National Youth Science Foundation

What National Youth Science Foundation does

The National Youth Science Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1983 and headquartered at the National Youth Science Center in Davis, West Virginia. It runs the National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp), a four-week residential STEM program for top graduating high-school students selected through state and international delegations. Around this flagship, the foundation operates a portfolio of pre-college programs including STEAM Adventure Day Camps, OWL, MakerSpace, the BRITE Challenge, STEM Seminars, Off-Site Programming, an Online Lecture Library hosted on YouTube, Monday Night Science sessions, STEAM Exploration Field Trips, and an annual STEM Conference.

Its service population is K-12 and pre-college students across U.S. states and international delegations, with secondary constituents including alumni (organized through the NYSCAA network), educators, and partner organizations. The foundation sustains these programs through individual donations, planned giving, and merchandise sales via a camp store, and it maintains a digital alumni community through The Collaboratory platform.

Operationally, NYSF runs a single physical site with year-round outreach rather than a dispersed multi-location footprint. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees, and the organization has begun explicitly strengthening its development function via board-level appointments. There is no disclosure of headcount, annual budget, or major institutional funders in the input data.

Name

National Youth Science Foundation

Legal name

National Youth Science Academy

Website

https://nysf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National Youth Science Foundation is a 501(c)(3) operating the National Youth Science Camp and a portfolio of pre-college STEAM programs for K-12 and graduating high-school students, funded through donations, planned giving, and merchandise sales from its Davis, West Virginia campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education Programs

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science) (EDAMALAC), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Youth science camps
• STEAM residential programs
• Nonprofit science education
• Outdoor science learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations through its website (donate.nysacademy.org) and lists a Network for Good donation page, indicating reliance on charitable contributions from supporters.
2. Planned Giving: The organization offers planned giving options as a way for supporters to contribute, indicating legacy or estate gift programs.
3. Camp Store: The organization operates a camp store (nysacademy.store) selling merchandise, indicating retail revenue from branded products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Youth Science Academy (NYSAcademy) operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation delivering STEM/STEAM education programs to students. Its flagship is the National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp), a four-week residential program combining top-performing high school students with leading scientists for lectures and outdoor activities in the mountains of West Virginia. Around this, NYSAcademy offers day camps, outdoor science labs, maker workshops, STEM seminars, challenge competitions, field trips for school groups, and an online lecture library.

Product overview

The National Youth Science Academy operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of STEM-focused programs for students. The core flagship program is the National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp), a four-week residential experience combining the nation's brightest students with leading scientists. Around this flagship, the organization provides a suite of supplementary programs including STEAM Adventure Day Camps, the West Virginia Outdoor Wonder Lab (OWL), MakerSpace workshops, BRITE Challenge, STEM Seminars, Off-Site Programming, and an Online Lecture Library. Additional offerings include Monday Night Science community events, STEAM Exploration Field Trips, and STEM Conferences. The organization also maintains The Collaboratory, an alumni and community engagement platform, hosted at a dedicated facility in Davis, West Virginia. Together, these programs serve students from across the country and around the world through residential, day, and virtual learning formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp): Flagship four-week residential program in the mountains of West Virginia combining top students with leading scientists for lectures and outdoor activities.
• National Youth Science Center
• STEAM Adventure Day Camps
• West Virginia Outdoor Wonder Lab (OWL)
• MakerSpace
• BRITE Challenge
• STEM Seminars
• Monday Night Science

Products and services

• National Youth Science Camp (NYSCamp)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Summer Science Program (SSP): Operates elite residential summer science research programs for high-achieving high school students, closely matching NYSAcademy's flagship NYSCamp in format (multi-week residential), target audience (top students), and mission (authentic research with scientists).
• Research Science Institute (RSI) at MIT: CEE's flagship summer STEM program for high school students, similarly selective and prestige-driven, combining lectures with research mentorship — directly comparable to NYSCamp's selective, scientist-mentored model.
• Jackson Laboratory (JAX) Genomic Education: Operates residential and virtual genetic science programs for high school students with working scientist mentors, mirroring NYSAcademy's combination of lectures and immersive lab experiences for top students.

Broad incumbents

• iD Tech: Large-scale operator of STEM summer camps and online courses for K-12 students, including coding, engineering, and science tracks — broader, more commercial, and less selective than NYSAcademy but operating in the same youth STEM camp category.
• COSI (Center of Science and Industry): Operates a science center with hands-on exhibits, camps, and educational programming for youth and families — overlapping with NYSAcademy's MakerSpace and field-trip offerings but at a much larger, museum-based scale.

Emerging players

• Inspirit AI: Provides AI and machine learning programs for high school students through virtual and in-person formats — partial overlap with NYSAcademy's STEM seminars and online lecture library in serving advanced high schoolers seeking scientist-led learning.
• Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego: University-affiliated program offering STEM festivals, camps, and educator resources for youth — closely aligned with NYSAcademy's mission of broadening STEM access and engagement for K-12 students, with university-institutional backing NYSAcademy lacks.
• Science Olympiad: National STEM competition organization for K-12 students, directly comparable to NYSAcademy's BRITE Challenge in terms of challenge-based STEM engagement, though Science Olympiad is tournament-driven rather than camp-based.

Others

• Smithsonian Science Education Center: National institution producing STEM curricula, teacher training, and student programs — comparable in mission and complementary in role, offering partnership or content supply for nonprofit STEM enrichment providers like NYSAcademy.
• Carnegie Science (Carnegie Institution for Science) Education Programs: Major research institution with STEM outreach programming for students — comparable as a model for institutional partnership that could anchor NYSAcademy's research talent pipeline, though not a direct camp competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAzzGiK3fqER2Ka2dIZ4jlQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalYouthScienceAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9223101
• Instagraminstagram.com/nysacademywv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 National Youth Science Foundation