Youth Science Canada

What Youth Science Canada does

Youth Science Canada (Sciences jeunesse Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 1966 and headquartered in Trenton, Ontario, that operates the country's national youth STEM fair ecosystem. It serves K-12 students across Canada through a tiered pathway: 98+ regional STEM fairs in every province and territory, an annual Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) hosting roughly 400 finalists competing for over $1.3 million in scholarships and awards, and a Team Canada delegation that represents the country at international competitions including Regeneron ISEF, EUCYS, and MILSET events. Secondary audiences include educators (served via the Smarter Science professional development program), parents, regional fair committees, and a 20,000+ alumni community.

The organization's technology platform centers on mySTEMspace, a free online workspace where students manage STEM projects, access resources, and navigate the fair ecosystem, complemented by the YSC Portal (member accounts), the Regional Network hub for fair organizers, and the bilingual MaréeMauveSTIM Discord community for alumni mentorship. Programs are community- and event-driven, relying on volunteer organizers, judges, and educators rather than a direct sales force.

Youth Science Canada is funded through donations from individuals, corporate sponsorships (Explore Edmonton, Trottier Family Foundation, Youth Can Innovate, Regeneron), and government grants (notably NSERC), with awards and scholarships at CWSF acting as pass-through prize pools rather than organizational revenue. Governance rests with a volunteer Board of Directors; Reni Barlow serves as Executive Director. The 60+ year brand and pipeline — with alumni such as Dr. Roberta Bondar, Mike Lazaridis, Ann Makosinski, and Adam Noble — constitute the organization's primary intangible asset.

Name

Youth Science Canada

Legal name

Youth Science Canada

Website

https://youthscience.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Youth Science Canada is a Canadian non-profit, founded in 1966, that runs a national STEM fair ecosystem for K-12 students through 98+ regional fairs, the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair, and Team Canada international delegations, funded by donations, sponsorships, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth STEM Education Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums) (EDAMAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), STEM Research & Inquiry Programs (Research Mentorship, Science Fair Prep) (EDAMABAC)

Keywords

• Youth STEM education
• Science fair programs
• STEM project platform
• Educator professional development
• International student competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Trenton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Youth Science Canada is a charitable organization that relies on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Major sponsors include Explore Edmonton, NSERC, Trottier Family Foundation, and Youth Can Innovate. Donations support resources, awards, scholarships, and program accessibility for students who lack funding.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Funding from government agencies (NSERC) and private foundations to support operations, program development, and youth STEM engagement initiatives
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated through the Canada-Wide Science Fair, including registration fees, sponsorships for specific awards, and associated events

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Youth Science Canada operates a national STEM ecosystem that supports Canadian K-12 students in conducting science projects from initial curiosity through regional fairs (98+ across Canada), to the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) where 400 finalists compete for over $1.3 million in scholarships, and ultimately to international competitions via Team Canada. The organization provides free student resources through the mySTEMspace platform, educator professional development via Smarter Science, and alumni mentorship through the MaréeMauveSTIM Discord community.

Product overview

Youth Science Canada operates a multi-platform ecosystem supporting Canadian youth STEM education through project-based learning. The core offerings include mySTEMspace (student project workspace), the YSC Portal (member access system), and the Regional Network (fair organizer community). Supporting programs include Smarter Science (educator professional development), the Canada-Wide Science Fair (national competition), Team Canada (international competition representation), Regional STEM Fairs (local entry-point events), and the MaréeMauveSTIM Discord (alumni community). Together these platforms guide students from initial project curiosity through regional, national, and international stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mySTEMspace: Online platform providing free resources and project workspace for students to guide them from idea to presentation
• purpleSTEMwave
• MaréeMauveSTIM
• Smarter Science
• Éducasciences
• Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF)
• Team Canada
• Équipe Canada

Products and services

• mySTEMspace Online project workspace platform providing Canadian students with free resources and tools to guide them from initial idea to presentation for STEM fair projects.
• YSC Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of students expressed increased interest in STEM careers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.

• Science Fair Foundation BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegistered charity founded to support science fairs across British Columbia and Yukon. Manages 14 regional fairs and endowment funding for perpetual support. Founded by Patti Leigh in 1997.
• Science WorldsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience education center in Vancouver that historically collaborated with Youth Science Canada and regional fairs. Was under construction during early years of regional fair development.
• Regional STEM Fair CommitteescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 98+ local volunteer committees organizing regional STEM fairs across every province and territory in Canada. Each committee operates autonomously while affiliated with Youth Science Canada.
• University of AlbertamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost university partner for CWSF 2026 in Edmonton, providing academic venue space and institutional support for the national science fair.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Actua: Canadian charity running national STEM outreach programs targeting youth, including underrepresented groups, with a university/college delivery network; comparable as a national-scale Canadian STEM nonprofit serving K-12 audiences.
• Canada Learning Code (formerly Ladies Learning Code): Canadian nonprofit delivering tech/digital skills education to youth and adults through workshops and educator training; closely comparable as a Canadian STEM-education nonprofit competing for the same grant and donor funding pool.
• Science Olympiad USA Foundation: US-based K-12 STEM competition organizer running tournament-style science and engineering events across schools; comparable business model of running national science competitions tied to school/teacher channels, though focused on team events rather than individual projects.
• Let's Talk Science: National Canadian charitable organization delivering STEM outreach and educator professional development to K-12 youth; directly comparable as a Canadian nonprofit addressing the same students and educator audiences as YSC.
• Science Fair Foundation of British Columbia: Registered charity that supports science fairs across British Columbia and Yukon, managing 14 regional fairs and endowment funding; the most direct provincial analog of YSC's regional affiliate model within Canada.
• MILSET (Movement International pour le Loisir Scientifique et Technique Educatif): International network organizing youth STEM fairs and events including the MILSET Expo-Sciences International where YSC's Team Canada won Best Delegation in 2023; directly comparable as an international youth science fair organizer.

Others

• Science World British Columbia: Vancouver-based science centre that historically partnered with regional BC science fairs; adjacent ecosystem participant delivering STEM programming to similar youth audiences through a museum/informal-learning model rather than competitions.

Broad incumbents

• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology): Larger, US-headquartered organizer of K-12 STEM competitions including FIRST Robotics; operates at significantly greater scale with corporate sponsorship, comparable as a youth STEM competition incumbent targeting the same student demographic.
• Society for Science (Regeneron ISEF): Runs the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair where YSC's Team Canada competes annually; the dominant global organizer of elite youth STEM competitions and the natural upstream counterpart to YSC's national pipeline.
• Discovery Education: Large provider of K-12 digital STEM curricular resources and competitions serving schools and educators; overlaps with YSC's educator-channel Smarter Science program and free resource library through mySTEMspace.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/YouthScienceCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/ysc.sjc
• TikToktiktok.com/@ysc.sjc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-science-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Youth Science Canada