Open the Next Door.
Help create hands-on STEM learning, mentorship, career exposure, and opportunities for young people across Chicago.
Every scientist had a first.
A first experiment. A first mentor. A first career connection. A first paycheck. A first moment of thinking, I can do this. Project Exploration creates more of those moments for young people who have historically faced barriers to STEM opportunities.
Hands-on STEM
Experiences that invite young people to build, test, question, design, experiment, and discover.
Career Exposure
Connections to real workplaces, STEM professionals, and career possibilities beyond the classroom.
Mentorship + Leadership
Supportive instructors, mentors, and opportunities for young people to grow as leaders.
Youth Employment
Paid learning and leadership experiences that help young people develop skills and confidence.
We're not asking one person to solve this challenge. We're asking our community to help us open the next door.
Opportunity changes what comes next.
Since 1999, Project Exploration has provided transformative learning opportunities to more than 45,000 young people across Chicago. Meaningful experiences, supportive relationships, and exposure to new possibilities can change the direction of a young person's future.
Sometimes opportunity starts with a bus ride.
A young person may discover a new interest during a field trip, meet a STEM professional for the first time, or build something they never imagined they could create.
Behind those experiences are the practical things that make participation possible: transportation, materials, trained instructors, safe learning spaces, and the people who coordinate the details.
Your support helps Project Exploration bring those pieces together so young people can focus on learning, exploring, and discovering what's possible.
Project Exploration is working to sustain STEM learning, mentorship, career exposure, and youth development opportunities across Chicago's South and West Sides. Your support helps make that work possible.
Explore Ways to GiveGive through your donor-advised fund.
If you have a donor-advised fund, you can recommend a grant to Project Exploration directly through your DAF provider.
- Log in to your donor-advised fund account.
- Search for Project Exploration or EIN 36-4305660.
- Select Project Exploration as the recipient organization.
- Enter the grant amount you would like to recommend.
- Submit your recommendation through your DAF provider.
Your DAF provider may have its own process. If your provider participates through PayPal Giving Fund, you may also be able to find Project Exploration using the charity page below.
View PE on PayPal Giving FundProject Exploration
36-4305660
5804 W. Race Ave.
Chicago, IL 60644
General operating support
If your provider allows it, share your name and contact information with Project Exploration so our team can acknowledge your support.
There is more than one way to open a door.
A warm introduction can open a door that even the strongest grant proposal cannot. If you believe in Project Exploration's mission, consider one of these actions.
Help us create what's next.
Project Exploration has navigated challenging moments before because people believed this work was worth protecting. Today, we're asking our community to help ensure more Chicago young people can discover STEM, meet mentors, explore careers, and imagine their futures.
If someone comes to mind, consider making an introduction today.
Contact Tim Kolschowsky, Natasha Smith-Walker, or Sarah Houberg.
Project Exploration is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. EIN: 36-4305660. Contributions support our mission to expand access to meaningful STEM learning and career opportunities for young people across Chicago. Donor-advised fund grants are subject to the policies and approval processes of the donor's DAF provider.