What Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science does

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science (legal entity: Museum of Science, Inc., DBA "Frost Science") is a non-profit science museum headquartered in a 250,000-square-foot waterfront facility in downtown Miami's Museum Park, which opened on May 8, 2017. The underlying institution traces back to 1949, but the current facility consolidates aquarium, planetarium, and exhibit functions that were previously dispersed across separate locations. The museum operates as a Smithsonian Affiliate and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, providing the institutional credibility that anchors donor, grant, and academic partnership pipelines.

Core offerings span permanent galleries, traveling exhibitions, an IMAX-style theater, a planetarium, and a multi-level aquarium, alongside structured educational programming including summer camps, field trip curricula, and the Science Barge outreach initiative delivered with Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Research and conservation work — including paleontology expeditions in Montana and Morocco and partnerships with the University of Miami, Florida International University, and the Natural History Museum in London — adds a scientific-programming layer beyond the visitor experience. The museum holds LEED Silver certification for its facility (April 2019), and draws on a volunteer base exceeding 14,000.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix: single-visit ticketing, recurring membership subscriptions, Science Store retail, event and facility rentals, structured educational programs, and philanthropic contributions from corporate, government, and individual donors. Notable gifts include $10 million from Phillip and Patricia Frost (2015), $10 million from the University of Miami (2018), and $1 million gifts from Florida Power & Light (2015) and Badia Spices (2016). Public funding sources include Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Customer segments span local families, K–12 school groups, tourists visiting the Miami cultural corridor, and corporate rental clients.

Name

Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science

Legal name

Museum of Science, Inc.

Website

https://frostscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science (Frost Science) is a non-profit science museum in downtown Miami's Museum Park that delivers aquarium, planetarium, exhibit, and educational programming to families, school groups, tourists, and the South Florida community, supported by ticket, membership, retail, rental, and philanthropic revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Visitors purchase admission tickets online or onsite to access museum exhibitions, the aquarium, and planetarium shows
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions providing unlimited access and benefits for repeat visitors
3. Science Store Retail: Retail operations selling science-related merchandise through the museum's Science Store
4. Meetings & Events Rentals: Private event rentals of museum facilities for corporate events, weddings, and gatherings
5. Donations and Grants: Philanthropic contributions and government funding from Miami-Dade County, State of Florida, and National Endowment for the Arts
6. Educational Programs: Revenue from summer camps, digging expeditions, and educational programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is a science museum, aquarium, and planetarium in Downtown Miami that sells admission tickets, memberships, educational programs, and private event rentals. Its core exhibitions combine a three-level aquarium showcasing Florida marine ecosystems, the Frost Planetarium with 8K projection shows, and rotating temporary exhibitions on topics ranging from dinosaurs to AI. The museum also operates conservation programs (MUVE and ReeFLorida), a Science Store, and hosts summer camps, field trips, and paleontology digging expeditions.

Product overview

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is a science museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on its core exhibitions and educational programming. The main offerings include a three-level Aquarium showcasing Florida marine ecosystems, the Frost Planetarium featuring 8K laser projection shows, and rotating Special Exhibitions covering topics from dinosaurs to Leonardo da Vinci. The museum extends its impact through conservation programs including MUVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment) for coastal habitat restoration and ReeFLorida for coral reef conservation. Educational programs include Summer Science Camps and Digging Expeditions to Montana for paleontology field work. Additional offerings encompass animal rehabilitation facilities (Falcon Batchelor Raptor Rehabilitation Center and Batchelor Environmental Center), venue rentals for events, a Science Store, and membership programs. The museum operates as a not-for-profit institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MUVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment): A volunteer-based habitat restoration program that engages the community to build healthy and resilient coastlines in Miami.
• ReeFLorida (National Coral Reef Conservancy)

Products and services

• Aquarium Three-level aquarium showcasing Florida marine ecosystems, from surface waters to deep reef environments, housing hundreds of species including sharks, sea turtles, and tropical fish. Designed for general visitors, families, and school groups.
• Frost Planetarium State-of-the-art planetarium featuring 8K projection with 16 million colors, surround sound, and a vast dome screen, presenting astronomy and space science content. Named after Phillip and Patricia Frost through a major donor gift.
• Laser Evenings Monthly laser light shows in the Frost Planetarium featuring music-based visual experiences, targeted at adults and families seeking evening entertainment at the museum.
• Special Exhibitions Rotating temporary exhibitions covering science, technology, natural history, and art; recent titles include The Science Behind Pixar, Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius, AI More Than Human, Mummies of the World, Ultimate Dinosaurs, and Sharks.
• Frost Science Summer Camp Weekly science camp adventures for children held at Frost Science or the new South Dade location through August, featuring hands-on STEM activities. Open to children and families during summer.
• Museum Volunteers for the Environment (MUVE) Volunteer-based coastal habitat restoration program engaging community members in environmental conservation through habitat restoration, marine debris cleanup, and community science initiatives. Served by 14,000+ volunteers since 2007.
• ReeFLorida (National Coral Reef Conservancy) Initiative dedicated to creating a healthy and sustainable future for Florida's Coral Reef through coral restoration, exotic species removal, and community education. Operates through the museum's coral culture system.
• Digging Expeditions Week-long paleontology field expeditions in Montana led by Dr. Cary Woodruff, allowing participants to excavate dinosaur fossils alongside professional paleontologists at $2,500 per person.
• Falcon Batchelor Raptor Rehabilitation Center Wildlife rehabilitation facility dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured native and migratory birds, specializing in Florida's birds of prey, in a 75,000-square-foot facility with classroom, veterinary clinic, and research space at Greynolds Park.
• Batchelor Environmental Center Aquatic and avian care and research facility in partnership with Florida International University, housing the 150,000-gallon aquarium system, coral culture operations, animal quarantine, and the MUVE coastal restoration program.
• Science Store Museum gift shop offering science-themed merchandise, toys, and educational items, operated onsite and online at shop.frostscience.org.
• Meetings & Event Rentals Private event spaces and meeting facilities available for corporate events, weddings, and special occasions, with access to the aquarium, planetarium, and museum exhibits.
• Museum Membership Annual membership subscription offering unlimited museum access, discounts on programs, and exclusive member benefits for repeat visitors and families.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards available via email, text, or social channels for museum admission and Science Store purchases.
• MUVExclusive Private Workdays Private volunteer workdays for groups of up to 25 or 50 participants at Miami-Dade County coastal restoration sites, including eco-history tours and two conservation activities per group ($1,500–$2,500+).
• School Field Trips Curriculum-aligned K-12 field trip programming delivered to schools, including Miami-Dade County Schools, with teacher resources and student programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,000+ volunteers have enhanced over 25 acres of coastal habitat
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Natural History Museum (London)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Multi-institutional paleontological collaboration led by Dr. Susannah Maidment for dinosaur excavation in Morocco's Atlas Mountains. Dr. Cary Woodruff from Frost Science participated in the expedition.
• Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (Morocco)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Moroccan university collaboration for paleontological research and fossil excavation in the Atlas Mountains.
• University of Birmingham (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023UK university partnership for Moroccan paleontological research expedition.
• Vizcaya Museum and GardensminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership developed the Biscayne Bay Drift Card Study (#Baydrift) to track marine debris origin and movement through Biscayne Bay.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Historical partnership for invasive vegetation elimination and native species planting at East Greynolds Park.
• Florida International University (FIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Batchelor Environmental Center at FIU's Biscayne Bay Campus - aquatic and avian care and research facility. Also partner for science education enhancement since 2015.
• University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through CARTHE consortium (Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment) to study ocean currents and marine debris movement.
• Miami-Dade County Department of Natural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty agency partnership for habitat restoration at Virginia Key, invasive species management, and coastal conservation.
• Miami EcoAdventuresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Crandon Park habitat restoration and volunteer planting efforts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco-based science museum combining an aquarium, planetarium, and natural history exhibits under one roof with strong conservation programming. Most direct comparable in mission, attraction mix, and scale to Frost Science's integrated model.
• Shedd Aquarium: Major urban aquarium in Chicago with significant conservation, education, and rehabilitation programs. Directly comparable to Frost Science's aquarium, BEC, and MUVE mission around aquatic ecosystems and community engagement.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Aquarium leader in ocean conservation, citizen science, and policy advocacy. Highly comparable on the conservation-research model that underpins Frost Science's ReeFLorida and MUVE programs.
• Museum of Science, Boston: Large urban science museum with planetarium, aquarium elements, and STEM education programming. Comparable in attraction mix, educational mission, and member-supported non-profit model.
• Georgia Aquarium: One of the largest aquariums in the U.S., based in Atlanta. Comparable on aquarium scale, special exhibitions (sharks), and corporate/event revenue diversification strategy.

Broad incumbents

• American Museum of Natural History: Iconic New York science and natural history museum with rotating special exhibitions and paleontology programming. Comparable in exhibition rotation strategy and scientific credibility, though on a much larger scale.
• Field Museum: Chicago-based natural history museum with strong vertebrate paleontology and rotating blockbuster exhibitions (including past dinosaurs and mummies shows). Comparable on exhibition programming model and Smithsonian-adjacent positioning.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: National flagship natural history museum and Frost Science's Smithsonian affiliate network anchor. Sets programming, exhibition, and accreditation standards that Frost Science aligns with as an affiliate.

Regional players

• Zoo Miami: Miami-Dade's flagship wildlife attraction and a likely competitor for family tourism dollars and field trip budgets. Shares the South Florida conservation and education mission and donor pool with Frost Science.
• Miami Seaquarium: Historic marine park on Virginia Key in Miami with overlapping marine life, aquarium, and conservation messaging. Closest geographic aquarium competitor to Frost Science's downtown campus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cncsoflo
• Xx.com/frostscience
• Facebookfacebook.com/frostscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/miami-science-museum

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science