Holobiont Medical Research Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 992133246
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4152233901
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $335,001
- Expenses
- $325,788
- Assets
- $9,213
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LARRY WEISS (President)
- JULIA DURACK (Vice President)
People named in this filing
- LARRY WEISS (President)
- JULIA DURACK (Vice President)
- CARLOS BUSTAMANTE (Secretary)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The holobiont medical research foundation is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and improving human health through research and innovation. Our mission is to unravel the intricate connections between the human microbiome, exposome and physiological processes within the human body that define health and well-being.
What it reported doing in 2024
Grant funding supports early stage translational research in skin microbiome science. Through these grants, the organizations conducted laboratory and analytical work to characterize microbial-derived metabolites, postbiotic compounds and host inflammatory responses. The funding supported development of experimental models, baseline assays and data collection aimed at improving understanding of human-microbe interactions relevant to dermatologic and immunologic health. The work establishes foundational evidence needed for future clinical investigation and public-benefit applications. Grant funds also enabled the design and preliminary validation of protocols, measurement tools, and digital processes to support decentralized, community-engaged clinical research related to skin and muscosal health. Activities included drafting research protocols, refining remote data-collection workflows, establishing microbiome samplign and handling methods, and preparing study materials suitable for future IRB submission.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 47
- Sustainability: 40
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90.1%; rating input score 90
- Program expense ratio: 92.6%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: $20.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 2.8%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.03; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 90.1% of revenue deployed · 92.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $302K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 16 of 16 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 59/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
- Review — Grant Readiness: California registration: this organization could not be resolved against the register, so the check is unfinished.