Scientific Adventures for Girls

What Scientific Adventures for Girls does

Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Oakland, California that delivers hands-on STEM education to TK-6th grade girls and gender-expansive youth, with a programmatic focus on girls of color from low-income families across the San Francisco East Bay. The organization's portfolio centers on a flagship 27-week afterschool STEM curriculum — covering biology, civil engineering, space science, environmental science, coding, and chemistry — delivered at 25 elementary school sites across Oakland, Emeryville, Richmond, Berkeley, and San Leandro, and supplemented by STEM Summer Camps, free Summer Library Programs, Family STEAM Events, and a STEM Scholar Club serving middle and high school girls. Instruction is anchored in SAfG's proprietary '6 C's of Being a Scientist' framework (Curious, Creative, Confident, Collaborative, Committed, Changemaker), paired with culturally sensitive curriculum materials (including Spanish translations) and integration of female and BIPOC STEM role models. Supporting programs include a Near Peer Mentorship program, Educator Curriculum Resources, and corporate volunteer pipelines.

SAfG operates as a donation-funded nonprofit; programs are provided at no cost to students and families. Revenue is assembled from individual donations (200+ small donors via Givebutter), employer matching gifts, donor-advised fund grants, recurring gifts, foundation grants (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Akamai Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Gilead Sciences, Clif Bar, PG&E Foundation, Wells Fargo, Western Digital, Lockheed Martin, Bayer Fund, Amyris, Ava, Corning Foundation, Grifols), and corporate sponsorships including a Hoops 4 Kids gift ($549,000 split among 8 organizations in 2025), an NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant ($30,000 in 2024), and an Adopt-a-Lesson corporate program (13 companies contributing $33,000 and 650 volunteer hours in 2025-26). Distribution is delivered directly through school district, library, museum, and youth-organization partnerships. As of 2025, SAfG has served over 10,000 children and families across 37 school sites over ten years of operation and was named California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks.

Name

Scientific Adventures for Girls

Legal name

Scientific Adventures for Girls

Website

https://scientificadventures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scientific Adventures for Girls is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit delivering hands-on STEM education to TK-6th grade girls in the San Francisco East Bay, primarily serving girls of color from low-income families through 27-week afterschool programs at 25 elementary schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Extended Learning Time Programs (After-School/Summer Intervention) (EDAJAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC), Science & STEM Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAH)

Keywords

• Afterschool STEM programs
• Youth STEM education
• STEAM curriculum development
• Nonprofit education services
• STEM enrichment activities

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: SAfG receives donations from individual supporters, with over 200 individual small donors. Donations can be made through the organization's website using Givebutter platform.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: SAfG receives grants and gifts from corporations, foundations, and organizations including Akamai Foundation, Amyris, Ava, Bayer Fund, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Clif Bar, Corning Foundation, Gilead, Grifols, Kaiser Permanente, Lockheed Martin, PG&E Foundation, Port of Oakland, Wells Fargo, Western Digital, and Hoops 4 Kids ($549,000 gift).
3. Employer Matching Gifts: SAfG participates in employer matching gift programs where companies match employee donations dollar for dollar.
4. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants: SAfG receives grants from donor-advised funds, allowing donors to set aside charitable dollars and recommend grants over time.
5. Corporate Volunteer Programs: Companies sponsor STEM supplies through Adopt-a-Lesson programs where employees assemble class materials. In 2025-26, 13 companies donated $33,000 and 650 volunteer hours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SAfG delivers a 27-week hands-on afterschool STEM education program for TK-6th grade girls at 25 elementary schools in the San Francisco East Bay, with three rotating STEM themes per school year. Complementary offerings include STEM summer camps, family STEAM events, free library-based STEM programming, and a STEM Scholar Club for middle and high school students that sustains engagement through internships, mentorships, scholarships, and career events.

Product overview

Scientific Adventures for Girls (SAfG) is a nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of STEM education programs focused on TK-6th grade girls and gender-expansive youth in the San Francisco East Bay area. The core offering consists of five interconnected programs: the flagship 27-week Afterschool STEM Program at 25 elementary schools, STEM Summer Camps, Family STEAM Events, STEM Summer Library Programs, and the STEM Scholar Club for middle/high school students. Supporting these programs are the Near Peer Mentorship Program, Educator Curriculum Resources, Volunteer Programs, Donor Giving Programs, and Adopt-a-Lesson corporate engagement. The organization uses a '6 C's of Being a Scientist' framework (Curious, Creative, Confident, Collaborative, Committed, Changemaker) across all programming, emphasizing hands-on activities, social-emotional learning, and connections to real-world STEM role models and careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Afterschool STEM Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of girls who attended afterschool STEM classes can't wait to come back
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sandia National LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandia National Laboratories has supported SAfG's Family STEAM Events since 2018, providing funding and volunteer support for events that normalize families doing science together.
• West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCCUSD partners with SAfG for Family STEAM Events at 10 schools, serving over 1,500 students and families. WCCUSD also handles summer camp registration.
• Oakland Aviation MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAfG partnered with Oakland Aviation Museum in April 2025 for an Aviation Family Festival event.
• Lawrence Hall of SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLawrence Hall of Science partners with SAfG for Family STEAM Events and collaborated on virtual Family STEAM Night highlighted in East Bay Times.
• Chabot Space and Science CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChabot Space and Science Center provides event support and partnership for SAfG programs.
• Pixar Animation StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPixar Animation Studios provides event support for SAfG Family STEAM Events.
• San Jose Sharks / NHLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Jose Sharks community partnership created 600 STEM kits distributed to girls in the East Bay, featured in Sharks' Community Year in Review and Community Annual Report.
• AppleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApple partnered with SAfG and The Exploratorium for the STEM Scholar Club's first Apple Career Day.
• ExploratoriumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Exploratorium partnered with SAfG and Apple for STEM Scholar Club Career Day, providing venue and programming support.
• Boys and Girls Club of OaklandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoys and Girls Club of Oakland handles summer camp registration and partners on program delivery.
• Emeryville Recreation DepartmentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEmeryville Recreation Department partners with SAfG for summer camp programming.
• Berkeley Arts + Schoolyards (BACR) OaklandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBACR Oakland handles summer camp registration and partners on program delivery.
• STEM Next Opportunity Fund / Million Girls MoonshotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAfG participates in the Million Girls Moonshot initiative, with advisor Linda Kekelis from STEM Next Opportunity Fund on the Advisory Council.
• Community Resources for ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Resources for Science provides event support for SAfG programs.
• CuriOdysseyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCuriOdyssey provides event support and partnership for SAfG Family STEAM Events.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safg_bayarea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-rEMx07UZVWAiYWPMIVEIQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/scientificadventuresforgirls
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scientific-adventures-for-girls
• Instagraminstagram.com/scientificadventuresforgirls

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Scientific Adventures for Girls