ExplorationWorks!

What ExplorationWorks! does

ExplorationWorks is an interactive children's science museum operated by CommunityWorks, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in September 2000 and headquartered in a 13,000 sq ft LEED-certified facility at 995 Carousel Way, Helena, Montana. The organization opened its permanent museum in 2007 after operating as a "Museum Without Walls" for seven years. Its core offering is a physical destination museum with hands-on STEM exhibits (including permanent installations such as the Waterways to the Future interactive water table, Lite Zilla, Air Maze, Indoor Beehive, and Little Sky play area), augmented by rotating traveling exhibits and an immersive projection-based "Anywhere Room" opening in early 2026. Programming is delivered on-site and through mobile outreach to schools, libraries, and community events across the greater Helena area.

The revenue model is diversified across multiple streams: daily admissions ($12/person), annual memberships ($110–$175), WonderLab Preschool tuition ($550–$1,275/month), summer camps ($205–$265), after-school programs such as Atom Academy and KinderQuest ($295–$320/month), birthday party packages ($235–$275), school field trips ($5–$10/student), science assemblies ($250–$400), gift cards, and a substantial fundraising base comprising individual donations, monthly "Lab Partners" giving, corporate sponsorships ($100–$10,000+ tiers), and grants from IMLS, NASA, ASTC, the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, the Helena Area Community Foundation, and the State of Montana. Operations are supported by Square, CampBrain, and Brightwheel platforms for commerce and registration. The museum reported 32,000+ visitors from 41 states and international locations in 2025 and serves 6,000+ youth annually through structured programs, with 135+ community partnerships anchoring regional reach.

The customer base spans families with children, K-12 schools and homeschool groups, early-childhood families (ages 0–6), tourists and ASTC Passport reciprocal visitors, individual donors, and corporate and institutional funders. Staffing includes approximately 11 year-round personnel (Executive Director, Deputy Director, Program Director, Exhibits & Facilities Director, Outreach & Education Manager, WonderLab Director, teachers, and an office administrator) plus ~9 seasonal summer camp staff, supported by a board of directors chaired by Annie Hanshew.

Name

ExplorationWorks!

Legal name

CommunityWorks, Inc.

Website

https://explorationworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ExplorationWorks is a 501(c)(3) interactive children's science museum in Helena, Montana, operating a 13,000 sq ft LEED-certified facility with hands-on STEM exhibits, an embedded preschool (WonderLab), summer camps, after-school programs, field trips, and outreach serving families, schools, and early-childhood audiences regionally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children s Science Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Children s science museum
• Interactive STEM exhibits
• Hands-on science education
• Preschool STEM programs
• School field trips

Headquarters

HQ city

Helena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission Fees: Daily walk-in admission fees charged to general visitors ages 2 and older at $12 per person. Children under 2 are admitted free. Revenue from admissions represents one of the primary revenue streams supporting museum operations.
2. Annual Memberships: Annual family and grandparent memberships sold at $110/year (Family and Grandparent base tier), $155/year (+1 guest add-on), and $175/year (+2 guest add-on). Memberships provide unlimited free admission for one year and other perks including ASTC Passport reciprocal benefits, discounts on programs, and early summer camp registration. Memberships represent a recurring revenue stream and are designed to pay for themselves in under 3 visits.
3. Birthday Party Packages: Private birthday party room rentals for 2 hours combined with museum admission for up to 15 children and 10 adults. Priced at $275 for non-members and $235 for members (15% discount). Revenue is one-time per event.
4. Program Registration Fees (Camps, Classes, Workshops): Fees for summer camps ($205 member / $240 non-member per camp; culinary camps $230/$265), after-school programs ($295/$320 per month for KinderQuest), and workshops ($50/$55 per session). Represents a significant revenue stream with seasonal peaks around summer camp registration.
5. WonderLab Preschool Tuition: Monthly preschool tuition for the WonderLab program embedded within the museum: $1,275/month for Monday–Friday full-time, $725/month for Monday/Wednesday/Friday, $550/month for Tuesday/Thursday. All-day care from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. included with no additional fees.
6. Individual Donations & Monthly Giving (Lab Partners): One-time and monthly donations from individual supporters. Monthly donors are featured on the Lab Partners wall and listed in the Annual Report. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit reliant on community support.
7. Corporate & Foundation Grants: Corporate donors at various sponsorship levels ($100 to $10,000+) and grants from organizations including ASTC, NASA, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, Helena Area Community Foundation, Institute for Museums & Library Services (IMLS), and State of Montana. Museum Expansion Project is funded through a capital campaign.
8. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold online and in person covering museum admission ($11.25/1 person, $22.50/2 people), annual memberships ($110), and membership plus guest add-ons. Sold through Square payment platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels11 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ExplorationWorks is a nonprofit interactive children's science museum offering hands-on STEM exhibits, structured educational programs (preschool, summer camps, after-school classes, workshops), and community outreach in a 13,000 sq ft LEED-certified facility. Core offerings include museum admissions, annual memberships, summer camps, after-school programs, WonderLab Preschool, field trips, science assemblies, and birthday parties. The museum serves over 32,000 visitors annually through a combination of walk-in visits, online registration, and community outreach partnerships.

Product overview

ExplorationWorks is an interactive children's science museum offering a unified platform of STEM education experiences. The core offering centers on museum admission with rotating and permanent exhibits including the immersive Anywhere Room and hands-on Waterways to the Future. This is complemented by structured programs including WonderLab Preschool (ages 2-5), summer camps (ages 4-13), after-school classes, workshops, and new offerings like Atom Academy and KinderQuest. Additional offerings include field trips, science assemblies, outreach programs, birthday parties, and memberships. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with grant-funded traveling exhibits available for rental.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WonderLab Preschool STEM-based preschool program for children ages 2-5 located within the museum, combining early science education with nature-based learning in a licensed facility with 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Tuition pricing: $1,275/month Mon-Fri, $725/month Mon/Wed/Fri, $550/month Tue/Thu.
• Summer Camps Week-long science-themed summer camps for children ages 4-13 covering topics including robotics (LEGO SPIKE, Tetrix), chemistry, geology, space exploration, art-STEAM, wildlife, and culinary arts. Member pricing: $205/standard camp, $230/culinary camp. Non-member pricing: $240/standard camp, $265/culinary camp.
• Atom Academy After-school STEM program for children ages 3-6 running September through May with hands-on science activities.
• KinderQuest After-school STEM program for children ages 4-6 providing hands-on activities in a supportive environment with monthly enrollment options. Pricing: $295 members, $320 non-members, $50 deposit.
• After-School Classes After-school science classes for children ages 7 and up offered in fall and winter sessions with hands-on STEM learning.
• Workshops Half-day workshops during school breaks (Fall, Winter, Spring) covering topics like Light & Color Lab, Tech Detectives, Wonderful Wildlife, Inventor Lab, and LEGO Creations. Member pricing: $50/session; Non-member: $55/session.
• Early Explorers Interactive preschool program for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers featuring hands-on science activities led by skilled educators, free for members.
• Birthday Parties STEM-themed birthday party packages including museum admission for up to 15 children and 10 adults, plus 2-hour private party room rental. $275 non-members, $235 members.
• Field Trips School field trips with two options: Tour Experience ($5/student) for self-guided exhibit exploration and Laboratory Experience ($10/student) with hands-on educator-led experiments. Aligned with Montana and NGSS standards.
• Science Assemblies Mobile science demonstrations brought to schools featuring explosive experiments and engaging presentations for up to 250 students per session. $250 for 1 assembly, $400 for 2 on same day.
• Outreach Programs Mobile STEM education bringing hands-on science experiences to community locations including libraries, schools, and community events throughout the Helena area.
• Museum Memberships Annual membership tiers (Family, Grandparent +1, +2) offering unlimited free admission, ASTC Passport reciprocal benefits, discounts on programs, and early camp registration. Pricing: $110-$175/year.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available for purchase online or in-person covering admission, memberships, and programs.
• Museum Admission Daily walk-in museum admission for ages 2+ at $12/person. Free admission for ASTC Passport members, children under 2, and $5 for Museums for All participants (EBT/WIC cardholders). Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ annual visitors from 41 states and international locations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• Carroll CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of ExplorationWorks' 135+ community partners. As a local higher education institution, Carroll College provides collaborative support for museum programs and serves as a pipeline for volunteer and staff recruitment.
• University of MontanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the 135+ community partner network. Provides academic collaboration and support for STEM education programming.
• Helena CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner supporting ExplorationWorks' educational mission and workforce development connections.
• YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner collaborating on programs that serve families and youth in the Helena area through shared community engagement.
• Lewis & Clark LibrarycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLibrary partner hosts outreach TinkerLab programs on a monthly basis, bringing ExplorationWorks STEM activities to library patrons and extending the museum's reach to families who may not visit the physical museum.
• No Kid HungrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner addressing food security and working with the museum to support families and ensure access to learning opportunities regardless of economic circumstances.
• ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association that runs the ASTC Passport Program. ExplorationWorks is a member, enabling reciprocal admissions with 350+ science centers worldwide and providing grant funding support.
• Headwaters CrafthousesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal craft brewery hosting the 'May the Fourth Celebration' community event benefiting ExplorationWorks, with a portion of all sales donated to the museum.
• Benefis Health SystemcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLogo sponsor of the Early Explorers program, with Benefis Health System logo displayed on program materials and communications.
• WMT (radio station)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal radio/media partner sponsoring the Outreach Programs, providing promotional support to help reach community members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Discovery Museum: Hands-on children's science museum in Bridgeport, CT offering interactive STEM exhibits and education programs. Closely comparable in scale, programming philosophy, and family-focused mission.
• Da Vinci Science Center: Hands-on science center in Allentown, PA with exhibit space, school programs, and family events. Comparable in operational scale and STEM-focused interactive exhibit model.
• Children's Museum of Montana: Children's museum in Great Falls, MT serving a similar small-market Montana audience with hands-on exhibits and programs. Most directly comparable given shared geography, mission, and target demographic of Montana families with young children.
• Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum: Children's science and technology museum in Reno, NV with rotating exhibits, field trips, and member programs. Similar community-scale STEM museum serving a regional audience.

Broad incumbents

• Arizona Science Center: Major Arizona science museum offering permanent and traveling exhibits, IMAX, camps, and school programs. Overlapping mission and programming but with significantly larger endowment and visitor volume.
• Pacific Science Center: Established hands-on science center in Seattle with permanent exhibits, IMAX theater, and school programs. Comparable in core mission (interactive STEM experiences and education) but operates at significantly larger scale and urban footprint.
• Carnegie Science Center: Pittsburgh-based science center within the Carnegie Museums network, featuring interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and school programs. Comparable mission and exhibit strategy at substantially larger institutional scale.
• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI): Major Pacific Northwest science museum with rotating exhibits, school programs, camps, and an in-museum preschool. Highly comparable offering mix (museum + preschool + outreach + traveling exhibits) though at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explorationworks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 ExplorationWorks!