Discovery Place, Inc.

Discovery Place, Inc., doing business as Discovery Place Nature, is a nonprofit museum and STEM education organization based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that operates as a federal grant recipient focused on informal science education, exhibit design and renovation, and workforce development programming. The organization competes on merit without set-aside designation across NASA and the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant programs.

Discovery Place operates exclusively as a prime recipient on federal grants; it does not hold prime contracts, subcontracts, or seats on federal contract vehicles. The organization's recent award footprint spans six customer agencies, with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and NASA Shared Services Center dominating volume. IMLS has awarded four grants totaling $3.8 million (combined potential value) across a three-year performance window: a $3.2 million Museums for America award (Sep 2026, through Aug 2029) to renovate and reinterpret exhibits at Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville for children ages two to ten, including character learning kit development and educator training; a $515 thousand Museums for America award (Sep 2026, through Aug 2029) to modernize workforce infrastructure and professional development systems supporting up to 160 full-time staff; and a $132 thousand National Leadership Grant (Nov 2021, through Oct 2022) to hire a Director of Digital Experiences and develop virtual STEM learning programs for underserved audiences. NASA Shared Services Center has placed four awards with potential value of $289 thousand, including a $249 thousand cooperative agreement (Jul 2025, through Jul 2028) with NASA's Office of STEM Engagement to attract students to STEM through learning opportunities connecting to NASA's mission, and a $39,967 research grant (Sep 2024, through Jun 2026) for the NASA Community Space Stations project.

The organization's combined potential value across all awards is $401 thousand, but combined dollars obligated across the award portfolio total $5.3 million — a significant variance reflecting reductions or de-obligations against ceiling values. Two awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, with combined potential value of $249 thousand. Discovery Place's capability portfolio centers on informal STEM education delivery, museum exhibit design and fabrication, virtual learning platform development, and institutional workforce development infrastructure for nonprofit museum operations.