The National Inventors Hall of Fame® recognizes world-changing inventors by inducting them into the Hall of Fame and infusing their stories, insights, and passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into education camps, clubs, and school-day programs. These offerings, which include Camp Invention®, Club Invention®, and Invention Project®, promote confidence-boosting, hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship for elementary through college-aged students across the country.
Since it was founded in 1973, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has continued to evolve to meet the needs of students, families, and educators. In 2024, the most recent year with complete available data, the National Inventors Hall of Fame served close to 366,000 students while continuing to prioritize reaching underserved students through its philanthropic partnerships. In that same year, approximately 77 percent of students who participated in National Inventors Hall of Fame programs came from underserved backgrounds. In a “Spotlight on Growth” interview, Chief Strategic Officer Hannah Paulin detailed how her team navigated an explosive growth period during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the organization has prepared for a tighter fiscal climate in the years ahead by pursuing lower-cost program models, cost sharing, and alternative funding streams.
The organization’s strong growth trajectory has ensured more children have access to highly engaging STEM programming that can foster STEM interest and skills, and ultimately an innovation mindset. Findings from a study conducted with researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology showed an increase in science and math interest; an increase in problem-solving and inventing skills; and a lowering of science and math anxiety after just four days of Camp Invention programming for students who reported at least some room for improvement at the program’s start. An ESSA Tier 2-aligned external study, conducted by RAND, will uncover impacts on STEM interest, engagement, self-efficacy, and inventive identity, with findings expected in 2027.
Since 2020, Overdeck Family Foundation’s grantmaking and strategic support have helped the National Inventors Hall of Fame expand access to its STEM enrichment programs for thousands of students each year. During this time, the organization has capitalized on capacity-building support to diversify its revenue streams, better understand programmatic cost drivers, build data and evidence capacity through its Strategic Data Project fellow, and develop a dynamic forecasting tool to identify fiscal implications in a post-ESSER environment that would allow it to remain sustainable in the future.
