California Academy of Sciences

As a highly trusted scientific, educational, and cultural institution, the Academy touches the hearts and engages the minds of people across the Bay Area, the nation, and the globe. During the next five years, we will leverage our public museum, our scientific discoveries, and our global education and engagement programs to inspire hundreds of millions of people to care for and sustain Earth’s natural wonders, value science and evidence-based thinking, and become champions for practical environmental solutions.

We will carry out our mission through four key strategic areas, including:

1. Explore Life: The Academy’s Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS) drives our scientific research—anchored by collections of 46 million specimens, from tiny microbes to massive blue whale skulls. This invaluable “library of life” is helping scientists answer questions about the evolution of species on Earth and threats to their survival—including climate change and habitat destruction.

2. Operate a World Class Living Museum: We inspire our guests experientially with: award-winning Planetarium shows; hands-on learning in the Naturalist Center; interactive Philippine Coral Reef dive shows; and early childhood activities in the Curiosity Grove. Academy for All serves more than 330,000 people each year through free admission days, free and subsidized school field trips, and more. Our onsite STEM education programs engage youth traditionally underrepresented in the sciences with transformative learning experiences.

3. Provide Global Education and Storytelling: With exceptional strengths in media production and science storytelling, the Academy creates and distributes science and environmental media globally, to support widespread science literacy. We
also offer Teacher Professional Development training for K–5 teachers to improve science instruction in underserved communities.

4. Be a Sustainability Leader: The Academy’s impact extends well beyond our museum walls to all corners of the globe. Our work is advancing cutting-edge biological science, influencing environmental policy and practice, and broadening the greater public’s understanding of global sustainability issues.

In 2008, the California Academy of Sciences re-opened in a state-of-the-art building in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park—the only natural history museum to house an aquarium, planetarium, and rainforest all under a living roof. With our research revealing more about the wonders of global ecosystems and the threats they face, Academy scientists are helping translate and share their discoveries through world-class exhibits, programs, and collections.

Our youth education programs include Academy field trips, Junior Scientist Adventure, Careers in Science, Science Action Club, Teen Advocates for Science Communication, K-12 Science & Education Media Lab. Collectively, the programs’ goal is to foster science and environmental literacy and the next generation of sustainability leaders—with a focus on providing educational opportunities for youth with the greatest need.

We also rely on philanthropic partners to sustain our daily work of conducting scientific research and engaging and educating visitors from around the world. Support from donors helps to keep our special initiatives and core operations thriving—and directly supports the visionary scientists, educators, and science communicators who are at the heart of everything we do.

As a leading cultural institution and model citizen of our community, the California Academy of Sciences is committed to lowering the barriers to Academy visits—whether cost, access, language, or culture. Our long-term goal is to ensure that every child in the Bay Area has unencumbered access to science learning experiences at the Academy. We are also building a diverse workforce that includes individuals typically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.