Environmental Science Center

What Environmental Science Center does

The Environmental Science Center (ESC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Burien, Washington, delivering experiential environmental education programs to K-12 students, families, and community members across south King County. Its core offerings are three grade-tiered school programs — Beach Heroes (K-3, Puget Sound beach habitats), Salmon Heroes (4-8, salmon habitat and stormwater), and Climate Heroes (9-12, ocean acidification) — supplemented by teacher professional development, public events, volunteer programs, and educational resources in multiple languages. Programs are NGSS- and Ocean Literacy-aligned, integrated with OpenSciEd and Savvas curricula, and supported by the NOAA B-WET-backed Ask a NOAA Scientist initiative.

ESC operates from an eco-friendly facility at Seahurst Park (2220 SW Seahurst Park Rd, Burien) with a secondary mailing address and an additional office in Renton, and reaches its audience through direct school district relationships, community events, library partnerships (KCLS), social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok), email newsletter, and a Page2Books affiliate giving channel. The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: individual donations (Federal Tax ID 91-2010658), foundation and government grants from roughly 10 funders (Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, King County Flood Control District, Port of Seattle, King Conservation District, RCO No Child Left Inside, Horizons Foundation, 4Culture, King County Waterways, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), heavily subsidized program fees ($50/class for non-qualifying schools, free for schools where >45% of families qualify for free/reduced-price meals with $150 bus subsidies), and facility rental ($75-$150/hr, nonprofit discount available). Leadership is led by Executive Director Joanna Stodden with a director-level team covering grants/programs, community engagement, and development. The organization reports scale of approximately 8,682 people reached, 5,815 volunteer hours, and student-outcome metrics in the 82-100% range across programs.

Name

Environmental Science Center

Legal name

Environmental Science Center

Website

https://envsciencecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Environmental Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering hands-on, NGSS-aligned environmental education programs for K-12 students and south King County communities at local beaches, streams, forests, and school gardens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning) (THAAAOAA), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Environmental education
• School field trips
• NGSS curriculum
• Watershed science
• Marine conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting environmental education mission. Federal Tax ID: 91-2010658.
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from organizations such as Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, King County Flood Control District, Port of Seattle, King Conservation District, RCO No Child Left Inside, Horizons Foundation, and 4Culture sustain program delivery.
3. Program Fees: School programs offered at $50 per class for schools where less than 45% of families qualify for free/reduced meals; free for qualifying schools with transportation subsidies available.
4. Facility Rentals: Rental income from eco-friendly facility at Seahurst Park. Standard weekday rate $100/hr, weekend $150/hr; nonprofit discount weekday $75/hr, weekend $100/hr.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Environmental Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering experiential environmental education through school programs (Beach Heroes for K-3, Salmon Heroes for 4-8, Climate Heroes for 9-12), teacher professional development, public community events, and facility rentals at its Seahurst Park location. Programs are science-based, NGSS-aligned, and delivered at local beaches, streams, forests, and school gardens throughout south King County.

Product overview

The Environmental Science Center is a nonprofit organization offering experiential environmental education programs in South King County. The organization provides a portfolio of school programs (Climate Heroes, Salmon Heroes, Beach Heroes, and Teacher Professional Development), public events and programs, facility rental services, and volunteer opportunities. These offerings work together to deliver hands-on environmental science education focused on local Puget Sound ecosystems, watershed health, and marine conservation for all ages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate Heroes: A multi-part climate science program for 9th-12th grade students introducing ocean acidification and its effects on local oysters.
• Salmon Heroes
• Beach Heroes

Products and services

• Climate Heroes A multi-part climate science program for 9th-12th grade students that introduces ocean acidification and its effects on local oysters while addressing climate change more broadly. Designed to fit within and complement the Ocean Acidification units of the OpenSciEd and Savvas curricula.
• Salmon Heroes A multi-part field trip program for 4th-8th grade students teaching about salmon habitat needs and how stormwater pollution affects watersheds, including classroom lessons, field trips, and optional stewardship projects. Free for schools where more than 45% of families qualify for free or reduced-price meals; $50 per class otherwise. Transportation subsidies of $150 per bus are available.
• Beach Heroes A multi-part field trip program for K-3rd grade students introducing Puget Sound beach habitats and marine organisms, with an advanced version for 2nd-3rd graders that includes biological survey data collection. Free for qualifying schools; $50 per class otherwise.
• Facility Rental Eco-friendly facility rental at Seahurst Park offering event space with Puget Sound views, eco-friendly features, and a fully equipped kitchenette for meetings, classes, or parties. Standard weekday rate $100/hr, weekend $150/hr; nonprofit discount weekday $75/hr, weekend $100/hr.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of students demonstrated an increase in knowledge of protecting healthy habitats
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NOAA B-WETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA B-WET (Bay-Watershed Education and Training) funding supports the Ask a NOAA Scientist program, connecting students with NOAA scientists to explore salmon-related questions. ESC is supported by NOAA B-WET funding for this initiative.
• OpenSciEdcoreTechnology or IntegrationClimate Heroes program is designed to fit within and complement the Ocean Acidification units of the OpenSciEd curriculum.
• SavvascoreTechnology or IntegrationClimate Heroes program complements Savvas curriculum for ocean acidification units.
• TD AmeritradesupportingOthersESC's brokerage account for receiving securities donations. Donors transfer stock to this account for tax-deductible gifts.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pacific Science Center: Pacific Science Center is a major Seattle science-education institution with broader STEM and environmental programming for schools and the public. It is a broader incumbent in the same science-education space, not specialized in ESC's place-based environmental niche.
• Student Conservation Association: Student Conservation Association is a national nonprofit placing youth and young adults in conservation service and environmental education roles. It is a broader incumbent in youth environmental engagement and overlaps with ESC's teen restoration and volunteer pathways.
• Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a Tacoma-based regional zoo and aquarium with school programs and conservation education. It competes with ESC for Pacific Northwest school environmental-education funding and audience attention.
• Woodland Park Zoo: Woodland Park Zoo is a Seattle-based nonprofit zoo with conservation, education, and community engagement programs for schools. It overlaps with ESC on K-12 environmental and species-habitat education but at much larger scale and with a different delivery model.

Direct peers

• Seattle Aquarium: Seattle Aquarium is a nonprofit marine education institution focused on the Puget Sound and broader Pacific. It shares ESC's marine habitat, salmon, and beach ecosystem focus, though it operates an aquarium facility rather than field-based school programs.
• IslandWood: IslandWood is a Washington-based nonprofit outdoor learning school on Bainbridge Island offering residential and day programs in environmental education for K-12 students. It is the closest direct peer in mission, model, and Pacific Northwest geography.
• NatureBridge: NatureBridge is a national nonprofit that delivers immersive environmental science education programs in national parks for school groups. It mirrors ESC's field-trip, NGSS-aligned, multi-day environmental education model, although at a multi-region scale.
• EarthCorps: EarthCorps is a Seattle-based nonprofit combining hands-on ecological restoration with environmental education and volunteer mobilization. It overlaps with ESC in Puget Sound habitat restoration, volunteer programs, and youth engagement, though its focus is more on restoration labor than classroom curriculum.

Others

• The Mountaineers: The Mountaineers is a Pacific Northwest outdoor-education nonprofit offering outdoor skills courses, youth programs, and conservation advocacy. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive, overlapping on outdoor learning and volunteer-driven delivery in the same region.

Regional players

• Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust: Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust is a Washington nonprofit focused on conservation, education, and stewardship across the I-90 corridor. It shares ESC's place-based environmental education and volunteer-driven model but operates east of Seattle rather than in south King County.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@environmentalsciencecenter3885
• Facebookfacebook.com/EnvironmentalScienceCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/environmental.sciencecenter
• TikToktiktok.com/@enviro.sciencecenter
• Xx.com/envsciencecente

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Environmental Science Center