark populations and marine ecosystems.
  • Grand Gamers Guild Partner — Collaborated with Science Friday to create an escape room-style science game.
  • L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Partner — Julie LaNasa and Camilla Smith serve on the board of the L.S.B. Leakey Foundation, indicating a collaborative relationship in science communication and anthropology.
  • National Public Radio Foundation Network — Camilla Smith serves on the board of the National Public Radio Foundation, linking Science Friday to the broader public radio network.
  • Newseela Partner — Partner repository hosting Science Friday's educational materials
  • Outrider Partner — Fellowship partner supporting science storytelling through the Outrider/Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship.
  • PBS Learning Media Partner — Partner repository hosting Science Friday's educational materials
  • Science Friday Network — Member of the Science Friday network distributing science content.
  • Share My Lesson Partner — Partner repository hosting Science Friday's educational materials
  • The Smart Family Foundation of New York Funder — Provides financial support to Science Friday.
  • The Winston Foundation Funder — Provides financial support to Science Friday.
  • Twitter Partner — Platform for sharing user-generated content related to Science Friday projects.
  • Vatican Academy Partner — Featured in broadcast content discussing AI ethics and religious engagement with science
  • Vox Media Partner — Ray Chao, SVP & GM of Audio and Digital Video at Vox Media, serves on the Science Friday Board, indicating a strategic partnership in audio and digital media.
  • WNYC Studios Partner — Collaborates with WNYC Studios to produce the podcast Undiscovered.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Engaging, Narrative-Driven Science Communication
    methodology: narrative_science_communication
    By using storytelling, narrative, and accessible language to humanize science, we increase public engagement and understanding because it fosters emotional connection and curiosity, making complex ideas relatable and memorable.
  • Experiential, Inquiry-Based Learning
    methodology: inquiry-based_learning
    By engaging the public in hands-on experiments, modeling, and self-directed inquiry, we deepen scientific understanding because active participation fosters ownership, retention, and authentic engagement with scientific methods.
  • STEM Equity Through Inclusive Design
    methodology: stem-equity-through-education
    By designing science education resources for diverse audiences and learning environments, we advance STEM equity because inclusivity in content and access enables broader participation and representation in science.