At Keystone Science School (KSS), we often get asked: What does it mean to be a nonprofit? For us, it’s simple: every dollar that comes into our organization is used to serve our mission of inspiring curiosity and critical thinking through the lens of science and the outdoors. Unlike a business that distributes profit to owners or shareholders, we reinvest everything back into programs that serve students, families, and our community.
But being a nonprofit doesn’t mean everything we do is free. In fact, to make our work sustainable, we’ve learned how to balance heart and practicality. This is something we like to think of as return on mission and return on investment.
Return on Mission
Some of our programs are pure “return on mission.” These are the moments where we know we’re changing lives, even if the numbers don’t add up on paper. Think about a Title I school coming up to the mountains for a science field trip. Something their students may never otherwise experience. Or a local family receiving a scholarship so their child can spend a week exploring the outdoors, making friends, and building confidence. These programs are the heart of who we are.
Return on Investment
Other programs help us create the financial foundation that keeps KSS strong. When families pay tuition for camp or schools cover the full cost of a program, that revenue doesn’t just support their experience; it ripples out across our entire organization. These dollars allow us to keep camp affordable, offer discounts to local families, and invest in staff and facilities that serve all our students.
A Balanced Approach
If we only ran mission-driven programs, we wouldn’t be able to sustain the impact for very long. And if we only ran programs that covered their costs, we wouldn’t be reaching the students who need us most. That’s why we do both.
We’ve built a diversified revenue model where tuition, grants, donations, and community partnerships all come together. This balance ensures that we can keep saying “yes” to more families, schools, and kids today, and for years to come.
Why It Matters
Being a nonprofit is about more than a tax status. For us, it’s about responsibility: to our community, to our donors, to the families we serve, and to the generations of students yet to come. Every program we run, whether it’s covering its costs or being heavily subsidized, feeds into one sustainable model. That model makes sure KSS can keep opening doors to science, nature, and lifelong learning.
When you participate in our programs or make a gift, you’re not just helping a single child or school. You’re helping to build a future where all kids can explore the outdoors, fall in love with science, and discover just how much they are capable of.
And that’s what being a nonprofit is all about.
Want to help sustain this work? You can make a donation, join us at an upcoming event, or simply share this story with a friend. Every bit of support helps us inspire the next generation of curious, confident, and capable leaders.
