The Museum at Prairiefire

What The Museum at Prairiefire does

The Museum at Prairiefire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum (legal entity: Museum of Prairiefire Foundation, Tax ID 27-1040521) operating from a single facility at 5801 W. 135th Street in Overland Park, Kansas, within the Prairiefire Entertainment District. Its core offering is a set of interactive natural history and STEAM education experiences: a Great Hall with dinosaur and sea creature specimens, a Discovery Room with live animal encounters, Virtual Reality stations, and structured youth programs (Little Explorers Club for ages 3-5, JAM Sessions, SciFun Camps, plus a full-time STEAM Academy Preschool for ages 3-5 run as an adjacent operating subsidiary). Adult programming includes Science Happy Hour, Cinema + Science screenings, and Animal Encounters.

The business model combines earned revenue (general admission, memberships, youth program fees, venue rental across four spaces, and a museum store) with fundraising (donations, corporate sponsorships, and an annual Pickleball Tournament with sponsorship tiers from $1,000 to $25,000). Distribution is both on-site (walk-in visitors and field trips) and outbound (Traveling Programs sending educators into classrooms at $7/student and YouTube archives of program content). The museum fully funds KC Urban Advantage, a STEAM outreach initiative partnering with Black & Veatch as Global STEM Education Partner and other Kansas City cultural institutions to deliver free field trips, teacher professional development, and classroom materials to underserved schools. A 5-person staff supports operations, with no disclosed revenue figures or audited financials in the source data.

Name

The Museum at Prairiefire

Legal name

Museum of Prairiefire Foundation

Website

https://visitthemap.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAC

Natural History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYBPAGAHAA

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYTHAJADAD

Science & Technology Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYCRALAJAG

Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops

Consumer Products & Retail/Specialty Retail (Hobby, Books, Office, Pet, Toys)/Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Retail

SECONDARYEDAMALAE

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• STEAM education programs
• Youth science programs
• Interactive museum exhibits
• Museum venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Ticket sales for museum entry, with pricing varying by visitor type.
2. Memberships: Annual memberships offering discounts on programs and events, plus exclusive benefits.
3. Youth Programs & Camps: Fees for Little Explorers Club, JAM Sessions, SciFun Camps, and STEAM Academy Preschool. Little Explorers Club at $5/session, camps ranging $50-$300.
4. Venue Rental: Rental of Great Hall, Discovery Room, Innovation Zone, and Boardroom for weddings, corporate events, birthdays, and fundraisers. Venue rental fees are partially tax-deductible as they support KC Urban Advantage.
5. Donations & Fundraising: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, with 100% of donations directed to programming and STEM education access. The museum is a 501(c)(3) with Tax ID 27-1040521.
6. Museum Store: Retail sales of museum merchandise, educational materials, and keepsakes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Museum at Prairiefire is a nonprofit natural history and STEAM education museum operating physical exhibits (dinosaur and sea creature displays, Discovery Room, Virtual Reality stations) and a portfolio of structured educational programs including youth classes, day camps, a STEAM-focused preschool, field trips, traveling in-classroom programs, and adult learning events. The museum supplements earned revenue from admissions, memberships, programs, and venue rentals with donations that fund the KC Urban Advantage outreach initiative for underserved schools.

Product overview

The Museum at Prairiefire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum offering a unified portfolio of STEAM educational experiences and programs. Its core offerings include hands-on exhibits (Discovery Room, Great Hall with dinosaur and sea creature displays, Virtual Reality experiences), structured youth education programs (Little Explorers Club, JAM Sessions, SciFun Camps, STEAM Academy Preschool), and adult programming (Science Happy Hour, Cinema + Science, Animal Encounters). The museum also operates traveling programs, field trips, and the KC Urban Advantage outreach initiative serving underserved schools. Supporting offerings include venue rentals, a museum store, and education resources. The institution's mission focuses on providing holistic STEAM education to increase access for all students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KC Urban Advantage: Standards and research-based collaboration between underserved schools and youth, the Museum at Prairiefire, and partnering Kansas City metro cultural and learning institutions to provide STEAM education

Products and services

• General Admission
• Museum Memberships Annual membership subscriptions that provide unlimited admission, discounts on youth and adult programs, and exclusive benefits for individuals and families.
• Youth Programs Structured STEAM educational programs for children ages 3-14, including Little Explorers Club ($5/session for ages 3-5), JAM Sessions for ages 6-10, and SciFun Camps during school-year and summer ($50-$300 per camp).
• STEAM Academy Preschool Full-time preschool program for children ages 3-5 that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math into early childhood education within the museum setting.
• Adult Programs Lifelong learning experiences for adults including quarterly Science Happy Hour presentations with drinks, Cinema + Science movie screenings with expert panel discussions ($10 general admission, free for members), and Animal Encounters.
• Traveling Education Programs Museum educators travel to schools to deliver hands-on STEAM sessions in the classroom; $7 per student with a minimum of 10 and maximum of 15 students per session.
• Field Trips Facilitated educational field trips for schools, camps, daycares, and homeschool co-ops, with hands-on learning experiences in the Discovery Room and exhibits; custom field trip options available.
• Venue Rentals Rental of event spaces including the Great Hall (300 seated), Wetlands Terrace and Innovation Zone (185), Discovery Room (80), and Boardroom (16) for weddings, corporate events, birthday parties, and fundraisers; fees are partially tax-deductible.
• Museum Store Retail gift shop selling educational merchandise, books, natural history-related items, and souvenirs to museum visitors.
• Education Resources Downloadable natural history guides, field guides to local wildlife, educator materials, and curriculum-aligned resources for teachers and families.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of every donation goes towards programming and creating greater access to STEM education for children in the community.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Black & VeatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack & Veatch is the Global STEM Education Partner supporting KC Urban Advantage. Their partnership enables the museum to provide significant access to holistic educational experiences that unlock opportunities for higher learning and future STEM careers for underserved students in Kansas City.
• KC Urban Advantage Partner InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKC Urban Advantage is a collaboration between underserved schools, the Museum at Prairiefire, and partnering Kansas City metro cultural and learning institutions including museums, science centers, cultural organizations, and zoos. The program provides free field trips and educational experiences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Science City at Union Station: Kansas City-based hands-on science center offering interactive STEAM exhibits, youth programs, and field trips — the most direct regional competitor for family and school audiences served by the Museum at Prairiefire.
• Exploration Place: Wichita-based science and discovery center with hands-on exhibits, youth camps, and traveling outreach programs; comparable in mission, program mix, and target audience to the Museum at Prairiefire.
• Discovery Center Museum: Mid-sized regional children's science and discovery museum in Rockford, Illinois, with hands-on exhibits, camps, and traveling outreach — a close size and program analogue to MAP.
• Kansas City Zoo: KC metro partner institution under KC Urban Advantage and a regional competitor for family admissions, memberships, and school field trips, with live animal experiences comparable to MAP's Discovery Room encounters.
• Thinkery (Austin Children's Museum): Children's museum combining STEAM-focused exhibits, maker programming, and youth camps in a single venue — a strong functional model for MAP's Discovery Room, Little Explorers Club, and SciFun Camps combination.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the U.S., with extensive natural history, STEAM, and animal encounter exhibits; illustrates the scale ceiling for regional STEAM-focused museums like MAP.
• Field Museum: Major natural history museum in Chicago with dinosaur specimens and STEAM programming; represents the broader incumbent category MAP competes with for tourism, traveling exhibitions, and educational credibility.
• Cincinnati Museum Center: Multi-disciplinary museum complex combining history, natural history, and children's museum experiences under one umbrella; comparable to MAP's integrated STEAM-and-natural-history positioning at smaller scale.

Others

• Black & Veatch: Strategic corporate partner of MAP as its Global STEM Education Partner; relevant as an ecosystem stakeholder and as a model for the kind of Fortune 500 anchor funder that drives KC Urban Advantage's equity programming.
• Prairiefire Entertainment District: Mixed-use entertainment and retail district in Overland Park where MAP is co-located; relevant as the co-tenant ecosystem that drives cross-channel foot traffic to the museum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-museum-at-prairiefire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Museum at Prairiefire