The SpaceKind Foundation
Crew of Spaceship Earth
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Yuri's Night Los Angeles
Yuri’s Night under Space Shuttle Endeavour brings together diverse communities to ignite curiosity, foster participatory exploration, and further the understanding and benefit of human spaceflight in society using accessible means and inclusive programming.
Yuri's Night Space Coast
Yuri’s Night under Space Shuttle Atlantis brings together diverse communities to ignite curiosity, foster participatory exploration, and further the understanding and benefit of human spaceflight in society using accessible means and inclusive programming.
Yuri's Night Global Support
In addition to hosting events under space shuttles in California and Florida, we also support the creation of local events around the planet (and beyond!) with resources including logos, music, videos, contacts, and best practices. These events are all listed and publicized on our site to empower small groups to make a large impact in their local area. Throughout the year, organizational leaders and volunteers regularly mentor new event hosts to support their events from concept to execution.
The Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship
The Cosmic Odyssey Scholarship sends families affected by pediatric cancer to incredible, all-expenses-paid trip to custom Family Space Camp weekends in Huntsville, AL. The scholarship was conceived by Niko Blanks, a childhood cancer survivor himself as well as a four-time US Space Camp attendee. Niko found Space Camp to be a place where he renewed his confidence and passion for space exploration. This program is made possible through donations and a partnership with the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. As of 2022, we have sent 17 families (a total of 64 people!) to Space Camp.
Mission: AstroAccess
Mission: AstroAccess will launch a group of disabled scientists, veterans, students, athletes, and artists on a historic parabolic flight with the Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) as the first step in a progression toward flying a diverse range of people to space. These “AstroAccess Ambassadors” will experience weightlessness and carry out lunar gravity, Martian gravity, and zero gravity observations and experiments investigating how the physical environment aboard space vessels should be modified so that all astronauts and explorers, regardless of disability on Earth, can live, work, and thrive in space. AstroAccess Ambassadors will not only participate in a parabolic flight, but will use their platform to act as public advocates for global disability access in STEM.
Our first parabolic flight will fly on ZERO-G on October 17, 2021, with the ultimate goal of flying one or more team members to space in the coming years. This project is being initially supported through The Whitesides Foundation and is part of the SciAccess Initiative, a collaborative international effort dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in STEM.
SpaceKind Leadership Training
To further our goals of developing the next generation of leaders, Loretta Whitesides has led the development of our SpaceKind Training program based on her book "The New Right Stuff." The 8-week online program is offered 2-3 times per year at both beginner and advanced levels. Participants work in pairs, small groups, and teams to clearly articulate their ambitions and goals, assess their existing habits, institute a plan for reaching their goals, and create a support structure to enable their long-term success. The program has over 100 graduates as of the end of 2022 and several new projects have been developed (and incubated!) under this project.
Fiscal Sponsorship
Fiscal sponsor for emerging projects and organizations, supporting aligned initiatives with financial systems and leadership development. These include:
- The Analog Astronaut Conference
- The ZG4STEM Foundation
- The Proctor Foundation
- AstroAccess
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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The SpaceKind Foundation
Board of directorsas of 03/12/2023
Mrs. Loretta Whitesides
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides
No Affiliation
Timothy James Bailey
No Affiliation
Chris A. Lewicki
No Affiliation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as: