Suncoast Science Center / Faulhaber Fab Lab

What Suncoast Science Center / Faulhaber Fab Lab does

The Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab (legal entity Citizen Scientists League, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community makerspace founded in 2014 in Sarasota, Florida, operating from a single facility at 4452 S Beneva Road with 13 full-time staff. The organization maintains a fabrication lab equipped with more than 30 high-tech machines — including Formlabs Form 3 and Stratasys F170 3D printers, Trotec Speedy 400 and Epilog laser cutters, industrial CNC mill and router, a WAZER waterjet cutter, Roland BN-20 printer/cutter, vinyl cutters, and woodworking/metalworking tools — accessible to the public through individual, student, and business memberships priced from $35 for 8 hours to $400/month for business teams of five.

The organization runs a structured portfolio of youth STEAM programs: STEAM Summer Camps ($300-$325/week for grades 2-8), the Skill Lab Trade Series ($175 for a 3-day session for rising 8th-12th graders), STEAM Saturdays ($50/class), Homeschool Workshops ($30/session), the RC Custom Car Open annual engineering competition, and LEGO RoboRumble ($330 for 6 classes plus competition entry). Free programs include the Science Lending Library (standards-aligned kits loaned to Sarasota and Manatee County educators) and community events. Delivery is operationalized through a near-peer teaching model in which high school volunteers — organized via SPEC (Student Planning & Education Committee), the RC Car Executive Committee, the RoboRumble Committee, Aerospace Club, and SCIP (Student Community Innovation Program) — serve as student instructors for younger children, while also executing multi-month co-development projects with community partners such as Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Star Lab, Manatee County Health Department, Crowley Museum, and Sarasota Urban ReForesters.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: membership and equipment-access fees, program/class fees, and community donations plus foundation grants. Major funders include the Barancik Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Selby Foundation, Steinwachs Family Foundation, and equipment partner xTool ($300K in laser cutters donated December 2024). The organization is founder-led by Executive Director Ping Faulhaber and serves the Sarasota–Manatee region with no parent company or institutional investors.

Name

Suncoast Science Center / Faulhaber Fab Lab

Legal name

Citizen Scientists League, Inc.

Website

https://suncoastscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab is a Sarasota, Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit community makerspace offering K-12 STEAM education, public access to 30+ industrial fabrication machines, and free Science Lending Library services to regional educators, funded by memberships, program fees, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEAM Education & Makerspace Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• STEAM education programs
• Community makerspace access
• Youth STEM workshops
• Fab lab services
• Science lending library

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual, student, and business membership packages providing access to Fab Lab equipment and machines. Memberships are sold as hourly packages or monthly subscriptions with varying levels of machine access.
2. Program Fees: Revenue from summer camps, STEAM Saturdays, Skill Lab workshops, homeschool workshops, and LEGO RoboRumble classes. Programs are priced per session or package with tiered pricing by grade level.
3. Community Donations: 501(c)(3) nonprofit reliant on community donations to fund programs and ensure access for all children to hands-on STEAM learning.
4. RC Car Competition Fees: Registration and participation fees for annual RC Custom Car Open engineering and design competition for K-8 students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab operates a community makerspace with over 30 high-tech fabrication machines (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, waterjet cutter) accessible via memberships, alongside structured STEAM education programs for K-12 youth including summer camps, weekend classes, robotics competitions, and trade skills workshops. The organization also runs a free Science Lending Library providing standards-aligned science kits to educators in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Programs are delivered through a near-peer teaching model where high school student instructors design and lead the educational experiences for younger children.

Product overview

The Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a community makerspace and STEAM education center. Its portfolio consists of a physical Fab Lab with over 30 high-tech fabrication machines accessible via membership, complemented by a suite of structured youth education programs. Core programs include the Science Lending Library (free equipment loans to educators), STEAM Summer Camps, Skill Lab: Trade Series, STEAM Saturdays, Homeschool Workshops, and the RC Custom Car Open and LEGO RoboRumble competitive programs. The organization runs multiple student leadership committees (SPEC, RC Car Executive Committee, RoboRumble Committee, Aerospace Club, SCIP) that provide near-peer STEAM instruction and community innovation. The Fab Lab equipment access and these educational programs operate as an integrated ecosystem where members use machines for personal projects while youth programs use the same equipment for structured learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Lending Library Free equipment and standards-aligned hands-on science kit lending program for educators in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Provides kits covering physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and other STEAM topics aligned with Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for K-12 teachers and homeschool families. Kits are delivered to schools and picked up after use at no cost.
• STEAM Summer Camps Weeklong hands-on summer camps for students in grades 2-8 covering Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics through creative challenges and makerspace tools. Elementary school camps (grades 2-5) are priced at $300 per session and middle school camps (grades 6-8) at $325 per session, including all supplies and a custom Fab Lab camp t-shirt. Optional $65/week childcare during lunch break is available.
• Skill Lab: Trade Series
• STEAM Saturdays
• RC Custom Car Open
• LEGO RoboRumble
• Homeschool Workshops
• Fab Lab Memberships

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marie Selby Botanical GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2025 SCIP partnership: 15 high school students created hands-on projects for downtown and Historic Spanish Point campuses including specimen transport carts, butterfly installation, and artifact cases.
• Star LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner2024 SCIP partnership: 18 students developed Montessori-style resources, classroom furniture, and custom web-app for student badging and mastery tracking.
• Manatee County Health DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development Partner2023 SCIP partnership: Students created health awareness sculptures with educational signage.
• Crowley Museum & Nature CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner2022 SCIP partnership: Students designed and built wildlife habitats and created conservation awareness website.
• Sarasota County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for Science Lending Library and COVIDucation.net web-app development during pandemic.
• Sarasota Urban ReForestersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner2021 SCIP partnership: Students designed and constructed micro forest and developed educational website component.
• Suncoast Polytechnical High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSatellite location partner for certain summer camp programs including Physics Funfair, Artificial Intelligence, and Aerospace Engineering.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MakerBot Industries: Established 3D printing manufacturer with education-focused product line and MakerBot Educators program used in K-12 classrooms. Comparable on the technology stack and K-12 STEAM education adjacency, though not a direct service provider.
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): National nonprofit running FIRST Robotics, FIRST LEGO League, and other K-12 STEM competitions. Comparable competition-based youth STEAM engagement model at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Club SciKidz: National provider of STEM summer camps and in-school enrichment for K-8 students, offering hands-on science and engineering programs. Comparable camp + after-school enrichment model serving similar grade levels.
• Bricks 4 Kidz: LEGO-based engineering and robotics programs for children including camps, after-school classes, and competition-style builds. Comparable to the LEGO RoboRumble offering and adjacent competition format.
• iSPACE: Cincinnati-area nonprofit providing STEM education programs, camps, and a learning lab environment for K-12 students. Comparable nonprofit STEAM enrichment and lab-access model.
• Digital Harbor Foundation: Baltimore-based nonprofit operating a Fab Lab and STEAM education programs for youth, including maker-focused camps, workshops, and youth employment initiatives. Directly comparable community Fab Lab + youth STEAM model.
• Explora: Albuquerque-based nonprofit interactive science center offering hands-on exhibits, maker activities, and youth education programs. Comparable nonprofit experiential STEM learning facility.
• MakerKids: Toronto-based STEAM education organization offering camps, after-school programs, and maker workshops for children using 3D printing, electronics, and robotics. Closely comparable enrichment programs for K-8/12 students.
• TechShop (legacy / AS220 Labs): Community makerspaces offering public access to professional fabrication equipment (laser cutters, CNC, 3D printers). Comparable makerspace membership model, though broader audience and less K-12 focused.
• Children's Science Center: Northern Virginia nonprofit operating a hands-on science center and STEAM education programs for K-8 students. Comparable nonprofit youth STEAM + hands-on lab model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/suncoastscience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/suncoastscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Suncoast Science Center / Faulhaber Fab Lab