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SCIENCENTER DISCOVERY MUSEUM
ITHACA, NY · EIN 222470652 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A570 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · sciencenter.org
revenue
$4.7M
expenses
$3.4M
net assets
$11.5M
employees
34
volunteers
100
program ratio
73%
mission · from form 990

CULTIVATE AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY OF CURIOUS, COLLABORATIVE, CRITICAL THINKERS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Science museum in Ithaca, NY, offering hands-on STEM exhibits and educational programs for children, families, and school groups. Provides field trips, summer camps, and professional development for educators, with a focus on accessibility for low-income and underserved communities. Reaches regional audiences in person and national audiences through traveling exhibitions and collaborative STEM networks.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $332K
    EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS:THE SCIENCENTER OFFERS ROBUST EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES, CAMPS FOR CHILDREN, FIELD TRIPS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT CENTRAL NY AND NORTHERN PA, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS IN THE REGION. THE SCIENCENTER ALSO DEVELOPS COLLABORATIVE INFORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR A NATIONAL AUDIENCE.
  2. #2 $658K
    MUSEUM ADMISSIONS AND MEMBERSHIP:THE SCIENCENTER WELCOMES OVER 100,000 VISITORS TO EXPLORE EXHIBITS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT THE MUSEUM. MORE THAN 2,600 FAMILIES HAVE AN ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP TO THE SCIENCENTER. THE SCIENCENTER WELCOMES OVER 20,000 INDIVIDUALS THROUGH ACCESS PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE FREEOR DEEPLY DISCOUNTED ADMISSION FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Educational Programs
Hands-on science programs for families, children’s camps, school field trips for elementary schools in Central NY and Northern PA, and professional development for educators. Includes curriculum-based visits for second-grade students in Tompkins County.
MathHappens
Collaborative event series with the MathHappens Foundation offering informal, hands-on math exploration activities for visitors of all ages.
Museum Admissions and Membership
Offers public access to interactive STEM exhibits and live animal encounters. Includes an access program providing free or discounted admission to low-income families and marginalized groups.
Science Connections
Event series featuring experts from institutions like Cornell’s iGEM team to teach the public about advanced STEM topics such as synthetic biology.
Traveling Exhibitions
Develops and tours 11 traveling exhibitions to museums and cultural organizations across the U.S. and Canada, reaching hundreds of thousands of people nationally.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Public Astronomy & Space Science Education 3 activities
    • Maintaining and operating the Sagan Planet Walk
      Created and maintains the Sagan Planet Walk, a 1,200-meter-long scale model of the solar system established in 1997, as a permanent public science education installation in Ithaca.
    • Operating interactive science museum with hands-on exhibits and programs
      Operates a 32,000-square-foot science museum in Ithaca, NY, open daily with general admission, offering access to over 250 interactive exhibits including animal encounters and STEM activities such as programming a Mars rover. Provides free on-site parking and welcomes over 100,000 visitors annually.
    • Operating outdoor science-themed mini-golf course
      Operates an 18-hole outdoor mini-golf course demonstrating physics concepts such as centripetal force and volcanic eruptions, integrated into the museum’s science education offerings.
  • Hands-On STEM Education Programs 2 activities
    • Hosting public STEM events and expert-led science programming
      Hosts public science education events featuring experts such as Cornell's iGEM team to teach about synthetic biology, and offers daily science activities included with admission. Also hosts informal math exploration events using interactive models to teach the "M" in STEM.
    • Running science camps and youth leadership programs
      Operates a year-round field trip program and summer camp integrating hands-on science activities, experiments, and museum exploration with recreational play. Also runs the Future Science Leaders program to develop leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills in middle school students (grades 6–8).
  • Onsite & Outreach Environmental Education Programs 1 activity
    • Delivering hands-on science education programs for children and schools
      Provides hands-on science education to 68,000 individuals annually through partnerships with rural and low-income communities, including curriculum-based field trips for all second-grade students in Tompkins County via Kids Discover the Trail!. Offers school field trips, onsite and offsite educational programs for over 33,000 students, families, and teachers in Central NY and Northern PA.
  • Museum Volunteer Engagement & Operations Support 1 activity
    • Facilitating visitor engagement through staff and volunteer support
      Facilitates hands-on activities and visitor interactions with exhibits, provides guided introductions to teaching reptiles and the Tidepool Touch Tank, and engages volunteers to support museum operations during special events on weekends and weekday evenings.
  • Library-Provided Cultural Access Passes 1 activity
    • Managing membership and event rental programs
      Offers a membership program providing unlimited visits to the Sciencenter, with over 2,600 families holding annual memberships. Also offers rental of museum spaces for meetings, workshops, corporate celebrations, and birthday parties that include access to interactive exhibits.
  • Equitable Access Admission Programs 1 activity
    • Providing access and inclusion programs for underserved communities
      Provides free or deeply discounted admission to over 20,000 individuals annually through access programs targeting low-income families and marginalized groups, ensuring equitable access to museum programs and exhibits.
  • Capital Infrastructure Funding 1 activity
    • Receiving public funding for facility improvements
      Receives state funding to replace the museum's HVAC system with a new heating and cooling system, supporting the long-term sustainability and comfort of the museum facility.
  • Museum-Based Educational Outreach 1 activity
    • Touring traveling exhibitions nationally and globally
      Tours 11 traveling exhibitions to museums and cultural organizations across the U.S. and Canada, reaching several hundred thousand people, and develops new traveling exhibitions such as a 1,500 square-foot bilingual exhibit on biomedical engineering. Reaches over 1.5 million people globally through traveling exhibitions and outreach programs.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$4.73M
Contributions & grants$2.48M52%
Program service revenue$1.65M35%
Investment income$533K11%
Other revenue$69K
expenses
Total expenses$3.37M
Program expenses73%
Admin / overhead21%
Fundraising5%
Salaries & benefits$1.99M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$12.34M
Cash$2.76M
Investments$6.97M
Liabilities$857K
Net assets$11.48M
Liquid reserves34.7 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +35.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
MICHELLE KORTENAAR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $168K
CHRIS FAGAN CFO & VP OF ADMINISTRATION 40 $126K
board members · 19
  • AMANDA HARRIGER — BOARD MEMBER
  • ANDREA IPPOLITO — BOARD MEMBER
  • BRIAN BAUER — BOARD MEMBER
  • CHANTAL CHAMPAGNE — BOARD MEMBER
  • CONRAD WOLAN — BOARD MEMBER
  • COSTA LAMBROU — BOARD MEMBER
  • ED MALONE — BOARD MEMBER
  • ERIC ROSARIO — CHAIR
  • ERIC TOFTEGAARD — BOARD MEMBER
  • KAVITA BALA — BOARD MEMBER
  • MADDIE THOMPSON — BOARD MEMBER
  • MARK JAUQUET — TREASURER
  • MARY OPPERMAN — VICE CHAIR
  • MICHAEL BRITT — BOARD MEMBER
  • MICKIE SANDERS-JAUQUET — SECRETARY
  • NOZOMI NISHIMURA — BOARD MEMBER
  • QI ZHANG — BOARD MEMBER
  • SHAWN WILCZYNSKI — PAST CHAIR
  • VICTORIA ZEPPELIN — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 15

Who they work with

  • American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Government — Accredited by AAM, a national museum accreditation body.
  • Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) Network — Member of national association of children’s museums.
  • Association of Science and Technology Centers Network — Professional network in which the Sciencenter participates and through which it nominated a staff member for an award
  • Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) Network — Member of national network of science-technology centers.
  • Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Partner — Volunteered support during the 2003 renovation and expansion of the Sciencenter facility.
  • Carl Sagan Partner — Sagan Planet Walk was created in honor of Carl Sagan, renowned astronomer and Ithaca resident.
  • Cornell's iGEM Partner — Collaborates with Cornell's iGEM team to host public science education events.
  • Cornell’s Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering Partner — Collaborates with the Sciencenter on visitor research to shape the Bridges to Bioengineering exhibit
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services Government — Federal agency that awarded and subsequently terminated two grants to the Sciencenter
  • Kids Discover the Trail! Partner — Partnership to provide curriculum-based field trips for all second-grade students in Tompkins County.
  • MathHappens Foundation Partner — Collaborates on hosting math exploration events at the Sciencenter.
  • MathHappens Foundation Partner — Collaborates with the Sciencenter to deliver hands-on math exploration activities.
  • National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net) Partner — Key partner institution collaborating on the development of a NISE science activity toolkit for museums nationwide.
  • Racker Partner — Organization that awarded the Sciencenter the 2025 Community Partner Award in recognition of inclusive programming
  • elementary schools throughout Central NY and Northern PA Partner — Collaborates with elementary schools in Central NY and Northern PA for field trip programs.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Embedded Science Engagement
    methodology: community_engaged_learning
    By integrating community voices in the institution’s development and partnering with local researchers and institutions, we deepen public investment in science because local ownership and authentic partnerships increase relevance, trust, and sustained engagement.
  • Hands-on, Experiential STEM Learning
    methodology: hands_on_stem_learning
    By engaging visitors in interactive, playful, and tactile science and math activities, we build science process skills and conceptual understanding because direct experience fosters deeper learning and retention in informal educational settings.
  • Inclusive Access and Equity in Science Education
    methodology: equity_in_science_education
    By removing financial and social barriers through free/discounted admission and community-centered programming, we enable equitable participation in STEM learning because access precedes engagement, especially for underserved youth and marginalized communities.