Your donation attempt encountered a problem. Please refresh the page to try again.
You're faster than our page! Give the page a little longer to finish loading and try your donation again.
533 TOWER RD
Ithaca NY 14853-7202
Ithaca NY | IRS ruling year: 1938 | EIN: 13-1739923
THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR PLANT RESEARACH, INC. (BTI) WAS FOUNDED BY WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON OUT OF A CONVICTION THAT "ANY PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE NATURE OF ... (More)
THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR PLANT RESEARACH, INC. (BTI) WAS FOUNDED BY WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON OUT OF A CONVICTION THAT "ANY PRINCIPLES CONCERNING THE NATURE OF LIFE THAT YOU CAN ESTABLISH FOR PLANTS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND MAN, IN HEALTH AND DISEASE." HE ALSO SAW PLANT SCIENCE AS A MEANS OF ENDING HUNGER, THUS ULTIMATELY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL STABILITY. BTI SCIENTISTS INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF PLANTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, CONCENTRATING PARTICULARLY ON PLANT DEVELOPMENT, MOLECULAR PLANT MICROBE INTERACTIONS AND MOLECULAR AND CHEMICAL ECOLOGY. BTI ENVISIONS A WORLD IN WHICH NUTRITIOUS FOOD IS IN ABUNDANCE, THE ENVIRONMENT IS SECURE AND PEOPLE LIVE FULLER, HEALTHIER LIVES. THIS VISION CAN BE REALIZED IN PART THROUGH THE STUDY OF PLANT BIOLOGY. AT BTI, WE STRIVE TO BE A WORLD LEADER IN PLANT BIOLOGY. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 100%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated entirely from a single beacon score: 100% Accountability & Finance. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. has earned a 100% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
---|---|
$1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
$500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
---|---|
Less than 50% | Full Credit |
50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
---|---|
70% or higher | Full Credit |
60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
No Data Available
Key Persons data is currently unavailable for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last six years.
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Scientific research (diseases) (BMF activity code: 161)
Contact or sponsored scientific research for industry (BMF activity code: 180)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc.) or EIN (131739923) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Balance Sheet
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Covid shutdowns resulted in decreased indirect cost recovery. We were able to secure a PPP loan to help cover some of those losses.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Due to Covid, our research programs shut down completely for a time. After scientists returned to the labs, they ran on a reduced schedule with rotations to maintain social distancing. We were not able to host summer undergraduates in research labs, and although they are currently back to in-person, the concluding symposium remained closed to non-staff attendees to maintain the safety and reduce the risk of widespread infection.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We constructed PPP barriers in lab spaces and rotating schedules for staff. We implemented new collaborative technologies for remote and hybrid teams, such as hybrid meeting spaces and enterprise-level apps for project management and internal communication. Our summer undergraduate research program was revised to operate completely virtually for one year. We held a facilitated retreat to envision the future of hybrid work, created a Hybrid and Remote Workplace Plan, and formed a committee to implement the plan.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
The collaborative technologies we implemented during the pandemic will be maintained and optimized. We have moved toward increased use of hybrid and remote teams. In recruiting new hires, we will offer more hybrid and remote work situations when appropriate.
Not Currently Scored
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Learn More
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
IMPROVE AGRICULTURE/SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS PRODUCING AN INCREASINGLY SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. FOOD SECURITY ANALYSIS B ... (More)
IMPROVE AGRICULTURE/SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS PRODUCING AN INCREASINGLY SUSTAINABLE FOOD SUPPLY. FOOD SECURITY ANALYSIS BY THE UNITED NATIONS HAS CITED CLIMATE CHANGE, NATURAL DISASTER, RAPID URBANIZATION AND UNPRECENDENTED POPULATION GROWTH AS GREAT CHALLENGES TO THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF THE WORLD FOOD SUPPLY. AT BTI, SCIENTISTS ARE INVESTIGATING, AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL, HOW PLANTS GROW, RESPOND TO LIGHT, AND MAKE USE ON A SCALE THAT CAN MEET DEMAND. CURRENT RESEARCH IS FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE NUTRITIVE QUALITY OF FOOD, INCREASING YIELD AND FURTHERING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRONOMICALLY VIABLE PLANT SPECIES. SPECIFIC RESEARCH FOCUSES ON LONGER SHELFLIFE, NATURAL INSECT CONTROL TO FURTHER REDUCE THE NEED FOR PESTICIDES, ENHANCED DISEASE RESISTANCE IN PLANTS, CROPS THAT PRODUCE HIGHER YIELD WITH LESS LIGHT, REDUCED NEED FOR CHEMICAL FERTILIZATION AND PLANTS WITH HIGHER TOLERANCE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS SUCH AS DROUGHT, HEAT AND COLD. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
RESEARCH TOOLS & COMMUNICATIONS: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. VIRTUALLY EVERY DAY, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER AND RECOR ... (More)
RESEARCH TOOLS & COMMUNICATIONS: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. VIRTUALLY EVERY DAY, SCIENTISTS DISCOVER AND RECORD A STAGGERING AMOUNT OF NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE GENES (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH. CURRENT RESEARCH AT BTI MAY LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN ... (More)
IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH: INSTITUTE SCIENTISTS ADVANCE, COMMUNICATE, AND APPLY PLANT RESEARCH TOWARDS IMPROVED HUMAN HEALTH. CURRENT RESEARCH AT BTI MAY LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN DISEASES SUCH AS DIABETES, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND AGING (Less)
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Learn More
Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Leadership & Adaptability methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
Learn More
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
The Giving Basket is having some issues. If you wish to donate, please refresh the page. If the problem persists contact us.
Cart ID: Not Assigned
The Giving Basket is having some issues. If you wish to donate, please refresh the page. If the problem persists contact us.
Cart ID: Not Assigned