Become one of our Luminaria and help us Light the Way!

Help Biology Fortified Light the Way in 2015!

Biology Fortified, Inc. (BFI) is an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to educate and engage the public about issues in food and agriculture, especially plant genetics and genetic engineering. We were an early pioneer in providing accurate and relevant science-based information and a beacon for many.
Biology Fortified has a strong history in science communication. Since our founding in 2008, we have published over 1,000 articles – reaching over 1.7 million views – by volunteer contributors and volunteer editors. With support from the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Educational Foundation, we launched the GENetic Engineering Risk Atlas (GENERA), a database of 400 studies on the impacts of genetically engineered crops. We successfully Kickstarted two plush dolls that represent genetically engineered crops (Frank N. Foode corn and Lanakila papaya). These works and more have only been possible through the social and financial support of readers, skeptics, activists, and scientists like you!
It has become increasingly clear that even more outreach efforts are needed to create a better informed and engaged public. We have a list of 800 more studies that need to be analyzed and added to GENERA. We are developing a neutral fact check website that could become invaluable in debates about biotechnology. We are filming cooking videos with our mascot, Frank N. Foode. And that’s just the beginning of what is possible. We have identified a number of local and national grant-making organizations that could support our work, but we will need to hire a fundraising manager to dedicate time to these opportunities.
We need to raise $25,000 to get us started:

• $2,000 for operating expenses
• $5,000 for a fundraising manager to apply for grants and manage campaigns
• $13,000 for a Masters-level editor to add 800 more studies to GENERA
• $5,000 for a web publishing editor to begin work on our “GMO Fact Check” site

Additional goals include:

• $5,000 for an outreach coordinator to help recruit more writers and editors, especially current grad students and post docs.
• $3,000 for a webmaster to improve loading times and help protect our site against attacks.

Any size donation will help light the future: please become one of our Luminaria! A spark ($5) is needed to get the light started, votives ($25) and tapers ($100) are essential to help light the way, pillars ($500) bring light to the darkness, and a lantern ($1,000) sheds lasting light on all.
Mailed donations are preferred: Biology Fortified, Inc. 6907 University Ave. #354 Middleton, WI 53562. You may donate via PayPal but they collect a 2.2% processing fee. Direct any questions to fund@biofortified.org.
You can also help by forwarding this message to friends and colleagues. Spreading the word and challenging others to support Biology Fortified can mean the difference between reaching some of our goals and reaching all of them! Last but not least, you can support Biology Fortified and science-based communication about genetic engineering by signing our letter below. Donor names and organizations will be not made public without your consent.
We thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors of Biology Fortified, Inc.
Karl Haro von Mogel, Ph.D. (chair)
Anastasia Bodnar, Ph.D.
Pamela Ronald, Ph.D.
David Tribe, Ph.D.
Kevin Folta, Ph.D.
Please direct questions about how to make donations to fund@biofortified.org and any general questions to Karl Haro von Mogel: karl@biofortified.org or (608) 284-8842.
Visit the Luminaria campaign page to view the current list of signatories.

How to Donate:

Mailed donations are preferred. You may donate via PayPal but they collect a 2.2% processing fee.
1. Send a check made out to Biology Fortified, Inc., and mail it to:
Biology Fortified, Inc.
6907 University Ave. #354
Middleton, WI 53562

Please let us know about your mail-in donation by clicking the button above, so we can add it to our running total!
2. Donate via Paypal:

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Sign Our Letter

We, the undersigned, support the mission of Biology Fortified, Inc., and believe that it is important that they produce more educational resources and outreach efforts during 2015 and beyond. We encourage our colleagues, scientists, educators, and other supporters of science to make this work possible through donations, and to join us in signing this letter. Together, we can illuminate the discussion of plant genetics and agricultural biotechnology.