Skip to main content
Society for Science & the Public (SSP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education. Its vision is to promote the understanding and appreciation of science and the vital role it plays in human advancement: to inform, educate, and inspire.
Since 1921, SSP (formerly known as Science Service) has conveyed the excitement of science and research directly to the public through its award-winning publications and world-class science education competitions. View the current SSP organizational brochure to learn more about the work of the Society.
In 2013, SSP was again ranked as a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator for its financial health, accountability and transparency. Only 10% of nonprofits have recieved at least three consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that SSP outperforms most charities in the United States. Visit Great Nonprofits to read independent reviews of SSP.
SSP's Federal ID # is 53-0196483 and its Combined Federal Campaign # is 92454.SSP encourages support from organizations, corporations, and individual donors and members.
In keeping with nonprofit standards and best practices, SSP is pleased to provide access to its recent financial documents and audit results to interested donors and other parties.
When reviewing,it should be noted that SSP has been fortunate to negotiate long term support arrangements from donors to help support its education programs. However, these transactions can create some confusion in reported financial results on the Form 990. SSP books the value of long term pledges (both time and purpose restricted) in the year they are received as temporarily restricted contributions. When the restrictions are met (either the time restriction expired or expenses have been recognized to meet the purpose restriction), these amounts are released to cover unrestricted operations. This treatment, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, results in financial statement presentation fluctuations – a significant jump in financial position and results when the pledge is initially recognized, with shortfalls in future years as SSP utilizes/releases the restricted support for operations.
A good indicator of SSP’s focus on operations is to review change in unrestricted net assets from operations total on our audited financial statements. The purpose of this measure is to provide readers of the financial statements with an indicator that shows whether or not the organization is living within its means.
SSP financial documents (annual 990s) can also be accessed from Guidestar.
Sign-up for the free SSP newsletter today.
Subscribe to the magazine of Society for Science & the Public.