What Krell Institute does

Krell Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation headquartered in Ames, Iowa, that develops scientific and national-security talent and communicates their work. Founded in 1987, the organization has served as prime program manager for three U.S. Department of Energy graduate fellowship programs: the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF, established 1991 and managed by Krell since 1997), the DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF, managed by Krell since 2006), and the DOE NNSA Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (LRGF, launched in 2017). Across these three programs Krell has built a community of more than 725 CSGF fellows and alumni, 100+ SSGF fellows, and nearly 40 LRGF fellows, supported through relationships with 87 Ph.D. institutions and 22 DOE-approved practicum sites including Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Sandia, Argonne, Oak Ridge, and the Nevada National Security Site.

The business model is government-funded program management. Krell does not sell products or services commercially; instead it administers federal fellowship awards, disbursing stipends, tuition, and fees to doctoral students who conduct research in high-performance computing, AI, quantum science, physics, materials science, and nuclear stewardship science. Revenue comes from DOE Office of Science and NNSA program contracts, with a third revenue stream from individual donations (e.g., the James Corones Award is donor-funded). Krell supplements the fellowships with a science-communications portfolio that includes the annual DEIXIS Magazine, the annual Stewardship Science Magazine (published since 2010), the Science in Parallel podcast (launched 2021), and two annual awards (the James Corones Award for mid-career scientists and the Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award, given since 2001). Marketing and distribution are direct: online application portals for prospective fellows, print and digital publications, social media, podcast distribution, and annual program review events attended by DOE headquarters, laboratory staff, and alumni.

Krell's go-to-market is community-led and tightly coupled to federal sponsor priorities. Selection processes are competitive, with required three-month (CSGF) or extended (LRGF) practicum residencies at DOE-approved national-laboratory sites, creating direct lines between fellows and the laboratories. The institute serves three primary stakeholder groups: (1) federal sponsors — the DOE Office of Science and the NNSA — whose workforce-pipeline objectives Krell fulfills; (2) doctoral students in computational, quantum, and stewardship-science fields who receive funding and laboratory access; and (3) DOE national laboratories and U.S. universities that host fellows and consume alumni talent. The organization operates with 11-50 employees and does not disclose revenue.

Name

Krell Institute

Legal name

Krell Institute

Website

https://krellinst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Krell Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Ames, Iowa, that manages three DOE/NNSA graduate fellowship programs — CSGF, SSGF, and LRGF — supporting over 850 doctoral fellows in computational science, AI, quantum, and nuclear stewardship science across 87 universities and 22 national laboratories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Program Management

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM & Engineering Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Graduate fellowship programs
• Program management services
• Science communication
• Stewardship science research
• Computational science education

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Program Management: The Krell Institute manages federally-funded educational fellowship programs for the Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration. As a nonprofit organization, revenue comes from government grants and contracts to administer the DOE CSGF, SSGF, and LRGF programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Krell Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that manages federally-funded graduate fellowship programs for the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, including the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF), DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (SSGF), and DOE NNSA Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (LRGF). It complements these programs by producing science communication products such as DEIXIS Magazine, Stewardship Science Magazine, and the Science in Parallel podcast, and administers recognition awards including the James Corones Award and the Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award.

Product overview

The Krell Institute is a nonprofit organization that manages a portfolio of educational fellowship programs in computational science and nuclear stockpile stewardship, funded primarily by the Department of Energy. Its core offerings are three fellowship programs: the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF, established 1991), the DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA SSGF, established 2006), and the DOE NNSA Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA LRGF, established 2017). These fellowships are complemented by science communication products including DEIXIS Magazine (annual publication for CSGF fellows and alumni), Stewardship Science Magazine (annual publication for SSGF/LRGF community), and the Science in Parallel podcast. The Institute also administers recognition awards including the James Corones Award for mid-career scientists and the Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award for recent doctoral graduates. The programs collectively support over 725 fellows and alumni working in HPC, AI, quantum computing, and nuclear science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Science in Parallel: Podcast featuring leaders and innovators in high-performance computing, AI, and science
• DEIXIS Magazine
• Stewardship Science Magazine
• James Corones Award
• Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award

Products and services

• DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) A graduate fellowship program established in 1991 that supports Ph.D. students in computational science fields including HPC, AI, quantum science, physics, and materials science. Fellows receive full funding, academic guidance, and must complete a three-month practicum at DOE-approved sites. For Ph.D. students pursuing STEM research with HPC applications.
• DOE NNSA Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA SSGF) A graduate fellowship supporting Ph.D. students in nuclear science, high energy density physics, and materials research critical to the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Recipients complete an on-site defense laboratory practicum and are positioned to support nuclear stockpile stewardship.
• DOE NNSA Laboratory Residency Graduate Fellowship (DOE NNSA LRGF) A fellowship program open to first-year Ph.D. students and beyond, providing financial support and professional development through extended residencies (two 12-week periods) at DOE NNSA facilities including Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Nevada National Security Site, and Sandia National Laboratories.
• DEIXIS Magazine An annual print and digital magazine highlighting DOE CSGF program fellows and alumni research in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and computational science advances at national laboratories. Distributed to fellows, alumni, DOE labs, and academic institutions.
• Stewardship Science Magazine An annual publication highlighting NNSA-supported national laboratory research for the stewardship science community. Features recipient profiles and lab-science features to build a community of researchers. Published annually since 2010.
• Science in Parallel Podcast A podcast featuring leaders and innovators shaping high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, science and engineering. Features conversations with scientists, authors, visualization experts, and science communicators across academia, industry, and DOE laboratories.
• James Corones Award in Leadership, Community and Communication Award recognizing outstanding mid-career scientists for excellence in leadership, community building, and science communication. Funded through individual donations and named after James Corones, founder of the Krell Institute.
• Frederick A. Howes Scholar Award in Computational Science Annual award since 2001 honoring recent Ph.D. graduates of the DOE CSGF program for outstanding leadership, character, and technical achievement in computational science. Includes a substantial cash award and crystal paperweight.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 500 CSGF alumni work in fields that enlist HPC to maintain the nation's advantage in energy science and other scientific and technological challenges
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Department of Energy Office of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DOE Office of Science funds and oversees the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF) program. The program has been managed by the Krell Institute since 1997. The DOE Office of Science is the primary federal sponsor supporting advanced scientific research and HPC infrastructure.
• National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNNSA co-funds the CSGF program and is the primary sponsor of the SSGF and LRGF fellowship programs. NNSA supports stockpile stewardship research through these graduate fellowship programs. Programs have been managed by Krell since their respective inceptions.
• National LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner22 DOE-approved national laboratory sites provide practicum experiences for CSGF fellows, including Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Sandia, Argonne, Oak Ridge, and others. The LRGF program includes extended residencies at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nevada National Security Site, and Sandia National Laboratories (California and New Mexico).
• U.S. UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner87 Ph.D. institutions have trained CSGF fellows, with the 2026-2027 cohort attending 18 U.S. universities. Universities serve as academic partners where fellows pursue their doctoral studies while participating in the fellowship program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: Large federally-chartered nonprofit combining science communication, public engagement, and research administration — comparable as an institution with overlapping science-communication and public-understanding-of-science missions, though at vastly larger scale.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): AAAS administers the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships and runs major science communication platforms (Science magazine, EurekAlert!) — comparable as a nonprofit convener managing federally-aligned STEM fellowship programs and large-scale science communications, though at a much broader scope.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Operates the National Research Council Research Associateship Program and many federal-aligned fellowship and policy programs — comparable as a long-standing nonprofit managing federally-funded STEM fellowships and convening scientific communities.
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program: NSF's GRFP is the largest federally-funded graduate STEM fellowship in the U.S., serving Ph.D. students across disciplines — analogous in mission to Krell's CSGF, though administered directly by a federal agency rather than through a nonprofit intermediary.

Emerging players

• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): SIAM operates fellowship, student chapter, and computational science community programs targeting many of the same applied mathematics and HPC communities that Krell's CSGF serves — comparable as a community convener in computational/applied math.
• Schmidt Futures / Eric and Wendy Schmidt Foundation: A major private philanthropy funding STEM talent pipelines, AI, and computational science initiatives — relevant as a peer philanthropic funder of advanced STEM talent development and an emerging alternative sponsor for HPC/AI graduate programs.
• American Physical Society (APS): A major STEM professional society with fellowship programs (e.g., APS Fellowship), publications, and physics-community convening functions — partial overlap with Krell's stewardship science and computational science community-building role.

Direct peers

• Hertz Foundation: The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation manages a premier Ph.D. fellowship program in the applied physical, biological, and engineering sciences, with a national community of fellows and alumni — directly analogous to Krell's CSGF in scope, structure, and stakeholder community.
• DOD SMART Scholarship Program: Manages a federally-funded graduate scholarship/fellowship program supporting STEM Ph.D. students aligned with Department of Defense research priorities — directly comparable in structure to Krell's NNSA-sponsored SSGF and LRGF programs.
• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE): ORISE manages a broad portfolio of DOE-sponsored science education, fellowship, and internship programs, including STEM workforce pipelines for the Department of Energy — directly comparable in mission, sponsor base, and program-management business model to Krell.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/krellinst
• Facebookfacebook.com/KrellInstitute

Compliance1 record

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 Krell Institute