South Dakota Discovery Center

What South Dakota Discovery Center does

South Dakota Discovery Center (SDDC), founded in 1989, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the first and only hands-on science discovery center in South Dakota. It is housed in the historic Pierre Power Plant (built 1933) and serves families, K-12 school groups, educators, and community members across South Dakota. The organization delivers informal STEM education through a physical exhibit hall, a portable planetarium offering fulldome films and NASA-aligned content, seasonal STEMventure traveling camps and onsite programs, FIRST LEGO League robotics, citizen science projects (MacroBlitz with National Geographic, City Nature Challenge, Birding groups), and professional development for educators including a Research to Classrooms practicum in partnership with the University of South Dakota.

The core product portfolio spans exhibit-based learning (Lunar Life, Whisper Dishes), programs (Summer Science Shows, Little Explorers, Solar Eclipse events, Starry Saturdays, Moon Movie Mondays, Rocky Wednesdays), and educational resources (STEMventure Exploration Kits, hands-on curriculum, traveling STEM programs reaching rural counties). Travel logistics, group bookings, and birthday party rentals are supported through a single storefront in Pierre and outreach across the state. Technology integration is limited to standard web platforms (MemberLeap for membership and donations, Stripe and PayPal for payments, Square for the SDDC Store) and physical exhibits; no AI/ML or proprietary software assets are present.

SDDC's revenue model is diversified across earned and contributed streams: per-visit admission ($6-8), annual memberships, program fees for STEMventure and summer camps, scratch e-commerce, and a substantial contributions base spanning United Way, EPA, SD Space Grant Consortium, SD EPSCoR, USDA-NRCS, BankWest Foundation, SD Engineering Society, and individual donors. BankWest Foundation subsidizes 50% of STEMventure costs for qualifying counties to address equity of access. The center is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors including ex-officio seats from the City of Pierre and SD Engineering Society, and operates with a small core staff (approximately 8 employees per firmographic data, 15 per management team listing).

Name

South Dakota Discovery Center

Legal name

South Dakota Discovery Center

Website

https://sd-discovery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

South Dakota Discovery Center is a nonprofit hands-on science museum in Pierre, South Dakota, offering exhibits, planetarium shows, traveling STEM programs, and citizen science initiatives for families, K-12 schools, and educators statewide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Science Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL)

Keywords

• Hands-on science exhibits
• STEM education programs
• Planetarium shows
• Traveling science outreach
• Citizen science projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Pierre

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: General admission fees ranging from $6-8 per person, with free admission for SDDC members, ASTC Passport members, and children 2 and under
2. Memberships: Annual membership program offering free admission and other benefits to members
3. Donations and Grants: Funding from United Way, EPA, SD Space Grant Consortium, SD Engineering Society, BankWest Foundation, SD EPSCoR, USDA-NRCS, and individual donors
4. Program Fees: Fees for STEMventure programs, summer camps, professional development, and group bookings; $4 per family for Little Explorers plus admission
5. SDDC Store: Online store selling science-related merchandise and educational materials
6. Special Events: Annual fundraising events like 'Best for Last' reverse raffle

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South Dakota Discovery Center operates a hands-on science museum and STEM education center from the historic Pierre Power Plant in Pierre, South Dakota. It sells exhibit-hall admissions, planetarium shows, traveling and onsite STEM programs, summer camps, teacher professional development, group field trips, venue rentals, birthday parties, memberships, donations, and science merchandise through an online store. Programs reach learners from preschool through adulthood and are delivered both on-site and via traveling outreach to schools and communities across South Dakota.

Product overview

The South Dakota Discovery Center operates as a hands-on science museum and STEM education organization offering a unified portfolio of interactive exhibits, educational programs, and community science initiatives. The core offering is the SDDC Exhibit Hall—a science playground featuring interactive displays including Lunar Life and Whisper Dishes—complemented by a diverse array of programming including STEMventure Onsite and Traveling Programs, seasonal camps (Robotics, Science + Art, Space, Paleontology), and planetarium experiences (Starry Saturday, Moon Movie Monday, Rocky Wednesday). The Center serves learners from preschool through adulthood via Little Explorers programs, Summer Science Shows, FIRST LEGO League, and professional development for educators. Educational resources include STEMventure Exploration Kits, Hands-On Curriculum, and Citizen Science initiatives like MacroBlitz. The organization also provides venue rentals, birthday parties, and accepts donations and memberships to support accessibility. The complete offering functions as an integrated educational ecosystem rather than discrete products, with programs designed to serve South Dakota communities regardless of income, education, or ability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SDDC Exhibit Hall
• STEMventure Onsite Programs
• STEMventure Traveling Programs
• STEMventure Traveling Camps
• Planetarium Programs and Fulldome Films
• Summer Little Explorers
• Summer Science Shows
• Little Explorers Nature Preschool
• FIRST LEGO League Robotics
• STEMventure Exploration Kits
• Hands-On Curriculum
• Professional Development for Educators
• Citizen and Community Science Programs
• Group Visits and Field Trips
• After Hour Rentals and Birthday Parties
• Donations and Charitable Giving
• Annual Membership
• SDDC Store (Online)

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves visitors and users across South Dakota regardless of income, education, and ability
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pierre-Fort Pierre Kiwanis ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors free Moon Movie Monday planetarium screenings, making space education accessible to the community
• National GeographiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed MacroBlitz citizen science project to empower people to find and photograph aquatic macroinvertebrates and upload photos to iNaturalist
• GLOBE US Partner ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational environmental education program partnership; SDDC Executive Director serves as representative and chair
• USD Biology Department (Dr. Chris Anderson)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner bringing chameleon feeding research into classrooms through hands-on lesson plans for the Research to Classrooms program
• SD Engineering SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering education partner with ex-officio representation on Board of Directors

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Schiele Museum of Natural History: Natural history and science museum in Gastonia, North Carolina, offering exhibits, planetarium, and traveling outreach to schools. Comparable peer with similar regional scale, planetarium programming, and traveling STEM outreach.
• Discovery Center Museum: Children's hands-on science museum in Rockford, Illinois, focused on interactive STEM exhibits and family programming. Closely matches SDDC's exhibit-driven, family/youth audience and supplemental camp/program offerings.
• Exploration Place: Science discovery center in Wichita, Kansas, operating permanent and traveling STEM exhibits with strong educator and community programming. Comparable peer serving a Midwestern catchment with similar mid-size scale and school-program emphasis.
• Adventure Science Center: Hands-on science center in Nashville, Tennessee, with interactive exhibits, planetarium, and traveling school programs. Closely mirrors SDDC's integrated model of exhibits, planetarium, camps, and school outreach anchored by a single facility.
• Impression 5 Science Center: Hands-on science center in Lansing, Michigan, focused on interactive STEM exhibits, summer camps, and educator programs. Direct comparable in scale and programmatic mix to the SDDC, especially around traveling and youth programs.
• Sci-Port Discovery Center (now Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center): Mid-sized regional hands-on science center in Shreveport, Louisiana, offering interactive exhibits, planetarium programming, and STEM education. Comparable to the SDDC in scope, geographic mission focus on an underserved region, and reliance on grants and community partnerships.
• Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts: Science-and-arts center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, combining hands-on exhibits, a digital dome/planetarium, and educational programming. Comparable in combining exhibits, planetarium, and educator-focused programming under one roof.

Broad incumbents

• Pacific Science Center: Major science center in Seattle, Washington, with theaters, exhibits, and statewide school programming. Comparable in integrating planetarium/theater, exhibits, and traveling school programs, but at substantially greater scale and resources.
• Great Lakes Science Center: Larger science center in Cleveland, Ohio, with extensive exhibits, omnimax/dome theater, camps, and educator programs. Comparable model and programming mix, but operates at significantly larger scale and urban catchment than the SDDC.
• Carnegie Science Center: Major science center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with hands-on exhibits, planetarium, and educational programs. Comparable programmatic architecture to SDDC but operates as part of Carnegie Museums with much larger scale and resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthDakotaDiscoveryCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-dakota-discovery-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/sodakdiscoverycenter
• TikToktiktok.com/@sodakdiscoverycenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 South Dakota Discovery Center