Inspire Project Inc
Inspire Project Inc is a non-profit scientific educational corporation founded in 1989 that provides VLF-3 radio receiver kits, STEM scholarships, and NASA Goddard internships to students and educators for hands-on space and atmospheric science education.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersAlexandria, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Inspire Project Inc does
Inspire Project Inc (legal name: The INSPIRE Project, Inc.) is a non-profit scientific educational corporation founded in 1989 by Dr. William W.L. Taylor, former Chief Scientist for Space Station Freedom at NASA headquarters. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization operates as a NASA educational portfolio program providing hands-on STEM education centered on Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio science. Its core product is the INSPIRE VLF-3 Radio Receiver Kit — a build-it-yourself hardware device designed to receive radio waves in the 0–10 kHz frequency range and convert them to audible sound, enabling students to detect natural VLF emissions from lightning (sferics), tweeks, whistlers, chorus, and triggered emissions, as well as man-made signals. Since 1989, INSPIRE has distributed kits to over 4,000 students and groups in the United States and internationally.
The company's business model is a hybrid of hardware kit sales and tax-deductible donations, supplemented by program sponsorships from NASA, the DC Space Grant Consortium, Washington Space Business Roundtable, US Space & Rocket Center, International Launch Services, and Space Ad Agency. In 2009, INSPIRE expanded its educational platform to include the Dr. William W.L. Taylor Memorial Scholarship ($4,000 per recipient for DC-area STEM students) and paid NASA Goddard Space Flight Center internships ($13,120 awards). The INSPIRE Journal, published since 1992, serves as a scientific publication outlet for student and researcher observations. The organization is run by a small team of 1-10 employees, supported by volunteer board members and advisors, and distributes its offerings directly through its website (theinspireproject.org) on a global, self-serve basis.
Inspire Project Inc firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inspire Project Inc
- Legal name
- The INSPIRE Project, Inc.
- Website
- https://theinspireproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Inspire Project Inc is a non-profit scientific educational corporation founded in 1989 that provides VLF-3 radio receiver kits, STEM scholarships, and NASA Goddard internships to students and educators for hands-on space and atmospheric science education.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inspire Project Inc industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Educational Hardware Kits
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG), Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB)
Keywords
Where Inspire Project Inc is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Inspire Project Inc business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- VLF-3 Radio Receiver Kit Sales: Sale of build-it-yourself VLF radio receiver kits to students and groups for making field observations of natural VLF signals. Kits are sold internationally to enable participation in scientific observations.
- Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from the public to support STEM educational programs, scholarships, and internships. The organization is a non-profit corporation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Dr. William W.L. Taylor Memorial Scholarship |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Inspire Project Inc product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The INSPIRE Project, Inc. designs and distributes build-it-yourself VLF-3 Natural Radio Sound Receiver kits that allow students to observe naturally occurring Very Low Frequency (0–10 kHz) emissions such as lightning-generated sferics, tweeks, whistlers, and chorus. The organization also operates the INSPIRE Journal, the Dr. William W.L. Taylor Memorial STEM Scholarship ($4,000 per recipient), and paid NASA Goddard Space Flight Center internships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Product overview
The INSPIRE Project, Inc. is a non-profit NASA educational portfolio program that provides a unified educational platform centered on VLF radio science. The core product is the INSPIRE VLF-3 Radio Receiver Kit—a build-it-yourself device that receives 0-10 kHz radio waves from lightning and atmospheric sources. This is complemented by The INSPIRE Journal for publishing research, plus scholarship and internship programs at NASA facilities. Together, these offerings enable students to conduct real scientific observations and pursue careers in STEM disciplines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- INSPIRE VLF-3 Radio Receiver Kit A build-it-yourself kit designed to receive radio waves in the 0-10 kHz frequency range, enabling students to make field observations of natural VLF signals from lightning and atmospheric sources.
- The INSPIRE Journal A scientific publication of The INSPIRE Project that welcomes scientific articles, research findings, and VLF radio observations from students and researchers.
- Dr. William W.L. Taylor Memorial Scholarship A STEM scholarship program offering $4,000 per recipient for undergraduate/graduate and high school students majoring in STEM disciplines at DC colleges and universities.
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Paid Internships Paid internships at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center offering hands-on research and operational experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, with awards of $13,120.
Companies that use Inspire Project Inc
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Inspire Project Inc technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Inspire Project Inc partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- NASAcoreNASA educational portfolio program. INSPIRE partners with NASA to give science workshops at local high schools and universities in Washington, DC. Provides internship opportunities at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA Headquarters with support from the NASA District of Columbia Space Grant Consortium.
- DC Space Grant ConsortiumcoreSupports INSPIRE scholarship programs and NASA internship opportunities for students. Provides financial support for STEM educational initiatives.
- Washington Space Business RoundtableminorProgram sponsor supporting INSPIRE's STEM educational mission and programs.
- US Space & Rocket CenterminorProgram sponsor supporting INSPIRE's STEM educational mission.
- International Launch ServicesminorProgram sponsor supporting INSPIRE's educational initiatives in space science.
- Space Ad AgencyminorProgram sponsor supporting INSPIRE's educational initiatives.
- NASA Goddard Space Flight CentercoreProvides paid internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. INSPIRE participants engage in scientific or engineering research, development, and operations activities at NASA GSFC.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Inspire Project Inc competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- SciStarter: SciStarter is a citizen-science project aggregator that connects volunteers with real research opportunities. It overlaps with INSPIRE's mission of connecting students and educators with hands-on scientific observation.
- Zooniverse (Citizen Science Alliance): Zooniverse is the largest online citizen-science platform, engaging volunteers in real research projects. It is comparable as a citizen-science engagement channel that competes for the same student/amateur audience interested in participating in real scientific research.
Direct peers
- Radio Jove (NASA): Radio Jove is a NASA project that distributes build-your-own radio telescope kits to students and amateur observers to study Jupiter and solar radio emissions. It is directly comparable to INSPIRE's VLF-3 kit program in target audience, delivery model, and NASA-affiliated educational mission, and is listed on INSPIRE's own website as a peer.
- DC Space Grant Consortium: The DC Space Grant Consortium funds STEM scholarships, internships, and educational programs at DC-area institutions, including directly funding INSPIRE's scholarship and NASA internship offerings. It is a direct peer in DC-centric STEM education funding and program administration.
- Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA): SARA is a nonprofit organization that engages students and hobbyists in radio astronomy observation using build-it-yourself receivers. It is directly comparable to INSPIRE because it operates in the same niche of amateur/citizen radio observation and is explicitly linked from INSPIRE's website as a peer resource.
Broad incumbents
- Society for Science (Science News / Science Olympiad): Society for Science administers STEM competitions and publications targeting the same high school and undergraduate student audience that INSPIRE serves via scholarships and journal publications.
- ARRL (American Radio Relay League): ARRL is the national association for amateur radio in the US and supports youth engagement with radio technology. It is comparable as an adjacent community that overlaps with INSPIRE's audience of students building and operating radio receivers.
- US Space & Rocket Center (Space Camp): The US Space & Rocket Center runs Space Camp and STEM education programs and is a listed INSPIRE program sponsor. It is comparable as a larger, broader STEM/space education nonprofit that targets similar student audiences.
- Adler Planetarium / Smithsonian Air & Space: These museum-based space education programs engage students and educators in atmospheric/space science, comparable to INSPIRE's educational mission at a much larger institutional scale.
- NASA STEM Engagement: NASA's broader STEM Engagement portfolio administers the educational programs of which INSPIRE is a part. It is comparable as the umbrella organization that allocates funding, internship slots, and program branding to smaller nonprofits like INSPIRE.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Inspire Project Inc social profiles
Digital presenceInspire Project Inc financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inspire Project Inc leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Inspire Project Inc funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Inspire Project Inc M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Inspire Project Inc
What does Inspire Project Inc do?
The INSPIRE Project, Inc. designs and distributes build-it-yourself VLF-3 Natural Radio Sound Receiver kits that allow students to observe naturally occurring Very Low Frequency (0–10 kHz) emissions such as lightning-generated sferics, tweeks, whistlers, and chorus. The organization also operates the INSPIRE Journal, the Dr. William W.L. Taylor Memorial STEM Scholarship ($4,000 per recipient), and paid NASA Goddard Space Flight Center internships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Is Inspire Project Inc a public or private company?
Inspire Project Inc is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Inspire Project Inc founded?
Inspire Project Inc was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Inspire Project Inc based?
Inspire Project Inc is headquartered in Alexandria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Inspire Project Inc make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. VLF-3 Radio Receiver Kit Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Contributions.
Who are Inspire Project Inc's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are SciStarter and Zooniverse (Citizen Science Alliance). Direct peers are Radio Jove (NASA), DC Space Grant Consortium and Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA). Broad incumbents are Society for Science (Science News / Science Olympiad), ARRL (American Radio Relay League), US Space & Rocket Center (Space Camp), Adler Planetarium / Smithsonian Air & Space and NASA STEM Engagement.
Does Inspire Project Inc have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inspire Project Inc.
What industry is Inspire Project Inc in?
Inspire Project Inc's product category is STEM Educational Hardware Kits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAA, Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs), with a secondary code of BPAGADAG, STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.