USA Science & Engineering Festival

What USA Science & Engineering Festival does

USA Science & Engineering Festival is a U.S. non-profit organization founded in 2010 and operated by the 501(c)(3) Science Spark, headquartered in Washington, DC. Its mission is to stimulate and sustain youth interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by connecting students with real-world STEM career pathways and providing future-ready workforce skills. The organization delivers its mission through a suite of free digital and in-person programs rather than a paid product line: X-STEM All Access (online speaker series with 20-30 minute episodes for grades 6-12), Coffee Break Series (15-minute professional development episodes for educators), X-STEM Fellowship (structured support program for K-12 teachers), X-STEM Workshops (in-person student events), a standards-aligned Lesson Plan Library, Student Career Resources, and a free video library including Career Shorts.

The underlying technology is a content publishing and distribution platform: video episodes are hosted on YouTube, lesson plans and career resources are delivered through the organization's website (usasciencefestival.org), and select lesson plans are integrated into third-party platforms such as PocketLab's lab report system at app.thepocketlab.com. The platform supports standards-aligned curriculum delivery, professional development credit for educators, and career-exploration content spanning ocean science, space exploration, naval engineering, aviation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and skilled trades.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-funded rather than revenue-generating. All programs are provided free to students and educators, and the organization is explicitly funded by donations and corporate sponsorships — listed sponsors and partners include NASA, General Atomics Sciences Foundation, General Dynamics, PocketLab, TeenLife, the Military Homeschoolers Association, multiple U.S. Department of Defense and Navy commands (NAVAIR, NIWC Pacific, MCTSSA), and academic partners such as SDSU College of Engineering and the University of Hawaii College of Engineering. The organization serves two primary end-user segments — K-12 educators seeking standards-aligned curriculum and professional development credit, and students in grades 6-12 seeking STEM career exposure — with homeschool families as a secondary segment. It is a sub-scale operation with 1-10 employees and no disclosed financial metrics.

Name

USA Science & Engineering Festival

Legal name

USA Science & Engineering Festival (operated by Science Spark)

Website

https://usasciencefestival.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

USA Science & Engineering Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2010 and operated by Science Spark that delivers free STEM educational content — including video speaker series, lesson plans, and workshops — to K-12 students and educators, funded by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEM Education

NAICS

Educational Services (61), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Science & STEM Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAH)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• K-12 lesson plans
• Online speaker series
• Educator professional development
• Student career resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a non-profit organization, USA Science Festival relies on donations and corporate sponsorships to fund its free programs. The organization explicitly states 'Together, we can make our programs free for all, creating opportunities for young minds to explore and excel in STEM.'

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The USA Science & Engineering Festival provides free STEM educational content and programs to K-12 students and educators. Its core offerings include X-STEM All Access (online speaker series with lesson plans for grades 6-12), Coffee Break Series (15-minute educator PD episodes), X-STEM Fellowship (educator support program), X-STEM Workshops (in-person student events), and a standards-aligned Lesson Plan Library. All content is provided at no cost, funded by donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

USA Science Festival operates as an educational nonprofit offering a suite of interconnected STEM engagement programs. The core offerings include X-STEM All Access (online speaker series with 30-minute episodes and lesson plans for grades 6-12), the Coffee Break Series (15-minute PD episodes for educators), the X-STEM Fellowship (educator support program with resources and workshops), X-STEM Workshops (in-person student events), a Lesson Plan Library with standards-aligned educator resources, Student Career Resources (internships and training programs), and a free video library with Career Shorts. These programs work together to connect students with STEM career pathways and future-ready skills aligned with workforce needs, inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators since 2010.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• X-STEM All Access: Free 20-minute episodes for 6-12th graders featuring inspiring speakers and standards-aligned lesson plans for educators.
• Coffee Break Series
• X-STEM Fellowship
• X-STEM Workshops

Products and services

• X-STEM All Access Free online speaker series with 20-30 minute episodes for students in grades 6-12 featuring inspiring STEM speakers, paired with standards-aligned lesson plans for educators. Topics range from ocean science to space exploration.
• Coffee Break Series 15-minute episodes providing STEM tips and activities for the classroom with professional development credit available for educators upon completion.
• X-STEM Fellowship Educator Fellowship Program providing STEM resources, professional development, networking opportunities, workshops, and career resources for K-12 educators.
• X-STEM Workshops In-person hands-on STEM events and workshops for students featuring interactive learning activities and STEM career exploration.
• Lesson Plan Library Library of educator-created, standards-aligned lesson plans with integrated career connections and tools to build future-ready workforce skills. Available free to educators.
• Student Career Resources Resources, internships, and training programs to help students kickstart STEM careers and enhance their learning.
• Free Videos & Career Shorts Free educational video library including full episodes, career-focused short videos, and themed playlists covering various STEM topics.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA serves as a key strategic partner, with NASA scientists and astronauts featured as guest speakers in X-STEM episodes. The partnership provides credibility and access to cutting-edge STEM content from space exploration and research.
• General DynamicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral Dynamics supports the organization and provides subject matter experts for STEM content. General Dynamics NASSCO is featured in episode content about shipbuilding.
• TeenLifeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTeenLife media partner helping promote STEM educational opportunities to teen audiences.
• Military Homeschoolers AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHomeschool association partner helping distribute STEM resources to military homeschool families.
• ConnectCommminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunication partner supporting outreach efforts.
• IBASminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting STEM education initiatives.
• Build Freedom.USminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner helping promote skilled trades career pathways featured in educational content.
• NIWC PacificmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaval Information Warfare Center Pacific provides STEM content and career resources related to naval engineering and technology.
• NAVAIRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNaval Air Systems Command contributes STEM content and career resources related to naval aviation.
• Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCTSSA provides STEM content and career resources related to military technology and systems.
• Hareware Science HawaiiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHawaii-based science education partner supporting regional STEM outreach.
• Honolulu Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner providing STEM education resources and career pathways information.
• Pacific Shipyards InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShipbuilding industry partner contributing content about maritime engineering careers.
• PACMARminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPacific maritime industry consortium partner supporting STEM education in shipbuilding.
• Project MFGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing industry initiative partner promoting manufacturing careers through educational content.
• SDSU College of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity engineering college partner contributing academic perspectives and career pathways.
• University of Hawaii College of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity engineering college partner providing academic expertise and engineering career resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Free online learning platform with STEM video lessons and practice for K-12 students. Comparable in free, video-led STEM learning model and donor-supported funding approach, though much broader in scope (math, science, computing, humanities).
• Discovery Education: Major K-12 digital content provider offering standards-aligned STEM videos, lesson plans, and professional development for educators. Overlaps directly with the USA Science Festival's content library and educator-proposition model but operates as a large, commercial incumbent.
• National Geographic Education: Produces standards-aligned STEM/earth-science educational resources, videos, and lesson plans for K-12 classrooms. Comparable as a high-credibility, brand-driven publisher of free STEM educational content for educators and students.
• PBS LearningMedia: Free digital media library for educators and students, including STEM video series tied to public broadcasting. Comparable in mission (free standards-aligned content for K-12) and in delivery format (video plus lesson plans), with a much larger production apparatus.

Direct peers

• Code.org: Nonprofit expanding access to computer science education in K-12 schools, offering free curricula, lesson plans, and educator PD. Comparable as a donor-funded, free K-12 STEM content and educator-support nonprofit with a similar scale and digital-distribution model.
• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA): Largest U.S. organization for science educators, providing lesson plans, professional development, and STEM instructional resources. Comparable in serving K-12 educators with standards-aligned content, PD credit, and STEM instructional materials.
• Science Olympiad: National K-12 STEM competition nonprofit (Science Olympiad / Science Olympiad Foundation) offering tournaments, curriculum, and educator resources. Comparable in targeting middle- and high-school students with STEM competitions, events, and teacher support.
• FIRST Robotics: Nonprofit running K-12 STEM robotics competitions and engineering programs with corporate and defense sponsors. Comparable as a youth STEM engagement nonprofit that targets grades 6-12 and pairs programming with educator resources and major employer sponsorship.
• Smithsonian Science Education Center: Nonprofit that develops K-12 STEM curriculum, lesson plans, and educator professional development, with strong brand recognition. Closely comparable in target audience (educators and students), non-profit structure, and standards-aligned STEM instruction offering.

Others

• Million Women Mentors: Nonprofit STEM mentoring initiative connecting students with STEM professionals, supported by corporate sponsors. Comparable as a STEM-pipeline nonprofit that leverages employer partnerships and career-exploration content for K-12 audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/USAScienceFest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/usasciencefest
• Facebookfacebook.com/usasciencefestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usa-science-&-engineering-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/usasciencefest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about USA Science & Engineering Festival