Hines Family FoundationStudents & community

Dream. Design. Do.

Hands-on science, technology, engineering and math, inspired by real space missions. For students, families and neighbors in Atlanta, Tuskegee and California.

Join the list See the programs
A caged soccer drone hovers over a playing field. The near half is marked as a soccer pitch, and the far half becomes the cratered surface of the Moon. Soccer pitch Moon pitch

See us at Space Day Atlanta

Saturday, October 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fernbank Science Center. It’s free for everyone. Watch a drone-soccer demo and see how a soccer pitch becomes a Moon mission.

Plan your visit

Pick your mission

Five ways to learn by doing. Programs open in stages, so join the list and we’ll tell you when one opens near you.

Join the list

  • Drones on the Moon

    Soccer STEM – Drones on the Moon

    Play drone soccer, then turn the pitch into a map of the Moon’s south pole and fly missions to hunt for water ice.

    Who
    Grades K–12 and college teams
    Where
    Atlanta, Georgia

  • Healthy neighborhoods

    ORISHA STEM

    Use sensors, maps, satellite images and AI to study your neighborhood’s air, water and food, then share what you find.

    Who
    Grades 5–12, college students and educators
    Where
    Atlanta, Georgia

  • Space biology and health tech

    BioHealth Technologies & Applications

    Find out how living things change in space. Run experiments with yeast and explore wearable health sensors.

    Who
    High school and college students
    Where
    Tuskegee, Alabama

  • Space engineering academy

    HFF-Endeavour Space Engineering Institute & Academy

    Learn how satellites work by building one: GECKO, a stackable classroom CubeSat about the size of a loaf of bread.

    Who
    Grades 8–12
    Where
    California

  • Inventors’ lab

    HFF-West Technology Incubator

    Turn your idea into a real product for space, Earth and humanity, one lab at a time: learn, dream, build, prove and sell.

    Who
    High school, college and early-career makers
    Where
    California

Start where you are. Keep climbing.

Every HFF program follows the same five steps, from pre-K to early career. We call it ESTEEM: STEM plus education, entrepreneurship and management.

  1. Exposure

    See it

    Catch a demo, visit an exhibit or meet a real engineer.

  2. Entry

    Try it

    Fly your first drone, read your first sensor, join a club.

  3. Experiment

    Build it

    Design, build and test a project with your team.

  4. Engagement

    Lead it

    Take on real missions and contests, and mentor younger students.

  5. Expert

    Launch it

    Head to college, a career, research or a company of your own.

There’s a place for you

Students

  • Join a program or club session near you
  • Bring your friends to a demo day
  • Climb from Exposure to Expert, one step at a time
Sign up as a student

Families

  • Find a program that fits your child’s age and interests
  • Come to family events like Space Day Atlanta
  • Ask us to bring a program to your school or club
Sign up as a family

Teachers

  • Bring ready-to-teach lessons to your class or club
  • Join teacher training workshops
  • Apply to become an HFF STEM Teacher Fellow
Sign up as a teacher

Neighbors

  • Mentor a student team or judge a challenge
  • Help out at events in your area
  • Share your skills in science, health, business or the trades
Sign up to volunteer Make a gift

Built on NASA know-how

HFF founder John W. Hines, an electrical engineer trained at Tuskegee University and Stanford, spent nearly four decades at NASA Ames Research Center and retired as its Chief Technologist. He helped fly living experiments aboard the Space Shuttle and on satellites, some no bigger than a loaf of bread.

Today HFF brings that learn-by-doing spirit to students, especially in communities whose talent has too often been underutilized. The next generation of explorers can come from any neighborhood.

John W. Hines, founder, executive director and CTO of the Hines Family Foundation
John W. Hines, founder, executive director and CTO

Where we work

Atlanta, Georgia

Home base for Drones on the Moon, healthy neighborhoods and teacher training.

California

HFF-West, home of the inventors’ lab and space engineering academy.

Tuskegee, Alabama

Space biology and health tech, with Tuskegee University.

Our partners

  • Tuskegee University
  • Morehouse College
  • AUC Data Science Initiative
  • University of Washington
  • Fernbank Science Center
  • FIDA USA
  • STEAMsport
  • GaiaVerse
  • Space Information Labs

Questions families ask

Who can join?

Students from pre-K through early career. Most programs serve middle and high schoolers, Drones on the Moon starts in kindergarten, and our labs welcome college students and early-career makers.

Do I need any experience?

No. Every path starts with seeing and trying something new. You move up a step whenever you’re ready.

Is drone flying safe for kids?

Safety comes first. Sessions start with safe-flight training, soccer drones fly inside protective cages, and students can earn the FAA’s free TRUST certificate.

What does it cost?

[Add program fees, scholarships and free options here.]

Can my school or group host a program?

Yes. Tell us about your school, club or community group using the form below, and our team will follow up.

Are gifts tax-deductible?

HFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 82-1268652), so gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Be the first to know

Tell us who you are and what you’re curious about. We’ll let you know when programs and events open near you.

Under 13? Ask a parent or guardian to sign up for you.