Science Friday

Name

Science Friday

Legal name

Science Friday Initiative

Website

https://sciencefriday.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Science Journalism Media

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM & Science Education Channels (MPABAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Popular Science, Technology & Nature Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAJ)

Keywords

• Science journalism media
• Public radio programming
• Science podcast production
• Stem educational resources
• Nonprofit science media

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Science Friday relies on tax-deductible donations from listeners and supporters. The organization conducts fundraising campaigns, with mention of a $100,000 fundraising goal. Donations support production of the radio program, web materials, videos, podcasts, and educational content.
2. Underwriting and Sponsorships: Support from foundation and corporate sponsors that require online and on-air recognition. Underwriting credits acknowledge organizations that fund Science Friday programming, read after the phrase 'Support for Science Friday comes from...'. Accepts grants from foundations like Rita Allen Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Science Friday produces and distributes science journalism content through a weekly national public radio program, on-demand podcasts, written articles, videos, and educational resources. The organization operates multiple sub-brands including The Leap audio series, SciFri Book Club, State of Science policy coverage, and Science Friday En Español. Content is freely available to consumers and funded by listener donations, foundation grants, and corporate underwriting.

Product overview

Science Friday is a science journalism media organization producing a multi-platform content portfolio centered on its flagship weekly radio program and podcast. The core offerings include the broadcast radio show distributed via public radio stations, on-demand podcasts available across major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, YouTube Music), written articles and editorial content, and video productions including documentary shorts. The organization operates several sub-brands: The Leap (audio series profiling scientists), the SciFri Book Club (community reading program), State of Science (policy-focused coverage), Science Friday En Español (Spanish-language content), and Cephalopod Week (themed programming). Supporting products include newsletters for audience engagement, educational resources for STEM learning, and live events for community interaction. The product portfolio is unified by its mission to deliver trustworthy science journalism to the general public through whatever medium best serves the audience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Leap: An audio series profiling scientists willing to take big risks to push the boundaries of discovery. A production of the Hypothesis Fund, in partnership with Science Friday.
• Science Friday En Español
• The Long Shot
• Undiscovered

Products and services

• Science Friday Radio Program Weekly national radio show broadcast on public radio stations covering science and technology news, featuring interviews with scientists, researchers, and experts on topics ranging from health and space to technology and environment.
• Science Friday Podcasts On-demand audio content including the flagship show, The Leap series profiling scientists, and topic-specific episodes distributed across major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and YouTube Music.
• Science Friday Articles Written editorial content including science news stories, in-depth features, book excerpts, and educational resources covering topics across physics, chemistry, earth science, space, health, biology, nature, math, technology, and ethics.
• Science Friday Videos Video content including short films, documentary segments, explainers, and visual storytelling on scientific topics, including collaborations with HHMI and Grist.
• The Leap Audio series profiling scientists willing to take big risks to push the boundaries of discovery. Produced in partnership with the Hypothesis Fund and hosted by Flora Lichtman. Won the 2025 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award for Audio.
• Hack Your Brain Free online neuroscience escape room experience designed to engage middle school students (ages 10-14) in immersive STEM learning. Launched in partnership with the Dana Foundation for Brain Awareness Week.
• Breakthrough: Portraits Of Women In Science Short film anthology produced with Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) following women working at the forefront of their fields.
• The Long Shot Interactive long-form audio storytelling piece featuring geologist Peter Schultz hunting for hidden craters in Argentina, combining audio, text, and illustrations in an immersive web experience.
• State of Science Spotlight series covering science policy reporting that draws out implications of local events to the national context, funded in part by Rita Allen Foundation grant.
• Science Friday En Español Spanish-language content including articles and segments translated for Spanish-speaking audiences, covering topics like COVID-19, PFAS chemicals, and general science news.
• Cephalopod Week Annual celebration and coverage of cephalopods and marine science, part of the community spotlight programming.
• SciFri Book Club Community reading program featuring science-themed books with discussion events and author interactions.
• SciFri Events Live events including in-person screenings, NASA In-Flight Downlinks, book club meetings, and community engagement activities.
• Educational Resources STEM educational materials including lesson plans, experiments, projects, and interactive experiences for educators and students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured guests include Nobel Prize winners, NASA astronauts, and leading scientists

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and notable.

• WNYC StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Friday is distributed by WNYC Studios, which handles national distribution of the independently produced science program to public radio stations across the country.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the 'Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science' short film anthology with HHMI, following women scientists at the forefront of their fields.
• Hypothesis FundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Leap podcast series is a production of the Hypothesis Fund, in partnership with Science Friday, profiling scientists who take big risks.
• KFF Health NewsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Friday collaborates with KFF Health News on health journalism stories, including award-winning pieces on race in medicine.
• GristnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience Friday and Grist collaborated on a video and article exploring unusually healthy coral reefs near oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, winning a AAAS Kavli award.
• Dana FoundationnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Dana Foundation to launch 'Hack Your Brain', a free online neuroscience escape room for middle school students during Brain Awareness Week.
• Public Radio Stations (WFYI, etc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScience Friday content is broadcast on public radio stations including WFYI in Indianapolis and distributed nationally through the public radio system.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Science Vs: Science Vs is a popular science podcast that investigates claims using scientific evidence, targeting the same curious-general-audience demographic as Science Friday with weekly episodic audio content, but distributed primarily as a digital-first podcast.
• Quanta Magazine: Quanta Magazine is a Simons Foundation-funded nonprofit science journalism outlet producing articles, videos, and podcasts on science and math. It competes with Science Friday for the same science-curious audience and foundation-grant funding pool.
• Radiolab: Radiolab is a WNYC-produced science and storytelling podcast and radio show, directly comparable to Science Friday as a public-media science audio brand distributed through the same national network, targeting similar curious-general-audience listeners with long-form science storytelling.

Broad incumbents

• Scientific American: Scientific American is an established popular science publication with podcasts, articles, and educational content serving a similar audience to Science Friday. It is a much larger commercial operation and incumbent in popular science media.
• NPR Science Desk: NPR's science coverage is a broad public-media incumbent producing daily science news across radio, podcasts, and digital. It overlaps with Science Friday's audience but operates at much larger scale and as part of NPR's wider news portfolio.
• New Scientist: New Scientist is an established weekly popular science publication producing articles, podcasts, and educational content for general audiences. It serves a comparable science-curious audience, though with a stronger UK/global commercial orientation.
• TED Talks Science: TED Talks produce widely distributed science and technology presentations via video and podcast formats, competing for the same science-curious audience attention. TED operates at much larger scale and as part of a broader ideas-platform portfolio.

Others

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): HHMI is a major biomedical research organization and Science Friday's collaborator on the Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science film series. It is comparable as a foundation-funded science education and communication producer, though not a direct media competitor.
• The Verge Science: The Verge covers science and technology news across digital formats, serving a tech-adjacent audience. It is comparable as a digital science media outlet but operates within a broader consumer-tech publication rather than as a dedicated science brand.

Emerging players

• Atlas Obscura: Atlas Obscura produces curiosity-driven editorial content, podcasts, and events covering science, culture, and the unusual—overlapping with Science Friday's mission to make science engaging for general audiences, though focused more on experiential discovery than pure science journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/scifri
• Facebookfacebook.com/scifri
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1878803
• Instagraminstagram.com/scifri
• TikToktiktok.com/@scifri
• Xx.com/scifri

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Science Friday