Science Connected
Science Literacy, Education, Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Scientific literacy for all is vital in a modern, high-tech society where we make decisions about important issues such as pollution and climate change, but underprivileged learners face numerous obstacles. Education is too expensive. Scientific journals are prohibitively expensive and written at a level beyond most of the population. Science news in mainstream media is too often reduced to misleading sound bites. Moreover, only 26 percent of American 12th graders perform at or above grade level in science (NSF, 2014); half of university graduates are women, but only a third of those work in STEM (US Department of Commerce, 2011); and minority women make up less than 1 in 10 scientists and engineers (NSF, 2016). Science directly impacts our lives, so the future urgently depends on building a scientifically literate society. As the U.S. backs away from commitments to environmental sustainability, the need for people who understand science is greater and more urgent than ever.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
STEM Education Resources
Science Connected publishes STEM education enrichment materials and discussion guides. These are available to teachers, parents, and students as free downloads. Additionally, our STEM education textbooks are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for US grades K-12 and may be purchased in either e-book or print formats at affordable, cost-recovery prices.
Science Connected Magazine
Science Connected Magazine is an editorially independent, non-profit newsroom producing open-access science journalism and scientific fact-checking for the global public. We work to increase science literacy and public access to reliable information. Science Connected is creating social justice by making information about scientific research freely available online so people can access and understand it. We also give researchers in STEM fields opportunities to practice public-facing science communication.
As a public charity, we rely predominantly on reader support to fund our science news journalism. We’re one of the few news outlets dedicated exclusively to peer-reviewed scientific research coverage, and we want our content to remain free and accessible to all. If you dig our mission and agree that important information should never sit behind a paywall, donate today to help support our work. Even a $1 will help.
Where we work
Awards
Impact Grant 2018
The Pollination Project
Impact Grant 2022
Clif Family Foundation
Grant 2017
Awesome Without Borders
Affiliations & memberships
European Citizen Science Association 2021
Citizen Science Association 2020
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of manuals produced
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Preteens, Students, Teachers
Related Program
STEM Education Resources
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of periodicals distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Adults, Teachers, Students, Researchers
Related Program
Science Connected Magazine
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of works published from new writers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Researchers, Parents, Students, Teachers
Related Program
Science Connected Magazine
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth, Teachers, Students, Parents
Related Program
STEM Education Resources
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Free STEM education e-books provided to science teachers and parents upon request.
Number of media partnerships developed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents, Adults
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of reports written/published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of press articles published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We publish plain-language, open-access summaries of the latest scientific research. These are publicly accessible free of charge, thanks to the generous donations of readers and supporters.
Number of members from priority population attending training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Researchers
Related Program
Science Connected Magazine
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We provide free science communication training and experience to students and researchers in STEM fields.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
At Science Connected, we are working hard to...
- Support and enrich science education in U.S. schools.
- Increase science literacy and public access to reliable information.
- Provide accessible science education to low-income students at under-resourced schools.
- Create STEM education pathways for young women and other groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields.
- Ensure equal access to STEM education resources for high school students who are English language learners and new immigrants.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our strategies for sustainably serving our mission and meeting our goals are...
- Publish supplemental science education texts and other teaching materials.
- Provide free access to science education texts and other resources to teachers and parents.
- Provide free public access to scientifically accurate and fact-checked explanations of the latest scientific research.
- Provide free science communication training.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our programs are made possible by public donations, foundation grants, and corporate gifts. Additionally, we have...
A vibrant community of skilled volunteers;
A small, efficient staff of dedicated personnel; and
An Advisory Panel of scientists and university faculty members who are experts in a variety of fields and who advise on our publications and outreach programs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2021...
- 240,000 people used Science Connected to read about scientific research online, 40% more than in 2020.
- We have published and distributed 9 STEM education books. These are standards-aligned and provided at-cost.
- More than 1,000 teachers and parents have received and used our free science education e-books to educated students in under-resourced schools.
- 56% of our community are women.
-100 new science communicators participated in our online science journalism training programs.
- 1,100 hours of service were contributed by volunteers.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Science Connected
Board of directorsas of 01/20/2023
Cicely Rude
Science Connected
Term: 2021 - 2023
Kathryn Kohut
Canada College
Michael Stone
Google, Inc.
Steven Spence
Hewlett Packard
Jonathan Trinastic
University of Florida
Cicely Rude
Columbia University
Kelly Derham
Manor College
Cathryn Seiler
H3 Biomedicine
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/23/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.