Powerhouse Science Center

What Powerhouse Science Center does

The Powerhouse Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an interactive STEAM museum and learning campus in Durango, Colorado, housed in a restored 1893 coal-fired AC power plant on the Animas River. The organization serves families with children, K-8 students, schools, scout groups, working families with toddlers and preschoolers, and rural communities across Southwest Colorado (Durango, Cortez, Pagosa Springs, Ignacio). Core offerings include hands-on interactive exhibits, summer and school-year camps, after-school STEAM programs, FIRST LEGO League robotics, satellite camps in partner rural communities, field trips, and the WonderLab Early Learning Center (a licensed childcare facility opening September 2026 for 35-45 toddlers and preschoolers).

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of recurring and transactional streams: annual and monthly memberships (with reciprocal access to 500+ institutions via ASTC and ACM networks), admissions, program and camp fees, venue rentals for weddings and corporate events, donations and corporate sponsorships (including Enterprise Zone tax-credit donations), and WonderLab tuition with sliding-scale and CCCAP subsidies. Distribution is multi-channel: physical museum visits, direct school sales for field trips and STEAM Roller mobile outreach, satellite camp partnerships, and digital marketing via website, email, Facebook, and Instagram. Strategic partnerships anchor the operating model — notably with Durango School District 9-R, Fort Lewis College, San Juan BOCES, Carver Brewing Company, and a rotating slate of local nonprofits — creating a deeply embedded community ecosystem rather than a transactional customer base.

Name

Powerhouse Science Center

Legal name

The Powerhouse Science Center

Website

https://powsci.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Powerhouse Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an interactive STEAM museum and learning campus in a restored 1893 power plant in Durango, Colorado, serving families, K-8 students, and schools across Southwest Colorado through exhibits, camps, after-school programs, and the upcoming WonderLab childcare center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEAM Science Museum and Education Center

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)

Keywords

• Hands-on science museum
• STEAM education programs
• Children's science center
• STEAM summer camps
• Licensed early learning center

Headquarters

HQ city

Durango

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual and monthly membership plans offering unlimited admission to the museum, early program registration, gift shop discounts, and reciprocal admission to 500+ other science centers and children's museums through ASTC Travel Passport and ACM Network programs.
2. Program Fees: Revenue from summer camps, school-year camps, single-day camps, afterschool programs, field trips, and specialty programs like LEGO League and Science Fair. Pricing varies by program type and duration.
3. Admissions: General admission fees for visitors to the interactive exhibits and gallery space.
4. Venue Rentals: Rental fees for weddings, corporate events, fundraisers, birthdays, and retreats in the historic building and outdoor plaza spaces.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, Enterprise Zone donations with tax credits, and fundraising events including STEAM Fest annual gala and Community Concert Series ticket sales supporting local nonprofits.
6. Childcare/Tuition: WonderLab Early Learning Center tuition for toddlers and preschoolers, with sliding scale options and CCCAP partnership for income-based support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Powerhouse Science Center is a nonprofit STEAM museum and learning center that delivers hands-on interactive exhibits, multi-format camps, licensed early childhood education, after-school programming, field trips, mobile outreach, and event venue rentals from a restored 1893 power plant in Durango, Colorado. Revenue comes from memberships, program fees, admissions, venue rentals, donations, and tuition. The center serves families, K-8 students, schools, and community groups across Southwest Colorado.

Product overview

The Powerhouse Science Center is a science museum and STEAM learning center located in a restored 1893 coal-fired power plant in Durango, Colorado. The organization operates as a single integrated institution offering interactive museum exhibits alongside diverse educational programming including WonderLab (licensed early learning center and childcare for toddlers/preschoolers), Camp Discovery (summer and school-year camps), afterschool programs, FIRST LEGO League robotics teams, internship opportunities, and venue rental services for events. Key programs include hands-on museum exhibits, the WonderLab Early Learning Center, Summer Camp Discovery, school-year camps, satellite camps in Cortez and Pagosa Springs, afterschool STEAM programs, FIRST LEGO League, internship program, STEAM Roller outreach, field trips, venue rentals, birthday parties, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interactive Museum Exhibits
• WonderLab Early Learning Center
• Summer Camp Discovery
• Single Day Camps
• Satellite Camps
• Afterschool Programs
• FIRST LEGO League
• STEAM Roller Outreach
• Field Trips
• Membership Program
• Venue Rentals
• Birthday Parties
• Trivia Night
• Power of Plants Gardening Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Served as downtown riverfront anchor, integral to revitalization of Durango's riverfront district

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carver Brewing CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the Summer Community Concert Series. Each Wednesday from June through August, concerts are held on the Carver Family Plaza with proceeds supporting both The Powerhouse and rotating local nonprofits.
• Durango School District 9-RcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeep partnership coordinating FIRST LEGO League programs, after-school STEAM programs at local elementary schools (Florida Mesa, Animas Valley, Fort Lewis Mesa, Sunnyside), and 5th Day Programs for students with days off from school.
• San Juan BOCEScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary co-sponsor of the San Juan Basin Regional Science Fair, providing free participation for students. Located at Fort Lewis College Student Union Ballroom.
• Fort Lewis CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for San Juan Basin Regional Science Fair; partner for STEAM Institute summer camp where Fort Lewis College professors teach science topics to rising 6th-8th graders; Durango School District 9-R FIRST LEGO League tournament held at Escalante Middle School.
• 4Corners River SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Roots to Rapids: Science on the River camp combining river skills education with hands-on river science and ecology. Registration and drop-off/pick-up at 4CRS location.
• Stillwater MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for STEAM Artists camps where children spend half day with Powerhouse educators and half day learning and creating music with Stillwater Music instructors.
• Mountain Studies InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Power of Place camp, journeying through watershed history to discover power of rivers, forests, fires, and wildlife in the surrounding nature.
• Lamp Post Learning CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSatellite camp location hosting Camp Discovery programs in Cortez for rising 1st-5th graders. Powerhouse provides curriculum, staffing coordination, and program materials.
• Ross Argon Community CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSatellite camp location hosting Camp Discovery programs in Pagosa Springs through partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Juan Basin.
• Durango Event PlannersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContracted exclusive event planning partner for weddings, providing all-inclusive coordination experience for couples and guests at The Powerhouse venue.
• CCCAP (Colorado Child Care Assistance Program)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering tuition support and subsidies for WonderLab Early Learning Center families through Colorado's child care assistance program.
• SOIL Outdoor Learning LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Ready, Set, Grow garden camps where children travel to SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab for hands-on planting and garden education activities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Da Vinci Science Center: Allentown, Pennsylvania hands-on science center with interactive exhibits, camps, and after-school STEM programs. Comparable in STEAM mission, school-district programming, and regional-museum positioning.
• Fort Collins Museum of Discovery: Northern Colorado hands-on science and history museum offering interactive exhibits, camps, and educational programs. Highly comparable in scale, regional-mid-size-city setting, and STEAM-focused family programming model.
• Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus: Colorado-based children's museum with hands-on exhibits, camps, and after-school programming serving families with young children. Directly comparable in mission, age-segment focus, and museum-based STEAM education, though operating in a much larger metro (Denver).
• Museum of Discovery: Little Rock, Arkansas hands-on science museum with interactive exhibits, camps, and educational programming. Comparable mid-size-market science center with family membership and school-program model.
• Discovery Center Museum: Rockford, Illinois hands-on science and children's museum with interactive exhibits, camps, and after-school programming. Strongly comparable mid-size-market science museum with similar age-segment focus and community-institution role.
• Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania science center offering hands-on exhibits, IMAX, and educational programming. Comparable combination of interactive science exhibits, school programs, and family membership-driven model.
• Arizona Science Center: Phoenix-based science center with hands-on exhibits, camps, after-school programs, and reciprocal membership network participation. Comparable in offering mix, family programming, and regional science-center positioning.
• Exploratorium: Iconic San Francisco hands-on science museum pioneering interactive exhibit-based learning. Closest direct peer in exhibit philosophy, hands-on STEAM pedagogy, and museum-as-learning-lab operating model.
• EcoTarium: Worcester, Massachusetts indoor-outdoor science and nature museum with hands-on exhibits, school programs, and seasonal camps. Comparable mid-size-market science museum with similar STEAM-emphasis and family-programming breadth.

Others

• ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers): Member-based association that operates the ASTC Travel Passport Program enabling reciprocal admission across 500+ science centers worldwide. Indirect peer — provides The Powerhouse's reciprocal-network infrastructure and represents the broader cohort of comparable science centers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/powscicenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/powerhousedurango
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-powerhouse-durango

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Powerhouse Science Center