Every organization has hopes and dreams of how to make the world a better place and a vision for the steps it will take to get there. We’re so honored and grateful to share that vision with hundreds of supporters like you who have helped us walk toward them one step at a time over the years.

When our FTIR instrument, vital to our lab and microplastics research, suddenly needed $20,000 in repairs in 2023, Giving Tuesday supporters jumped in to save the day. Then, in 2025, after losing two POP vans over the previous few years, our supporters stepped up once again. Together, we exceeded our $15,000 Giving Tuesday fundraising goal, allowing us to purchase a newer, larger van to support our growing Trees4Trash, Education, and Research programs.

Last year, when relocating our lab and office became unavoidable, POP supporters rallied once again, helping us secure a space of our own with room to build the laboratory we've always envisioned. Thanks to generous donations, equipment contributed by fellow scientists and laboratories, and grants that helped maintain our FTIR equipment, we've continued moving our research forward.

Thanks to supporters like you, our lab is ready for its next chapter. From examining bear scat to analyzing stormwater and sediment samples, POP has become a trusted contributor to microplastics research.

This Giving Tuesday, we're asking our community to help us take the next step. Through essential equipment, laboratory upgrades, and improved research procedures, we're working toward accreditation by the state water board. Achieving this goal would strengthen our scientific credibility, expand opportunities for collaboration, and help us deliver reliable research to partners near and far.

From essential maintenance and updated equipment to specialized software and certifications, every improvement brings us closer to our goal of accreditation. Your support helps strengthen the science behind everything we do.

For the Love of the Lab - Every Discovery Starts Here

Choose how you’ll help power the next discovery. Together, we can equip the scientists, instruments, and research spaces that reveal the hidden impact of microplastics on our environment.

CHOOSE YOUR IMPACT

Spark Curiosity: $25	Support the everyday essentials of discovery.
Power the Process: $75	Help equip researchers to prepare and analyze samples.
Reveal the Invisible: $150	Support tools that help identify microplastics.
Advance the Science: $500	Help strengthen POP’s laboratory capabilities.

What Your Support Makes Possible

ESTIMATED COST	LABORATORY NEED
$25	Fine-tipped forceps, set of four
$50	Liquid nitrogen refill for FTIR operation
$100	Annual training and certification
$250	Petri dishes, tubing, aluminum containers
$500	Deionized-water filtration system
$1,000	Chemical cabinet, reagents, hood filter
$3,000	Nikon NIS-Elements microscopy software
$13,500	Instrument service contract

HELP COMPLETE THE LAB

In-kind gifts or major-donor support could help provide backup data storage, Val Pro validation, a Nikon camera and microscope attachment, and a solar simulator electrical-box repair.

Giving Tuesday 2026

For the Love of the Lab