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THE SCIENCE VORTEX OF VERDE VALLEY

Cornville, AZ · EIN 844106067 · Form 990EZ · FY2022 · Micro (<$100K) · sciencevortex.org
revenue
$78K
expenses
$76K
net assets
$32K
employees
—
filing since
2021
mission · from form 990

The Science Vortex provides STEM+art (STEAM) education to families. Our mission is to positively impact children's critical-thinking abilities, creativity, and STEM literacy. Our center is committed to achieving these goals by providing hands-on, interactive exhibits, enticing learning materials, and engaging programs for children ages 2-12. We strive to create an environment where children are drawn into a vortex of play, perseverance, collaboration, and innovation!

profile · synthesized from sources

The Science Vortex of Verde Valley is a nonprofit children's science center in Cornville, Arizona, offering hands-on STEAM exhibits and programs for children ages 2-14. It provides interactive learning experiences through exhibits like wind tubes, augmented reality sandboxes, and maker spaces, alongside weekly programs, school visits, and youth leadership opportunities. The center serves families, schools, and youth in the Verde Valley region.

named programs · 6 · from sources

what they call their work

Chief Science Officers (CSOs)
Youth leadership program for 6th-12th graders who serve as STEM ambassadors, develop workforce skills, and lead community STEM initiatives
Kids' Night Out
Evening event allowing parents a night off while children engage in supervised STEM activities
Little Learners STEM Play
Friday program for children ages 2-5 with an adult, featuring hands-on experiments, crafts, and free play in the center
School & Homeschool Visits
Guided, inquiry-based field trips for classroom and homeschool groups to support curriculum learning
Science Birthday Parties
Two-hour birthday celebrations including a STEAM lesson, t-shirt for the birthday child, and free play in the center
Weekly Family Make & Create
Weekly Thursday program for families to design, create, and collaborate using sewing, animation, programming, and inventing materials
activities · 6

what they do

direct service · 5
  • Children's Birthday Parties Children's Themed Birthday Parties with Educational Activities
    Hosts children's birthday parties that include a STEAM lesson, a t-shirt for the birthday child, and free play in the center.
  • Interactive STEM Exhibits Interactive Children's Museum Programs
    Operates a variety of hands-on, interactive exhibits for children ages 2-14, including a Wind Tube, Chalk Spinners, Rocket Launcher, Augmented Reality Topographic Sandbox, MakerSpace, Rube Goldberg Corner, Microscopes with Specimens, Little Learners Lab, Plasma Globe, Magnetic Wall, Circuits, and Simple Machines, to teach principles of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
  • Membership Benefits and Access Admission Access & Membership Programs
    Provides free weekend access to the Science Vortex and free admission to ASTC passport program sites as part of membership benefits.
  • Spring Break Camp Youth & Family Outdoor Adventure Programs
    Offers a Spring Break Camp program for children.
  • Weekly Family and Early Childhood STEM Programs Nature-Based Early Childhood Education
    Hosts weekly family programs focused on design, creation, and collaboration in activities like sewing, animating, programming, and inventing, and offers a weekly STEM exploration program for children aged 2–5 with an adult, including hands-on experiments or crafts and free play.
capacity building · 1
  • Youth STEM Ambassador Program
    Engages middle and high school students as Chief Science Officers to serve as STEM ambassadors within the Verde Valley community.
strategies · 6

how they think

Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any approach shared with other orgs to see the full field.

  • Community-driven exhibit development community-driven exhibit development unique to this org
    Creates locally-inspired, hands-on exhibits in collaboration with local professionals and businesses, ensuring relevance to the community and authentic connections to regional STEM fields.
  • Immersive and experiential science learning experiential_learning unique to this org
    Uses engaging, hands-on exhibits and immersive experiences to foster children's critical thinking, creativity, and STEM literacy by making science accessible and interactive.
  • Inquiry-based STEM exploration inquiry-based learning unique to this org
    Supports classroom and homeschool STEM education through inquiry-based learning that encourages curiosity, investigation, and student-driven discovery.
  • Place-based STEM education place-based_education unique to this org
    Integrates the local heritage, environment, and regional characteristics of the Verde Valley into science education to ground learning in real-world, community-relevant contexts.
  • Sliding-scale access model sliding_scale_access unique to this org
    Ensures equitable access to science education programs and membership for families facing financial hardship through flexible pricing structures.
  • Youth-led STEM outreach and leadership development youth-led STEM outreach unique to this org
    Empowers youth to serve as STEM ambassadors, building workforce skills and leading hands-on learning initiatives for peers and communities, thereby strengthening local STEM engagement from within.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2022

the money

revenue
Total revenue$78K
Contributions & grants$24K30%
Program service revenue$54K70%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$76K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$52K
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$32K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$32K
2 years on record · 2021–2022 · YoY revenue -18.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Laurie Altringer President Treasurer Employee- Director- Lead Instructor 40 $41K
board members · 3
  • Donald Groves — Director
  • Matthew Scheidegger — Director
  • Viviane Kraus — Secretary Director
relationships · 2

who they work with

  • Association of Science and Technology Centers Network — Participates in the ASTC passport program, enabling reciprocal admission benefits.
  • Verde Valley Partner — Geographic and community base for Science Vortex programs and Chief Science Officer initiatives.