Elevation Science Institute

What Elevation Science Institute does

Elevation Science Institute is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (legal name: Elevation Science Institute for Natural History Exploration) founded in 2017 by paleontologist Jason P. Schein, originally as the Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute. Headquartered in Red Lodge, Montana with operating locations in Billings, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, the organization conducts paleontological field research and offers public-facing educational programming built around real scientific work. Its core activity is organizing public fossil digs in the Jurassic Morrison Formation of the Bighorn Basin across southern Montana and northern Wyoming, where participants excavate 150-million-year-old dinosaur fossils alongside staff scientists. Supporting products include single-day fossil dig trips, the credit-bearing ERTH 491 Field Paleontology college course delivered in partnership with Montana State University Billings, the David B Jones Summer Field Internship, a fossil preparation laboratory at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the Dino Kidz Box children's subscription product.

Revenue is generated through a diversified nonprofit mix: one-time expedition and program fees, individual and institutional donations, stock donations routed via Carnegie Invest, planned giving through legacy endowments, and recurring Dino Kidz Box subscriptions. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the elevationscience.org website, supplemented by podcast appearances and documentary involvement for top-of-funnel awareness. Staffing remains lean (1-10 employees, including Executive Director, Director of Development, Director of Educational Programming, Fossil Preparator, Science Communication Manager, and Field Technicians), and the organization is governed by a six-member Board of Directors. Strategic partnerships with the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science (official fossil repository and lab host) and Montana State University Billings (academic credit) underpin both the research output and the educational product surface.

The company does not disclose financials publicly; as a 501(c)(3), detailed information would reside in IRS Form 990 filings. The organization is actively operating, with the 2026 expedition season referenced on its website, and continues to expand programming (Dino Kidz Box, intern pipeline, multi-state staff footprint) at a measured pace consistent with a small but growing experiential-science nonprofit.

Name

Elevation Science Institute

Legal name

Elevation Science Institute for Natural History Exploration

Website

https://elevationscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elevation Science Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that runs public paleontology field expeditions in the Bighorn Basin and educational programs including a college-credit course and children's subscription, serving individual participants, college students, museum visitors, and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paleontology Research and Education Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC), Faculty-Led & Research/Field Study Expeditions (THAKAGAK)

Keywords

• Paleontology field expeditions
• Fossil preparation services
• Science education programs
• Paleontological research
• Dinosaur dig experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Red Lodge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Field Expedition Experiences: Revenue from participants paying to join paleontological field expeditions in Montana and Wyoming. Offers week-long expeditions, single-day adventures, and college credit courses.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting the nonprofit's mission of paleontology education and research.
3. Dino Kidz Box: Subscription-based educational product providing paleontological experiences and materials for children.
4. Stock Donations: Accepts stock donations as an alternative giving method.
5. Legacy Endowments: Planned giving and endowment programs for long-term financial support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Elevation Science Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that conducts paleontological field research and provides public participation in authentic fossil digs across the western United States. It operates a fossil preparation laboratory at the Cincinnati Museum Center and delivers educational programming including a university-level field paleontology course and a summer internship program, complemented by a children's educational subscription product.

Product overview

Elevation Science Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to paleontology and earth science research, education, and outreach. The organization offers a portfolio of experiential education products centered on real paleontological fieldwork. Core offerings include week-long and single-day public paleontology expeditions in the Bighorn Basin region of Montana and Wyoming, where participants work alongside scientists to excavate dinosaur fossils. Educational programs include the ERTH 491 Field Paleontology college course (partnered with Montana State University Billings) and the David B Jones Summer Field Internship. Supporting services include the Fossil Preparation Laboratory at the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Dino Kidz Box subscription product, and research publications. Together, these products provide a complete pipeline from field discovery to specimen preparation and educational engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ERTH 491: A field paleontology course offered in partnership with Montana State University Billings
• David B Jones Summer Field Internship
• Dino Kidz Box

Products and services

• Week-Long Paleontology Expeditions Multi-day public field paleontology expeditions in the western United States where participants join authentic dinosaur-era fossil digs alongside staff paleontologists.
• Single Day Adventures One-day public paleontology field experiences that allow participants to take part in fossil prospecting and excavation at active dig sites.
• ERTH 491 Field Paleontology Course University-level field paleontology course offered through an academic partnership, providing college credit-bearing hands-on paleontology training for enrolled students.
• David B Jones Summer Field Internship Summer internship program that places selected participants in the institute's active paleontology field research projects.
• Fossil Preparation Laboratory Fossil preparation lab housed at the Cincinnati Museum Center where specimens recovered from field expeditions are cleaned, stabilized, and curated for research.
• Dino Kidz Box Subscription-based educational product for children delivering recurring paleontology-themed learning materials and activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Return participation - volunteers like Abe who joined in 2017 return year after year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science is the official repository for all fossils collected by Elevation Science Institute. The organization operates its Paleo Prep Lab within the museum's Dinosaur Hall, where fossils are prepared and visitors can observe the process. This is a foundational partnership enabling the organization's research mission.
• Montana State University BillingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESI's Director of Educational Programming, Dr. Rick Schmidt, serves as an adjunct professor for the ERTH 491 Field Paleontology course offered through MSU Billings. The course provides college credit to participants in ESI's field expeditions.
• Science Museum of VirginiaminorOthersTimshel Purdum, ESI's Vice President, serves as Virginia C. Ellet Deputy Director of Education at the Science Museum of Virginia. This is a personal connection to a board member rather than an organizational partnership.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Prehistoric Journeys: Operates guided paleontology expeditions across the western U.S. Closely comparable direct competitor in the small-niche of pay-to-dig paleontology tourism targeting enthusiast travelers.
• PaleoAdventures: Operates paleontology dig programs across multiple U.S. states including Montana and Wyoming. Closely comparable business model: pay-to-participate fossil expeditions led by professional paleontologists, marketed to enthusiasts and families.
• Wyoming Dinosaur Center: Thermopolis, WY-based nonprofit operating public dinosaur dig programs in the Morrison Formation. Most directly comparable peer — similar experiential paleontology expeditions in the same geological region (Wyoming/Montana) targeting enthusiast participants willing to pay for hands-on excavation.

Regional players

• New Jersey State Museum: Trenton-based state museum where ESI founder Jason Schein served as Assistant Curator of Natural History for 10 years. Operates in a different geography (Northeast) but a comparable natural-history/museum nonprofit with paleontology programming.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of the Rockies: Montana State University's museum in Bozeman, housing one of the world's largest dinosaur fossil collections and offering public paleontology programs. Comparable as a larger, broader institution with overlapping educational/outreach mission in the same Montana region where ESI operates.
• Royal Tyrrell Museum: Canadian paleontology museum operating public dig programs in Alberta's badlands. Comparable as a large, established public institution offering authentic field experiences for paying participants — though operating at a much larger scale and outside ESI's geography.

Others

• Cincinnati Museum Center: Hosts ESI's Paleo Prep Lab in its Dinosaur Hall and serves as official fossil repository. Not a competitor but a foundational partner/museum institution; comparable for benchmark purposes on the museum/nonprofit operational scale.
• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Where ESI Fossil Preparator Katie Hunt previously worked on Jurassic Morrison Formation specimens. Comparable as a children's-focused museum with paleontology labs, and a potential family/children's segment peer for ESI's Dino Kidz Box and family programming.
• Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University: Philadelphia-based natural history museum where ESI Field Crew Chief Jason Poole spent 27 years as Manager of Dinosaur Hall. Not a direct competitor, but a comparable natural-history nonprofit ecosystem player and relevant for talent pipeline benchmarking.
• Montana State University Billings: Partner institution delivering the ERTH 491 Field Paleontology course. Not a competitor but a key academic partner whose geosciences department could be expanded as a feeder channel; comparable as a regional university with earth science educational programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MatthewDoesMovies
• Xx.com/Elev_Sci
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElevationScience
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elevation-science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Elevation Science Institute