Our Purpose
Our purpose is to ignite and cultivate STEAM confidence in marginalized and underserved girls. By delivering high-quality experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, we provide access to education and gainful career pathways that expand professional opportunities and awareness.
Our Promise
She'll be ready. Project Scientist prepares girls for a STEM confident future by creating introductions to professional women in the field, expeditions to top STEM employers and universities, and hands-on activities delivered by credentialed and Project Scientist certified teachers.
Our Vision
Our vision is a future where girls* and women have equal access to pursue their STEM education, careers and leadership aspirations, in a society that recognizes and harnesses the innovation generated by tapping into the full spectrum of gender, racial and diverse identities. We will do this by:
serving 500,000 under-resourced and marginalized girls in the communities where they live
training 5,000 elementary teachers in math, gender, and racial equity teaching strategies
engaging 4,000 STEM professionals to serve as role models and STEM advocates
partnering with leading companies and universities to create high-quality and relevant content and experiences
tracking outcomes and impact through pre and post-evaluations, longitudinal tracking, and third party oversight
2022 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
Project Scientist History
Project Scientist began in 2011 with a dream to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering and math by inspiring girls. We have grown from serving five girls in our founder's backyard to serving 20,000 girls across the nation in 26 states.
We created Project Scientist to change the world's view of "who" a scientist is and "what" a scientist does. We aim to transform the face of STEM by nurturing today's future scientists who will lead the world in solving tomorrow's greatest challenges!
Every second of a girl's time with us is intentional and based off of the latest research of what drives and sustains girls' interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. We are determined to reach STEAM girls and hold their hand through their PhD or as far as their dreams take them because we believe that the future of STEM is female.
Project Scientist Manifesto
As we boldly plan for the future, the Project Scientist team created the Project Scientist Manifesto! As an organization, we commit to fully incorporating the manifesto every day in our work in support of STEAM girls worldwide.
At Project Scientist:
We believe in a world that prioritizes the inclusion of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
We believe in challenging the status quo by bringing high-quality STEAM programming to ALL girls, regardless of income or race.
We believe in making capital markets work for us by partnering with STEM companies to develop the most talented workforce.
We believe that parents have options, and we want to be their first choice in STEAM education.
We believe that as staff, volunteers, and beneficiaries, we must choose what is right and not what is easy. We must build a STEM ecosystem that rejects complacency and imagines a scientific community as it could be.
We believe that including women at the highest tables in the STEM industry will drive innovation and solve our world's most pressing challenges.
Project Scientist Pathway
Project Scientist has established a robust and focused STEAM pathway to advance girls and women, of all ages, in their STEAM interests and passions. Through extensive research on current trends and practices, the Project Scientist Pathway was developed to ensure girls stay on track in both their academic and professional STEAM achievement. Our model is unique in the STEAM out of school-time space, as we are not just judging ourselves on the number of girls served, but on how we are affecting our girls STEAM future dreams and goals.
Project Scientist STEAM Lab and STEAM Club
Ages 4 to 12
Project Scientist Scholars
Ages 13 to 15
Project Scientist Alumni
Ages 4 to 35
Dedicated to Diversity
Project Scientist is committed to being an agent of change in STEAM. We are intentional in driving diversity in STEAM careers by gender, race, and ethnicity and ensuring everyone has a chance to have a seat at the STEM table. One hundred percent of the girls we serve are from under-resourced households, and 80% identify as Black, Latina, Asian, American Indian, or Native Hawaiian. Although we focus on girls, we are dedicated to serving any child regardless of gender identity or expression. In 2022, as board, staff, and STEAM community, we are taking a thoughtful approach to review and create our vision for diversity and inclusion in STEAM.
"We were thrilled to find a place where our daughters could continue exploring their interests in STE(A)M with other young and professional female scientists,” said Project Scientist mom Angela Willis. “The summer experience coupled with the school-year field trips makes for the perfect mesh of year-round personal growth and academic enrichment! We are so grateful to Project Scientist!"
Angela Willis
Project Scientist Mom
If you would like to learn more about the research that Project Scientist is based on, please view our research.