National Inventors Hall of Fame

What National Inventors Hall of Fame does

The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is a U.S. nonprofit organization founded in 1973 in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), headquartered in North Canton, Ohio with a public museum co-located inside USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. NIHF operates two intertwined lines of activity: (1) recognizing and inducting notable U.S. patent holders into its Hall of Fame through an annual ceremony in Washington, D.C. (the Class of 2026 honors 15 inductees including inventors of Wi-Fi, CRISPR, and Spanx), and (2) delivering a portfolio of K-12 STEM invention-education programs built around inductee stories and curricula.

Core offerings include Camp Invention (summer enrichment for grades K-6), Club Invention (afterschool for grades 1-6), Leaders-in-Training (grades 7-9), the Leadership Intern Program (high school and college), the Invention Project (PreK-8 in-school curriculum), and the Collegiate Inventors Competition. Programs reach approximately 147,000 children annually through 2,600+ school and district partners, with 4 million+ cumulative participants since 1973. Supporting resources include the Ready, Set, STEM Handbook series, a STEM activity blog, a Program Team Resource Center for educators, and the free-admission NIHF Museum.

Revenue is generated primarily through program fees paid by families enrolling children in Camp Invention and other enrichment programs, supplemented by corporate sponsorships (notably the John Deere Foundation), individual donations, named scholarship funds (e.g., The Asad and Taj Madni Young Inventors Fund), and foundation grants. Distribution occurs via a direct-to-consumer website registration flow for parents and an institutional partnership channel for school districts. The organization employs 101-250 people and is led by CEO Monica Jones, appointed September 2025.

Name

National Inventors Hall of Fame

Legal name

National Inventors Hall of Fame

Website

https://invent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a nonprofit founded in 1973 with the USPTO that recognizes U.S. inventors via an annual induction ceremony and delivers K-12 STEM invention-education programs — including Camp Invention, Club Invention, and Leaders-in-Training — to 147,000+ children annually through 2,600+ school and district partners nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Programs

NAICS

Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD), Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC), Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Inventor recognition
• K-6 enrichment programs
• After-school STEM
• Collegiate invention competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Canton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue is generated through fees for Camp Invention and other educational programs, which families pay to enroll children in summer and afterschool STEM enrichment activities.
2. Sponsorships and Donations: Corporate sponsors and individual donors contribute to NIHF operations. The organization actively solicits sponsorships through its 'Sponsor and Donate' page and has received major gifts from inductees such as Asad Madni.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Inventors Hall of Fame operates hands-on invention education programs for children in grades K-9 (Camp Invention, Club Invention, Leaders-in-Training, Leadership Intern Program) delivered through a network of schools, districts and direct-to-consumer registration. It also runs the Collegiate Inventors Competition, an annual induction ceremony honoring U.S. patent holders, and operates the NIHF Museum located inside the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Product overview

The National Inventors Hall of Fame operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of invention education programs designed to inspire emerging creators and entrepreneurs. The core offerings include Camp Invention (summer program for K-6th grade), Club Invention (afterschool program for 1st-6th grade), Leaders-in-Training (grades 7-9), and the Leadership Intern Program (high school and college students). Supporting resources include the Collegiate Inventors Competition for college students and the NIHF Museum for public education. The organization also publishes the Ready, Set, STEM Handbook and maintains a STEM Activity Blog as at-home learning resources. All programs are inspired by National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees and conducted in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The organization partners with over 1,400 school districts and impacts more than 4 million children, students, educators, and innovators since its founding in 1973.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp Invention®: The nation's premier summer enrichment program for children entering grades K-6, focused on creativity, innovation, real-world problem solving and the spirit of invention.
• Club Invention®
• Leadership Intern Program
• STEM Maker Lab®
• Collegiate Inventors Competition
• I Can Invent® Mindset

Products and services

• Camp Invention Nation's premier summer enrichment program for children entering grades K-6, offering hands-on STEM activities inspired by NIHF Inductees. Promotes creativity, innovation, real-world problem solving, and entrepreneurship through themed curriculum delivered locally by qualified educators.
• Club Invention Flexible, engaging afterschool program for grades 1-6 that provides hands-on STEM learning experiences similar to Camp Invention but conducted during the school year.
• Leaders-in-Training (LIT) Leadership development program for students in grades 7-9, where participants guide K-6 Camp Invention campers through STEM experiences while building leadership skills.
• Leadership Intern Program Program for high school and college students providing deeper involvement in NIHF education programs and leadership development.
• Collegiate Inventors Competition Annual competition recognizing student innovators from U.S. colleges, awarding prizes for innovative inventions as part of NIHF's mission to inspire and recognize emerging inventors at the collegiate level.
• NIHF Museum Museum located inside the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, featuring exhibits showcasing Hall of Fame Inductees, their inventions, and the history of American innovation. Admission is free.
• Inductee Induction Ceremony Annual celebration of American innovation honoring new inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, held in partnership with the USPTO (e.g., Class of 2026 to be honored May 6-7, 2026 in Washington, D.C.).
• Invention Project Innovative, year-round, PreK-8 in-school curriculum providing hands-on invention education experiences aligned with STEM learning standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 147,000+ children served annually through Camp Invention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1973NIHF was founded in partnership with the USPTO and continues to collaborate on induction ceremonies, educational programs, and museum operations. The museum is located inside USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
• John Deere FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting NIHF's STEM education programs. Provides funding to help make invention education more accessible to children.
• 2,600+ Schools and DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIHF partners with over 2,600 schools and districts across the United States to deliver Camp Invention and other STEM programs. Local programs are facilitated by qualified educators.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Exploratorium: Science and invention-focused museum with strong hands-on STEM programming, comparable to the NIHF Museum at USPTO headquarters in mission and audience.
• Museum of Science, Boston: Large U.S. science museum with extensive K-12 STEM programming, comparable visitor and educator offerings to the NIHF Museum.
• Engineering For Kids: For-profit competitor offering engineering and invention enrichment programs for K-8 students, directly comparable to Camp Invention and Club Invention at the program level.
• FIRST (FIRST Robotics): Nonprofit running K-12 STEM and invention-style robotics programs through school and district partnerships, competing head-to-head with Camp Invention for the same summer enrichment and afterschool slots.
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW): Nonprofit delivering PreK-12 STEM/engineering curriculum in U.S. school districts, directly overlapping with NIHF's Invention Project and Club Invention as competing school-adopted STEM programs.
• iCAN (Inventor's Council for Academic Achievement precursor / DaVinci Center Foundation): National nonprofit focused on encouraging invention and creativity in youth through K-12 teacher training, mascot/logo 'ic' and direct curriculum competition with NIHF Invention Project.
• Tech Museum of Innovation: Silicon Valley science and technology museum combining exhibits and youth STEM programs, directly analogous to NIHF's museum-plus-education model.

Emerging players

• Code.org: Nonprofit focused on K-12 computer science education and teacher professional development, an adjacent STEM nonprofit often co-branded with school STEM initiatives.
• MakerKids: Smaller maker and STEM education provider for children, operating programs and classes in the same youth invention/maker niche as NIHF's programs.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: National museum complex with major invention/innovation collections (e.g., National Museum of American History), a broader incumbent operating complementary programming to NIHF's invention celebration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InventorsHOF
• YouTubeyoutube.com/NationalInventorsHallofFame_NIHF
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalInventorsHOF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nihf
• Instagraminstagram.com/inventorshof

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Inventors Hall of Fame