FAQ | Bio Link

Please bring your institutional ID. You may also bring a helper if you need assistance carrying items.

All visitors must wear closed-toe shoes. Our warehouse is located in an industrial area and next to a woodshop, so our warehouse is dusty. We also recommend bringing layers because the warehouse can get cold.

We provide gloves and masks if you choose to use PPE at the Depot.
Anyone affiliated with an educational institution qualifies. A valid educational institution ID is required. For community and maker labs, please bring an official letter from your institution signed by an authorized official.

To receive free supplies, either make an appointment or attend one of our Teacher Open House Giveaways.
We close our warehouse at 4pm. We recommend morning appointments to ensure teachers have ample time to browse, find the items they need, fill out their form, and pack their car. We have a lot of supplies in our warehouse so allowing yourself adequate time is important. You are welcome to come to the Depot multiple times if you run out of time on your initial visit.
No. The Depot is only open by appointment and during our scheduled events.
Yes, teachers are welcome to bring supplies back if they no longer need them or change their minds. Teachers are also welcome to bring other donations to the Depot during their appointment. Please email us a list of the donations you want to bring so we can approve the list and prepare space.
Yes! We encourage teachers to make appointments and shop together. The great variety of supplies available at the Depot inspires great conversation and brainstorming between teachers.

Anyone affiliated with an educational institution qualifies. A valid educational institution ID is required. For community and maker labs, please bring an official letter from your institution signed by an authorized official.
We encourage you to take as much as you need to equip your classes and research, as long as you leave some behind for others. Take what you need, not what you can carry!
Yes, recipients can donate. We encourage teachers and institutions that have more gear than they need to give it to us, and we will donate it to other recipients. Financial donations are also appreciated.
The answer is a huge variety of equipment and supplies. We have consumables such as pipette tips, filtration products, tubes, microplates, microscope slides, specialty glass, plastic bottles/vials, PPE and much more. Our inventory changes with every Open House.
We usually have some equipment available but the amount fluctuates. Title I teachers have priority for equipment like microscopes, incubators, thermal cyclers, hot plate stirrers, and vortexers. These items are likely to have a waitlist, and the waitlist time varies.
Title I, low-income school educators can make wishlist requests. Our online reservation system will be available soon. Join our mailing list to stay updated.
We hold Teacher Open Houses on Sundays, when our neighbors at Habitat for Humanity are closed, this allows for a more spacious shopping experience. During weekday appointments the warehouse may be busy with other activities, but there will be fewer teachers shopping at the same time. Some educators prefer to shop amongst other teachers and share ideas, while others prefer to shop in a quieter environment.

It depends, please see our donate supplies page and contact us first at info@biolinkdepot.org.

We cannot accept chemicals of any kind by mail. However, we often receive supplies and equipment sent in from all over the continent.

We also offer pickup of large equipment in California.
We do not accept chemicals such as solvents, acids, alkalis, or hazardous chemicals. We sometimes accept yeast extract, sugars, agarose, salt, LB media powder, and simple assays. Other media or reagents we accept on a case by case basis. Email us at info@biolinkdepot.org to get your list approved.

All donations must be pre-approved before drop off.
All donations must be pre-approved

All donations must be decontaminated

We do not accept:
• Hazardous chemicals

• Contaminated equipment or supplies
• Toxic or radioactive materials
Our warehouse is located in Oakland, CA. Any educator is welcome to visit our warehouse (with an appointment or at an Open House) to pick up supplies. We've served educators throughout California as well as educators who have visited from out-of-state.
Yes, we are a registered 501(c)(3). Once donations are received we can provide a donation receipt with our federal ID number.
The Depot works hard to get your donations into the hands of future scientists! We provide the donated items for free to educational institutions (K-12, community colleges, 4-year colleges, and universities, community laboratories) for use in education and research, with a priority for Title I K-12 schools. We do this because we believe that equity in STEM education and sustainability in the Biotech industry are both essential for our future. Material that educators and researchers are unable to use, may be sold, recycled or discarded by the Depot.
Once we have approved your list, and confirmed a delivery date, donations can be dropped off at our Oakland site.
We offer pickup services for large equipment via a transportation partner.

We ask that all other donations be delivered to our warehouse.

We can sometimes offer pickup for small equipment in the East Bay. Email us for more info.

At this time, we only have an equipment wishlist for low-income, Title I schools. To join the wishlist, check the box at the bottom of your registration form and list your desired items on the back of your registration form.
Currently, our wishlist is only open to Title I, low-income, educators.
When the requested item is donated, we will notify you via email. If you do not respond within 3 weeks we will offer the item to the next teacher on the wishlist, so please respond promptly.

Once you are notified, all wishlist items must be picked up by the next Teacher Open House.
We cannot predict how long it will take to receive your wishlist item, but it will likely be at least a few months, and could be much longer depending on the length of the waitlist. Wait times depend on equipment donations, which fluctuate greatly.