Frequently asked questions
Kernls
What is Kernls?
Kernls is a tool designed to empower those who have been touched by an illness to drive progress towards a cure.
We do this by amplifying your dollars and energy, focusing on medical research in your specific area of interest. Kernls provides complete transparency on the use of your dollars and the results that come from your input on time and money.
Kernls has a growing selection of in-flight research from world-renown institutions. We invite you to learn about the teams behind the research, and support a project to begin a journey of moving the science forward.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes. All donations made on the Kernls platform are 100% tax-deductible.
However, there's the option to support Kernls’ mission by adding a voluntary tip to your donation. In this case, the tip amount is not tax-deductible.
Are there any fees on my donation?
There are some fees associated with your donation. We work with Stripe, a third-party payment processor, who charges a fee (roughly 3%) to ensure payments are secure. Donors have the option of adding a non-tax deductible tip for Kernls (amount determined by donor).
How does Kernls make money?
As Kernls is in its early stages, we are still exploring the most effective way to cover operating costs.
At the moment, donors choose to add a voluntary tip to their donation. They can choose any amount they wish.
Who issues my tax receipt?
Kernls works with the charitable foundation affiliated with the research institute to help issue tax receipts for donations.
When you donate to a project on Kernls, the funds are directed to the charitable foundation but then allocated to the project of your choosing. You will immediately receive a receipt for your donation from our payment processor, but the charitable foundation will email you an official tax receipt within the following 7-10 working days.
Contact information for the charitable foundation is provided on the receipt and you should feel free to contact them directly with any questions.
Donors and Champions
What’s a Champion?
Champions are our most motivated donors. They’ve had first-hand experience with an illness and are driven to make an impact by supporting related research directly.
- Focus their impact. They choose a scientist and project in their exact area of interest.
- Amplify their impact. They match donations to encourage others to support and share this research with their friends, family, and colleagues.
What’s the difference between a Champion and a donor?
Both Champions and donors are passionate about the causes they support. Champions are “super donors” that raise their hand to match donations on a project of interest and amplify this work with their own networks.
Development teams and Research Institutes
Are projects on Kernls vetted?
We only work with world-renowned research institutes with direct affiliations with research universities.
How do researchers get their projects on Kernls?
We work directly with researchers and our partners at research institutes and foundations to onboard projects onto Kernls.
What happens when a project doesn’t meet its funding goal?
We give researchers the option to choose a “fixed” or “flexible” funding goal.
If a goal is fixed, it means that the research project can’t move forward unless the funding goal on Kernls is met. In this case, if a goal isn’t met, we will email you with options to redirect your donation to another project at the same research institution.
If a goal is flexible, it means that Kernls is one of many funding sources for the project, and funds will be allocated to the project whether the goal is met or not.