Science Friday Initiative Inc
Donations deductibleScience Friday Initiative Inc's network
14 people6 organisationsi14 people and 6 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (14). Violet dotted lines (6) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
14 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Tenure and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed tenure is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 14 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennet Epstein | Director | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Brenna Berman | Director | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Camilla Smith | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Chris Lee | Treasurer | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Dave Vernier | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| IRA Flatow | President | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Julie Lanasa | Company secretary | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Mary Smart | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Meera Raja | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Ray Chao | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Renee Wong | Director | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Seema Kumar | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Thea True Wells | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| William COX III | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
6 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Ariel Zych | Director of Audience | 2023 |
| Christian Skotte | Co-Director & Head of Digital | 2019 |
| Danielle Dana | Executive Director, | 2018 |
| Danielle Dana Johnson | Executive Director, | since 2019 |
| John Dankosky | Director of News & Audio | 2025 |
| Nadja Oertelt | Chief Content Officer | 2020 |
Pay and hours
year to 30 June 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle Dana Johnson | Executive Director | 40 | $137k | $9k | |
| John Dankosky | Director of News & Audio | 40 | $110k | $30k | |
| Ira Flatow | President | 3 | $0 | ||
| Chris Lee | Treasurer | 1 | $0 | ||
| Julie Lanasa | Secretary | 1 | $0 | ||
| Brenna Berman | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Ray Chao | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| William Cox III | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Bennet Epstein | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Seema Kumar | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Meera Raja | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Mary Smart | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Camilla Smith | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Thea True Wells | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dave Vernier | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Renee Wong | Director | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Science Friday Initiative Inc
- EIN
- 134252173
- Address
- 160 Varick Street 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10013-1270
- State
- New York
- Mission
- The mission of the organization is to provide a public platform for discussion and understanding of the latest discoveries, innovations, and controversies in science. Leveraging the science friday radio program, the organization aims to make science more accessible, fun, and interactive for young people using new media technologies and live events. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- U30 Science and technology research
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Science & Technology
- Size band
- 8 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 2003
- Principal officer
- Danielle Dana Johnson (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 December 2003
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 6, latest 2025
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsCamilla Smith
≥8years on the filingsIRA Flatow
≥8years on the filingsJulie Lanasa
≥8years on the filingsMary Smart
Latest return
year to 30 June 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 June 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $10.6m
- Total liabilities
- $1.2m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $9.4m
- Contributions and grants received
- $4.2m
- Program service revenue
- $1.3m
- Employees
- 23
- Volunteers
- 14
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Science Friday Initiative, Inc. likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: New York Department of State, active corporations (data.ny.gov n9v6-gdp6). Licence: New York open data terms of use. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- New York
- Entity type
- Foreign Not-For-Profit Corporation
- Status
- Active
- Formed
- 20 July 2009
- Registered agent
- Not stated