Sciencenter
Sciencenter is a nonprofit hands-on science museum in Ithaca, NY, offering 250+ interactive exhibits on-site to 105,000+ annual visitors and distributing 11 proprietary traveling exhibitions to 26+ museums across the U.S. and Canada, reaching 1.5M+ people annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersIthaca, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Sciencenter does
Sciencenter is a nonprofit hands-on science museum headquartered in Ithaca, New York, operating from a single physical site that hosts 250+ interactive exhibits across galleries including the Animal Room, Energy Gallery, Build Space, and an outdoor Science Park, plus an 18-hole mini-golf course and the Sagan Planet Walk outdoor solar-system model. Founded in 1983 from a grassroots school-based discovery room and funded initially by children's coin donations, the museum now welcomes 105,000+ visitors annually and serves an additional 1.5 million+ people through a touring-exhibition rental business and community outreach.
The organization's core products span three layers. First, on-site experiential offerings including 250+ interactive exhibits, a science-themed mini-golf course, an outdoor Science Park, summer camps for grades 1-6, birthday-party programs, Future Science Leaders for middle schoolers, and Family Science Nights. Second, a portfolio of 11 proprietary traveling exhibitions — including Ocean Bound (NOAA-funded), Life on the Edge (NASA-funded), Bridges to Bioengineering (NIH-funded, in development with Cornell), Sonic Sensation, From Here to There (NSF-funded), Mobilab, Gear Up, Leonardo's Lab, TreeHouses, Turtle Travels, Attack of the Bloodsuckers!, and Building Buddies — rented to museums and science centers across the U.S. and Canada for $22,000-$48,000 per 3.5+ month term, with full tour-management services bundled. Third, access programs (Membership Access Program, Community Partner Pass, library membership across 40+ libraries, sensory hours and kits) that serve 22% of visitors at free or reduced admission, particularly people with disabilities and families receiving public assistance.
The business model combines consumer revenue (admissions, memberships, camp and party fees, mini-golf, event rentals), institutional B2B revenue (traveling-exhibition rentals to 26 museums in 2023), philanthropic revenue (individual and corporate donations, community fundraising), and a meaningful layer of federal grant funding (NASA, NSF, NIH/SEPA, NOAA, and previously IMLS) that historically supported over one-third of the operating budget. The April 2025 termination of two IMLS grants totaling ~$500,000 has forced restructuring of two programs and illustrates the organization's structural exposure to federal funding volatility.
Sciencenter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sciencenter
- Legal name
- Sciencenter
- Website
- https://sciencenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sciencenter is a nonprofit hands-on science museum in Ithaca, NY, offering 250+ interactive exhibits on-site to 105,000+ annual visitors and distributing 11 proprietary traveling exhibitions to 26+ museums across the U.S. and Canada, reaching 1.5M+ people annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sciencenter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Science Museum Services
- NAICS
- Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)
Keywords
Where Sciencenter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ithaca
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sciencenter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Museum Admission: Revenue from visitor admissions to the physical museum location. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm, with standard admission pricing.
- Memberships: Annual membership programs offering unlimited visits and exclusive discounts. Includes Membership Access Program (MAP) providing free memberships to families receiving public assistance.
- Traveling Exhibition Rentals: Rental fees for traveling exhibitions to museums across the U.S. and Canada. Fees range from $22,000 to $48,000 for 3.5+ month rentals depending on exhibit size and complexity.
- Federal and State Grants: Significant funding from federal agencies including NASA, NSF, NIH (SEPA), IMLS, and NOAA. Federal grants support over one-third of current budget. State funding received for HVAC upgrades.
- Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and community fundraising. The museum was founded on community donations including children's coins collected in 1983.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Life on the Edge - $45,000 for 3.5+ months |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Ocean Bound - $48,000 for 3.5+ months |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Building Buddies - $35,000 for 3.5+ months |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | From Here to There - $30,000 for 3.5+ months |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Attack of the Bloodsuckers! - $27,000 for 3.5+ months |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Turtle Travels - $22,000 for 3.5+ months |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sciencenter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sciencenter is a nonprofit hands-on science museum in Ithaca, NY featuring 250+ interactive science, technology, and engineering exhibits. The organization also develops and rents 11 traveling exhibitions to other museums, and operates educational programs including summer camp, Future Science Leaders, birthday parties, and community access initiatives.
Product overview
The Sciencenter is a hands-on science museum offering a unified portfolio of interactive experiences centered around its core offering of 250+ interactive science exhibits. The product lineup spans permanent museum exhibits (Animal Room, Energy Gallery, Build Space, Science Park), traveling exhibitions (11 titles including Ocean Bound, Life on the Edge, BioBuilding, Sonic Sensation, and Leonardo's Lab available for rental to other institutions), educational programs (Summer Camp, Future Science Leaders, Birthday Parties, Family Science Night), and community access initiatives (Science for All with MAP, Community Partner Pass, Library Membership). The museum also provides educational resources for educators, families, museum professionals, and researchers, and facilitates the Ithaca Connected Learning Ecosystem for climate literacy. The traveling exhibition program is a notable differentiator, allowing Sciencenter-developed content to reach museums nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Interactive Museum Exhibits Experience
Quantifiable outcome
- 105,000+ annual visitors to the museum
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Sciencenter
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sciencenter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Sciencenter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Cornell University - Meinig School of Biomedical EngineeringcoreCo-development of BioBuilding traveling exhibition on biomedical engineering. Graduate students and faculty directly involved in exhibit design and evaluation process. Multi-year collaboration with Year 2 cohort completing work in December 2025.
- University of Montana spectrUM Discovery AreacorePartner in BioBuilding project bringing expertise in reaching rural audiences. Collaborates on exhibit development alongside Cornell and Sciencenter teams.
- Rockman et al CooperativemajorNational research and evaluation firm serving as external evaluator for BioBuilding project. Conducts front-end evaluation and formative assessment.
- Rackercore20-year partnership focused on accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. Provides sensory hours, sensory kits, staff training, and community partner passes. Provided over 350 free admission passes in three years.
- Libraries across Southern Tier and Central New Yorkmajor40+ libraries participate in library membership program allowing patrons to check out free Sciencenter visits. Part of community access initiatives.
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Master GardenersminorScience Connections program partnership bringing gardening education to Sciencenter visitors.
- Boyce Thompson InstituteminorScience Connections program with summer plant science research interns engaging visitors with plant-related activities.
- MathHappens FoundationminorMath Fun with MathHappens program providing informal math exploration through hands-on models and learning experiences.
- Discovery TrailminorNetwork of children's museums for mutual promotion and collaboration.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sciencenter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Exploratorium: San Francisco-based hands-on science museum with a strong traveling exhibition program and educator resource publishing, directly comparable to Sciencenter in operating model, audience, and mission.
- Pacific Science Center: Seattle science center offering interactive exhibits, an IMAX theater, and traveling exhibition rentals to peer institutions; comparable in size, AAM-accredited status, and programming mix to Sciencenter.
- Carnegie Science Center: Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Science Center operates permanent interactive exhibits, a national traveling exhibition rental program, and STEM camps; operates at a similar scale and programmatic breadth to Sciencenter.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI): Portland-based science museum combining permanent interactive exhibits, traveling exhibitions, a museum-built fabrication capability, and school programs; closely mirrors Sciencenter's exhibit-plus-outreach model.
- The Franklin Institute: Philadelphia science museum with permanent interactive exhibits, traveling exhibitions, and federal grant-supported STEM programming; a similarly mission-driven AAM-accredited peer to Sciencenter.
- Science Museum of Minnesota: Saint Paul science museum with hands-on exhibits, traveling exhibitions, and significant federal grant funding; a like-sized AAM-accredited peer with comparable exhibit development and outreach capabilities.
- Liberty Science Center: Jersey City science center with strong federal funding ties (NIH/SEPA) and a portfolio of in-house developed exhibitions that tour to other museums, directly paralleling Sciencenter's content-and-rental model.
Regional players
- Rochester Museum & Science Center: Regional New York State science museum offering interactive exhibits and STEM programming with similar Upstate audience dynamics; comparable institutionally but does not directly compete for Sciencenter's traveling exhibition customers.
- Discovery Museum: Bridgeport, Connecticut children's science museum with hands-on exhibits and STEM programs; comparable in scale and family audience to Sciencenter but serves a different Northeastern geography.
Broad incumbents
- California Science Center: Larger Los Angeles-based state science center with permanent exhibits and traveling exhibition hosting/rental activities; overlaps with Sciencenter in mission but operates at significantly larger scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights1 record
Customer concentration
Sciencenter social profiles
Digital presenceSciencenter compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Sciencenter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sciencenter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sciencenter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sciencenter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sciencenter
What does Sciencenter do?
Sciencenter is a nonprofit hands-on science museum in Ithaca, NY featuring 250+ interactive science, technology, and engineering exhibits. The organization also develops and rents 11 traveling exhibitions to other museums, and operates educational programs including summer camp, Future Science Leaders, birthday parties, and community access initiatives.
Is Sciencenter a public or private company?
Sciencenter is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Sciencenter founded?
Sciencenter was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sciencenter based?
Sciencenter is headquartered in Ithaca, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sciencenter make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Museum Admission is the primary driver. The others are memberships, traveling Exhibition Rentals, federal and State Grants and donations and Fundraising.
Who are Sciencenter's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Exploratorium, Pacific Science Center, Carnegie Science Center, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), The Franklin Institute, Science Museum of Minnesota and Liberty Science Center. Regional players are Rochester Museum & Science Center and Discovery Museum. California Science Center is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Sciencenter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sciencenter.
What industry is Sciencenter in?
Sciencenter's product category is Science Museum Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAD, Science & Technology Museums, with a secondary code of EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs). Its NAICS code is 712110.