The Gala is one of the best ways we have to both celebrate MDM and to raise funds to support our work, and to ensure we can continue to provide educational outreach to elementary school students, families, science enthusiasts, and many kids in Maine who we reach with our science education/enrichment programs that supplement the classroom instruction.

The Maine Discovery Museum (MDM) is a regional and state resource with a 20+ year history of serving our community. MDM helps people of all ages to discover the world around them through creative exploration and science.

MDM is far more than what is found in our exhibits: in the last ten years, MDM has expanded in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), through educational outreach and programming. Some of these programs are part of a nationwide network and others are homegrown, with the most well-known example being the Maine Science Festival (MSF), our largest, which averages 8,000-10,000 festival-goers every year from all corners of Maine since its launch in 2015.

MDM serves ~75,000 people per year. 60,000 in the museum and another 15,000 with our programming outside of the museum. 

Since 2014, we have provided 95% of our offsite, mission-driven programming free-of-charge to participants. 
The director of the Harbor House Underground Youth Center brought his personal checkbook to an outreach that MDM did because he didn’t quite dare believe a program this good was actually, really free.
One of our colleagues in Portland noted they have a goal of having 20% of their programs available at no or low charge to participants to maintain accessibility for all.
Included in this: the Maine Science Festival, Maine Invention Convention, GSK Science in the Summer (summer outreach), and My Day to Play.

We have more demand for our programs than staff and resources to meet that demand, and our goal for 2024 is to bridge that gap.

THANK YOU FOR your support of MDM and helping us celebrate our 23rd year of cultivating curiosity, exploration, and discovery for Maine families.