Kids Discovery Factory

What Kids Discovery Factory does

Kids Discovery Factory (KDF) is a nonprofit children's museum founded in 2009 and operating from a single facility at 110 Sycamore Street, Batesville, Indiana. The museum delivers hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) learning experiences to children and families across more than 15 Indiana counties. Its core offering is the museum itself, supported by a portfolio of program modules including STEAM Camp, BIS STEAM Club (an after-school club affiliated with Batesville Intermediate School), Bring The Factory to Your School outreach, Classroom Programs, and Girl Scout badge programs. A new membership program with reciprocity benefits at partner children's museums is in development, funded by a $24,432 IMLS grant awarded in March 2026.

KDF's technology footprint is minimal: the public-facing site is built on the Wix platform, membership interest is captured through a Google Forms survey, and the organization was purchasing new membership management software with grant funding at the time of reporting. There is no public API, mobile application, or documented developer-facing platform; digital presence is limited to standard browser-based content and social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

The business model blends transactional, philanthropic, and institutional funding. Transactional revenue is generated by general museum admission and fee-based programs (camps, after-school clubs, classroom visits, and badge programs). Recurring revenue is being built out via the planned membership program. The largest portion of operating support, however, comes from charitable contributions solicited through an Annual Fund page and a Capital Campaign, together with corporate sponsorships — Honda is the 2026 STEAM Camp Title Sponsor, alongside MMH, Pike Lumber, and Daffodillys — and institutional grants including a $120,545 Lilly Endowment award in September 2023, a $5,600 Ripley County Community Foundation grant in August 2023, and the 2026 IMLS grant.

Name

Kids Discovery Factory

Legal name

Kids Discovery Factory

Website

https://kidsdiscoveryfactory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kids Discovery Factory is a nonprofit children's museum in Batesville, Indiana, founded in 2009, delivering hands-on STEAM learning experiences to children and families across more than 15 Indiana counties through exhibits, camps, and school outreach programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum / STEAM Education Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAE

Children’s Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• Children's museum
• STEAM education
• Hands-on learning
• Youth programs
• Educational outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Batesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Museum Admission: One-time paid admission revenue from visitors to the children's museum at the Batesville, Indiana location. Supports day-to-day operations and exhibit maintenance.
2. Membership Program (in development): Recurring revenue stream under design via IMLS-funded research. Future members will receive benefits such as member-only hours and reduced admission, including reciprocity benefits at partner children's museums. Targeted at long-term financial sustainability.
3. STEAM Camps and Classes: Fee-based programs including summer camps (e.g., 2026 Honda Title Sponsor STEAM Camp), after-school BIS STEAM Club, Girl Scout badge programs, and classroom programs delivered on-site or brought to schools.
4. Donations and Annual Fund: Charitable contributions solicited via an Annual Fund page, Donate CTA, and Capital Campaign. Funds support museum operations, exhibits, and the Watch Us Grow expansion.
5. Sponsorships: Corporate and local business sponsorships (e.g., MMH, Pike Lumber, Daffodillys, Honda) that fund specific programs such as STEAM Camp title sponsorship.
6. Grants: Institutional grant funding from bodies such as the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for specific projects, including the $24,432 grant to design a membership program.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Kids Discovery Factory is a nonprofit children's museum that delivers hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) learning through interactive museum exhibits and a suite of educational programs. Its offerings include on-site visits, STEAM camps and after-school clubs, classroom and school-outreach programs, and Girl Scout badge activities serving families and students across more than 15 Indiana counties. Revenue is generated from paid admissions, program fees, memberships (in development), corporate sponsorships, donations, and grants.

Product overview

Kids Discovery Factory (KDF) is a single-facility children's museum located in Batesville, Indiana, offering a unified portfolio of hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) learning experiences. Its core product is the museum itself (with exhibits and visitor experiences), supported by a suite of program modules including STEAM Camp, BIS STEAM Club, Bring The Factory to Your School, Classroom Programs, and Girl Scout Badges. A newly developing Membership Program, funded by a 2026 IMLS grant, will add member-only hours and reciprocity-based reduced admission with partner museums to round out the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kids Discovery Factory Museum Hands-on children's museum located at 110 Sycamore St, Batesville, IN, offering interactive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) exhibits and learning experiences to children and families across more than 15 Indiana counties.
• STEAM Camp Fee-based summer camp program focused on hands-on STEAM learning for children, sponsored by Honda as the 2026 Title Sponsor.
• BIS STEAM Club Recurring after-school STEAM-focused club program for students affiliated with Batesville Intermediate School (BIS).
• Bring The Factory to Your School Outreach program that brings the museum's hands-on STEAM learning experiences directly to schools across more than 15 Indiana counties.
• Classroom Programs Structured in-classroom educational programs aligned with STEAM learning objectives for visiting school groups at the Batesville museum.
• Girl Scout Badges Badge-earning program designed to help Girl Scouts complete badge requirements through hands-on museum activities.
• Museum Membership Program New museum membership program under development, funded by a $24,432 IMLS grant, intended to offer member-only hours, reduced admission, and reciprocity-based benefits at partner children's museums nationwide.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The largest children's museum in the world, located in Indianapolis. While far larger than KDF and a BROAD_INCUMBENT rather than a direct competitor, it competes for the same Indiana family audience, the same foundation/federal grant dollars, and the same corporate sponsorships.
• Cincinnati Museum Center: Regional cultural and science institution in Cincinnati (within ~1 hour of Batesville) that includes children's museum programming. Competes with KDF for southeastern Indiana family visits, school field trips, and regional grant funding.
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry): Major science and children's museum in Columbus, Ohio. While much larger, it operates a similar hands-on STEAM learning model and school outreach programming, and competes for the same regional family and school audience.
• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh-based children's museum known for hands-on making and STEAM exhibits, including strong school outreach programming. Comparable in mission and program structure, though at significantly larger scale.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia children's museum focused on hands-on learning for young children. Comparable in core mission and program philosophy (learning through play/exploration), though operating at substantially larger scale.
• The Strong National Museum of Play: Rochester, NY museum dedicated to play-based learning, with strong membership and family programming. Comparable in audience and membership-program model, though far larger.

Direct peers

• Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville: Indiana-based children's museum offering hands-on exhibits and STEAM-style programming for young children. Directly comparable in mission, audience (Indiana families and school groups), and operating model to Kids Discovery Factory.
• Science Central (Fort Wayne): Indiana-based hands-on science center serving school-age children with STEAM exhibits and outreach programs. Closely comparable to KDF in mission, scale, and reliance on grants/donations.
• Mid-America Science Museum: Arkansas-based hands-on science museum offering STEAM exhibits and school outreach. Closely comparable to KDF in scale, mission, and rural/small-market operating context.
• Imagination Station (Toledo): Mid-sized regional science center offering hands-on STEAM exhibits, school programs, and summer camps. Directly comparable to KDF in size, program mix, and funding model (grants + admissions + sponsorships).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KidsDiscoveryIN
• Facebookfacebook.com/KidsDiscoveryFactory
• Instagraminstagram.com/kidsdiscoveryfactory
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kids_discovery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-discovery-factory-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Kids Discovery Factory