Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences was recognized for its philanthropic transparency and accountability by the GuideStar Nonprofit Profile with a gold level designation. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information about nonprofit organizations and a leader in advancing transparency in the nonprofit sector. This level demonstrates Bigelow Laboratory’s deep commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability.

"Our donors really make the work of Bigelow Laboratory possible and for this we are very grateful," said Executive Director Graham Shimmield.  "In return, we believe it is our responsibility to not only use these resources wisely and in an accountable way, but to ensure that it is easy to know how and where the donations have been used in support of our mission.  We are pleased that GuideStar has recognized these efforts with a gold level designation.”

The GuideStar database contains a profile for every tax-exempt nonprofit registered with the IRS. GuideStar invites nonprofits to update their profiles at no cost to the organizations. Updating allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with the millions of people who visit GuideStar to learn more about nonprofit organizations and the more than 120 sites and applications that use GuideStar data. To earn a logo, an organization needs to complete all required fields for that participation level. The GuideStar logos, acknowledged as symbols of transparency in the nonprofit sector, are displayed on all updated participants' profiles in the GuideStar database.