Camp Galileo

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Camp Galileo is a Bay Area summer camp that began around 2001 in Palo Alto, California, founded by Glen Tripp. The program is guided by the Galileo Innovation Approach (GIA), which borrows ideas from the design process used at Stanford’s Institute of Design. The camps offer a variety of activities and learning experiences for kids.

Key facts:
- Since it started, Galileo has served more than 500,000 children and operates at more than 70 locations across the Bay Area, Southern California, and Illinois.
- In 2012, Galileo became a certified B-Corporation and launched Innovation for All, a program to provide full or partial scholarships to kids who otherwise couldn’t attend.
- In 2020, Galileo was named one of the 10 Bay Area Best Places to Work, marking its eleventh year on the list.

There have been controversies and challenges:
- In June 2019, a 5-year-old child wandered away from a camp in Menlo Park without being noticed for several hours; the missing child was found only after the parents arrived for pickup.
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of in-person camps in spring and summer 2020. Galileo filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2020 to reorganize. The company paused refunds for prepayments, stating that no refunds would be issued as the camp was canceled and funds were not available. At the time, Galileo reported having $6 million in cash and a $2.5 million PPP loan.
- Camp Galileo resumed its summer camps in 2021 after emerging from Chapter 11.

Additional notes:
- The company’s website is galileo-camps.com.