Western Science Center

What Western Science Center does

Western Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit natural history museum founded in 2006 in Hemet, California, serving California's Inland Empire and Riverside County. The museum operates one of the largest natural history collections in Riverside County and is publicly known as the home of Max the Pacific Mastodon (Mammut pacificus), a species formally described by the museum's Executive Director in 2019. Its permanent collection exceeds 100,000 fossils, with research strengths spanning Pleistocene fauna from Diamond Valley Lake, Miocene horses from Southern California, and Cretaceous dinosaurs from New Mexico's Menefee Formation. The museum is the designated federal repository for Joshua Tree National Park fossil collections and holds fossil collection permits with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.

Core technical infrastructure combines a fossil preparation laboratory (using acetic and sulfamic acid matrix removal), a digital 3D scanning and photogrammetry workflow (NextEngine laser scanner), and an in-house 3D printing and resin casting lab (LulzBot printers) used to produce replicas for exhibits, the museum store, education kits, and research. Programs operate across on-site visits, field trips, mobile outreach (Max's Mobile Museum), virtual programming, and an e-commerce store at wscmuseumstore.com.

Revenue is generated through six streams: tiered museum admission ($5–$10 per visitor with EBT and military discounts), annual memberships ($20 student to $1,000 President's Associate), educational workshops (60 Minute Science at $10–$16 per person), facility rentals, an on-site and online retail store, and annual fundraising events including Science Under the Stars. The primary customer segments are families and the general public, school groups (approximately 8,000 children per year), researchers and paleontologists, members, and corporate/foundation sponsors anchored by Hemet Unified School District and Riverside County government.

Name

Western Science Center

Legal name

Western Science Center

Website

https://westernsciencecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Western Science Center is a 501(c)(3) natural history museum in Hemet, California, serving Inland Empire families, school groups, and researchers with over 100,000 fossils, a fossil preparation and 3D printing lab, and educational programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Natural history museum
• Science education programs
• Fossil collection exhibits
• Paleontology research center
• Hands-on science workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Hemet

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales for museum entry with tiered pricing based on age and status. General admission ranges from free (children 4 and under, active military) to $10 for adults. Group rates available for parties of 20+.
2. Membership Programs: Annual membership tiers offering free admission, programming access, and discounts. Ranges from $20 student memberships to $1,000 President's Associate level with guest passes and facility use discounts.
3. Museum Store: Retail sales of merchandise including fossil replicas, educational items, and memorabilia through the on-site museum store and online at wscmuseumstore.com
4. Educational Programs and Workshops: Revenue from paid workshops and educational programs including 60 Minute Science series, summer camps, birthday parties, and special programming. Pricing varies from $10-$16 per person depending on program.
5. Facility Use and Rentals: Facility rental for events, with enhanced membership tiers offering discounts on facility use
6. Fundraising Events: Annual Science Under the Stars fundraiser generating revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, live and silent auctions, wine tastings, and dinner events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Western Science Center operates a natural history museum in Hemet, California, that houses and exhibits the Pacific Mastodon (Max) and more than 100,000 fossils and archaeological artifacts recovered from the Diamond Valley Lake. It delivers science education through on-site exhibits, hands-on workshops (60 Minute Science, Science Saturdays), summer camps, school field trips, virtual programming, and off-site outreach via Max's Mobile Museum. The center also conducts active paleontological research and specimen preparation through its Fossil Preparation Laboratory and 3D Printing and Casting Lab.

Product overview

Western Science Center is a natural history museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on fossil collection exhibits and science education. Core offerings include general museum admission, hands-on educational programs (60 Minute Science workshops, Science Saturdays), special annual events (Science Under the Stars fundraiser, PaleoCon), and rotating exhibits (The Exploration Lab, Inspired Collections). The museum provides outreach through Max's Mobile Museum and Virtual Programming, operates a 3D Printing Lab for replica creation, and maintains research collections. Membership programs provide tiered access benefits. All offerings are integrated under the museum's mission to inspire discovery of the past, exploration of the present, and promotion of a sustainable future.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Museum Admission

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 8,000 children served annually through field trips
• +2 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Western Center Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual co-host of Science Under the Stars fundraiser benefiting science exhibits, research, and education. The foundation's fundraising supports the museum's core operations and programming.
• Zuni Dinosaur Institute for GeosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative field work expeditions to New Mexico's Menefee Formation resulting in discoveries of dinosaur species including Invictarx zephyri and Dynamoterror dynastes. Joint collecting and research expeditions.
• Southwest Paleontological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative field work partner for fossil excavations in New Mexico's Menefee Formation and other sites. Joint collecting expeditions with staff and volunteers.
• Hemet USD Wellness and Community Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Science Saturdays program providing free family activities and free museum admission for HUSD student families on designated Science Saturday + HUSD days.
• U.S. Bureau of Land ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermit holder for fossil excavations in Cajon Valley Formation. Collaborative research and specimen collection under federal permit.
• U.S. Forest ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermit holder for fossil field work in San Bernardino National Forest. Research collaboration on Miocene horse fossils.
• National Park ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWestern Science Center designated as repository for Joshua Tree National Park fossil collection. Collaborated on Fossils of Joshua Tree exhibit featuring Pleistocene fauna from the park.
• Temecula Valley AstronomersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization at annual Inland Empire Science Festival, providing telescope viewing and astronomy education.
• UCR Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization at Inland Empire Science Festival showcasing local geology research.
• The Xerces SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating organization at Inland Empire Science Festival focusing on insect conservation education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• La Brea Tar Pits and Museum: Iconic paleontology museum in Los Angeles operated by NHMLA, focused on Ice Age fossil collection and active excavation. Directly comparable on subject matter (Ice Age fauna including mastodons) and educational programming, though significantly larger and higher-traffic.
• San Diego Natural History Museum: Long-standing regional natural history museum in Balboa Park with comparable paleontology collections, school programming, and membership tiers. Most direct California regional comparable outside the Inland Empire.
• Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology: Small paleontology-focused natural history museum on the Webb Schools campus in Claremont, CA. Most directly comparable peer given similar scale, Southern California location, fossil collection emphasis, and K-12 field trip programming.
• Calvert Marine Museum: Regional paleontology and maritime museum in Solomons, Maryland, with comparable size, fossil-focused collections, and educational programming for school groups. Similar mid-sized regional natural history operating model.
• Morrison Natural History Museum: Small community natural history museum in Morrison, Colorado, focused on local paleontology (including dinosaur fossils) and K-12 field trips. Highly comparable on operating scale, single-site model, and educational-programming emphasis.
• Paleontological Research Institution / Museum of the Earth: Ithaca, NY-based paleontology-focused natural history institution with comparable collection size, research output, and educational-programming emphasis. Strong comparable on scientific publication track record and small-staff operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Major natural history institution in LA with extensive paleontology collections (including the La Brea Tar Pits under its umbrella). Larger incumbent operating overlapping subject matter with much broader collections, membership tiers, and research output.
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Major Rocky Mountain-region natural history and science museum with significant paleontology collections and active research expeditions. Comparable on the combination of research, exhibits, and school programming, though at larger scale.
• Field Museum: Major Chicago natural history institution with globally significant paleontology collections (including Sue the T. rex) and active research expeditions. Comparable on the integration of research, exhibits, and school programming, though at much larger scale.
• California Academy of Sciences: Large natural history institution in San Francisco combining research, aquarium, and planetarium with comparable membership and educational-program model. Operates at significantly larger scale but uses similar revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/western-science-center

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 Western Science Center