What BADM does

The Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's museum (EIN 68-0033227) operating on a 7.5-acre campus at Fort Baker in Sausalito, California, at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded in 1988, BADM delivers hands-on, play-based STEAM learning experiences for children ages 0–8 through 15+ indoor and outdoor Discovery Zones, and serves families, schools, and community organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, with primary reach across San Francisco and Marin County.

Its core product is general museum admission, layered with seven membership tiers (Bronze $159 through Discovery Circle $1,000+, plus a $45 Family Access income-based tier), seasonal and summer camps ($465–$725/session), birthday party packages at six themed venues, and a school and community programs vertical that includes DIY field trips ($12/person), on-site STEAM workshops ($585), and the mobile Try It Truck engineering lab ($1,750/visit). Ancillary revenue comes from a structured Corporate Partnership Program ($2,500–$50,000 membership levels) and foundation grants and individual donations. Underpinning the pedagogy is the proprietary Think, Make, Try® three-step engineering design framework, supported by downloadable educator toolkits in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

In the last reported year BADM served 346,259 people across its museum and outreach sites and delivered 505 STEAM programs, with 23% of participants accessing programs free or at reduced cost through access initiatives. Go-to-market mixes direct-to-consumer (walk-ins, online ticketing, memberships) with event-driven fundraising (Goblin Jamboree, Discovery at Dusk, Big Art Weekend, Noon Year's Eve) and community-led outreach via school district partnerships and the mobile Try It Truck. The organization employs 101–250 staff and is governed by an independent board, supported by a deep roster of corporate and foundation partners including Bloomberg Philanthropies, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Broadcom Foundation, Koret Foundation, KPMG, and the National Park Foundation.

Name

BADM

Legal name

Bay Area Discovery Museum Inc.

Website

https://bayareadiscoverymuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's museum in Sausalito, California, delivering hands-on, play-based STEAM learning experiences for children ages 0–8 across a 7.5-acre Fort Baker campus and through mobile outreach programs serving Bay Area families, schools, and community organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD), Arts & Design Camps (Visual Arts, Crafts, Design Thinking) (EDAMALAH)

Keywords

• Children's museum
• STEAM education
• Early childhood learning
• Play-based education
• Summer camps

Headquarters

HQ city

Sausalito

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Visitors pay per-entry fees for museum access. Children (ages 1-17) $25, Adults $25, Seniors $23, Babies under 1 free.
2. Memberships: Annual subscription memberships with tiered pricing (Bronze $159 to Diamond $349) providing unlimited access, member benefits, and reciprocal museum admission.
3. Summer Camps: Week-long themed camps for ages 3-8 during summer break. Pricing ranges from $465-$725 per session.
4. School Year Camps: Camps during school breaks including Spring Break, Winter Break, and holidays for ages 4-7.
5. Birthday Parties: Private venue rentals with party packages including exclusive space access and all-day museum admission for guests.
6. School & Community Programs: Try It Truck visits ($1,750), STEAM workshops ($585), and field trips ($12/person) for schools and community organizations.
7. Donations & Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, and fundraising events support operations and access programs.
8. Professional Development: Training workshops for educators and caregivers on play-based learning approaches.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Bay Area Discovery Museum operates a 7.5-acre children's museum at Fort Baker National Park in Sausalito, California, providing hands-on, play-based STEAM learning experiences for children ages 0-8 through general admission, tiered memberships, themed summer and school-break camps, birthday party venue rentals, and school and community STEAM programs. Its core educational framework is the proprietary Think, Make, Try® engineering design process, extended beyond the museum walls via the mobile Try It Truck engineering lab.

Product overview

The Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) is a physical children's museum offering a unified portfolio of educational experiences centered on play-based STEAM learning for children ages 0-8. The core offering is general museum admission providing access to Discovery Zones—hands-on indoor and outdoor exhibit areas including River Run, Wobbleland, Mud Kitchen, Lookout Cove, and Tot Spot. This is complemented by annual Membership Programs (Bronze through Diamond tiers, plus Discovery Circle philanthropy level), Discovery Summer Camps and School Year Camps for ages 3-8, and Birthday Party Packages at six themed venues. School & Community Programs extend the museum's reach through STEAM Workshops at schools and the Try It Truck mobile engineering lab. Professional Development services train educators in BADM's proprietary Think, Make, Try® engineering design framework, which is also available as a downloadable toolkit. Seasonal special events include Bubble Bash, Pride, Goblin Jamboree, Noon Year's Eve, Big Art Weekend, and Discovery at Dusk fundraiser. Corporate Partnership Programs offer sponsorship and membership opportunities for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Admission General admission tickets providing access to the museum's 15+ Discovery Zones, hands-on exhibits, and outdoor play areas for children ages 0-8. Pricing: Children (ages 1-17) $25, Adults $25, Seniors $23, Babies under 1 free. Discounted admission available for EBT/SNAP/WIC cardholders and military/veterans.
• Annual Membership Program Annual membership tiers (Bronze $159 to Diamond $349) plus Discovery Circle philanthropy level ($1,000+) offering unlimited visits, member-only hours, discounts on store and cafe, and reciprocal admission to 300+ ASTC and 180+ ACM partner museums. A Family Access Membership at $45/year is available for income-qualified families.
• Discovery Summer Camps Week-long themed summer camps for ages 3-8 including science, engineering, naturalist, and creative arts programs. Pricing ranges from $465 (3-year-old camps) to $725 (5-8 year old camps) per session, with optional aftercare.
• School Year Camps Break camps during school vacations including Spring Break, Winter Break, Thanksgiving, MLK Day, and Mid-Winter Break for ages 4-7.
• Birthday Party Packages Private venue rentals for children's birthday celebrations at six themed locations (Theater, Playhouse, Studio, Bridge Room, Gallery, Mosaic) with customizable activities, catering options, and all-day museum admission for guests.
• Try It Truck Mobile STEAM Program Engineering-lab-on-wheels bringing hands-on STEAM programming to schools, camps, and libraries with design challenge stations aligned to NGSS cross-cutting concepts. Pricing: $1,750 per visit (+ $100 travel fee for red zone locations), scholarship rate $1,050. Serves TK-5th grade, up to 150 students per visit.
• School Field Trips and STEAM Workshops at Museum DIY field trips at $12/person (scholarship rate $6/person) and structured STEAM workshops at $585 per workshop (scholarship rate $350) including museum admission for all students and adults. Designed for preschool through 5th grade.
• STEAM Workshops at Your Site On-site workshops delivered by museum staff at schools including PreK-TK Nature Lab, Fairy Tale Engineering, Bridge Builders, and K-3rd curriculum-aligned sessions. Pricing: $585 per workshop (+ $50 travel fee for red zone), scholarship rate $350.
• Professional Development for Educators Training workshops for educators, librarians, and caregivers on play-based STEAM learning, integrating research from developmental psychology and education into practical implementation.
• Discovery Circle Philanthropy Program Philanthropy membership program with tiers (Thinker Circle, Explorer Circle, Creativity Circle, Builder Circle) providing exclusive events, perks, and funding educational access for underserved communities at $1,000+ annually.
• Corporate Partnership Program Sponsorship and membership opportunities for businesses including exhibit sponsorship, event sponsorship, private museum visits, and corporate memberships ranging from $2,500-$50,000.
• Discovery Zones (Exhibit Experience) Hands-on interactive exhibit areas including River Run, Wobbleland, Collage Corner, All Aboard, Mud Kitchen, Bay Hall, Discovery Beach, Gumnut Grove, How Things Work, Lookout Cove, Tot Spot, and Painter's Place, accessed via general admission or membership.
• Think, Make, Try® Toolkit A three-step engineering design process framework with downloadable resources for educators working with children ages 3-8, available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Quantifiable outcome

• 346,259 people served annually at museum and in communities
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clover-SonomacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor for Pride event and Goblin Jamboree, providing brand visibility at family festivals.
• The New Children's MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Wobbleland exhibit development with artist Marisol Rendon.
• San Francisco Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey school district partner for STEAM workshops and field trips.
• Marin County Free LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for Try It Truck visits and programs extending admission to library members.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world with extensive exhibits, collections, and STEAM programs. Comparable mission and target demographic but operates at significantly greater scale.
• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based science and perception museum with strong educator resources and hands-on exhibits. Shares BADM's Bay Area geography and STEAM pedagogy focus but serves broader ages.

Direct peers

• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia children's museum dedicated to hands-on learning for ages 3 and up. Comparable age range, exhibit philosophy, and museum-school program mix.
• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and largest children's museums in the U.S., serving broad early-childhood audiences with STEAM exhibits. Comparable in programmatic depth and membership structure.
• Children's Museum of Manhattan: Major urban children's museum serving early childhood through age 10 with hands-on exhibits and educational programming. Closest East Coast comparable for scale and mission.
• Madison Children's Museum: Single-site children's museum emphasizing hands-on play and nature-based learning for young children. Comparable scale, age range, and educational philosophy.
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: Direct peer and fellow Bay Area children's museum serving young children with hands-on exhibits and STEAM programming. Closest geographic and demographic comparable to BADM.
• Children's Creativity Museum: San Francisco-based children's museum focused on creative technology and arts for ages 2-12. Comparable hands-on exhibit model targeting similar Bay Area families.
• The New Children's Museum: San Diego children's museum emphasizing art and creativity for young visitors. Already named as a BADM collaborator on exhibit development, with similar age range and STEAM/art focus.

Regional players

• Kidspace Children's Museum: Pasadena-based children's museum focused on early childhood (typically under 10) with outdoor exhibits and STEAM programming. Comparable mission and age range in a different California market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BayAreaDiscoveryMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/bayareadiscoverymuseum
• Xx.com/BADM_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bayareadiscoverymuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BADM