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Association of Children's Museums Inc at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Association of Children's Museums Inc

The association of children's museums will strengthen all children's museums through leadership, advocacy, professional development and service.

$553k
Granted FY2025still arriving
25
Grants FY2025still arriving
16
States reached
$18k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$1.6MEducation$219kScience & Tech$45kPublic Safety & Disaster$9k
02FY2025 · 25 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 25 grants below total $371,800, the rows itemized in this filing. The $553,432 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $181,632 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $20k
  • $10k–50k22 grants · $352k
$16,150
Median grant
16
States reached
$3.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WOW CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$18,050
DISCOVERY PLACE$18,050
FAIRBANKS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,550
ABOVE & BEYOND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,550
ZING ZUMM CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,550
VIRGIN ISLANDS CM$16,550
KIDS DISCOVERY STATION$16,550
SANTA CRUZ CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY$16,550
NORTH COUNTRY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,150
CHESAPEAKE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,150
DULUTH CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,150
CAPE COD CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,150
BUELL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM$16,150
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF GREEN BAY$16,150
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM AT SARATOGA$15,950
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY17–25) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 60% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%CAPE COD CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 8%DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $15k → 8%BOSTON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $66k → 16%OMAHA CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15k → 12%KEARNEY AREA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15k → 13%MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $40k → 14%DULUTH CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 15%WISE WONDERS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 9%CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE: $40k → 8%BOWERS MUSEUM OF CULTURAL ARTS: $20k → 10%SACRAMENTO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15k → 12%SANTA CRUZ CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY: $17k → 13%KIDS DISCOVERY STATION: $17k → 19%HAWAII CHILDRENS DISCOVERY CENTER: $30k → 9%CHILDREN'S MUSEUM AT SARATOGA: $16k → 7%WESTCHESTER CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15k → 9%NORTH COUNTRY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 18%DISCOVERY CENTER OF THE SOUTHERN TIER: $15k → 20%BROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $40k → 20%THINKERY: $40k → 10%FREDDA TURNER DURHAM CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15k → 12%CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON: $40k → 16%SANTA FE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 12%FLINT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $30k → 16%THE MAGIC HOUSE ST LOUIS: $40k → 11%ABOVE & BEYOND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $17k → 9%CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF GREEN BAY: $16k → 10%MADISON CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $50k → 10%DISCOVERY PLACE: $18k → 10%ZING ZUMM CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $17k → 12%WOW CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $18k → 12%BUELL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 15%TERRE HAUTE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 19%KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $16k → 10%FAIRBANKS CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $17k → 21%CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ILLINOIS: $16k → 15%WONDERFEET KID'S MUSEUM: $16k → 12%CHESAPEAKE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16k → 6%BOSTON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $40k → 16%MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $30k → 14%CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM OF SAN JOSE: $30k → 8%HAWAII CHILDRENS DISCOVERY CENTER: $30k → 9%BROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $30k → 20%THINKERY: $30k → 10%CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF HOUSTON: $30k → 16%FLINT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $30k → 16%THE MAGIC HOUSE ST LOUIS: $30k → 11%MADISON CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $41k → 10%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
VT
WA
MT
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
CT
RI
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
WV
VA
MD
NM
KS
AR
NC
HI
LA
MS
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

56%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.0M · 24 repeat orgs$802k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +47% since the first grant, against +15% for those funded once.

24 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 20 since wound down; 21 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
42

Total granted

$1.0M
$479k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+47%
+15%

Still filing today

92%
98%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 13% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $323k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CulturePhilanthropyEducationOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • CW
    CHARLES W BOWERS MUSEUM CORPORATION
    2× · 2018–2020 · $86k · revenue +26%
  • BROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM CORPORATION
    3× · 2020–2025 · $85k · revenue +88%
  • MC
    Minnesota Children's Museum
    3× · 2019–2021 · $80k · revenue +42%

Funded once

  • KD
    KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM
    one grant, 2023 · $16k · revenue -8%
  • SF
    SANTA FE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INCgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · $16k · revenue +33%
  • AA
    ANN ARBOR HANDS-ON MUSEUM
    one grant, 2023 · $15k · revenue +5%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
The Children's Museum of Northern N

To educate and delight children in the company of their parents.

Arts & Culture
2
Science & Discovery Center of Northwest Florida Inc

To educate and inspire children and adults through hands-on, interactive exhibits and programs that promote discovery of science, technology and history.

Arts & Culture
3
Children's Discovery Museum

The purpose of the children's discovery museum is to provide an array of exhibits and activities that promote developmental skills including social, cognitive, problem solving and peer interaction. our environment creates an interactive…

Arts & Culture
4
National Children Museum

To inspire children to care about and change the world. National Children's Museum (NCM) is a next generation institution that sparks curiosity and ignites creativity for children under 12 by fostering critical competencies in S.T.E.A.M.…

—
5
The Children's Museum of Southwest Louisiana Inc

The mission of the children's museum of southwest louisiana is to provide an educational and fun environment that encourages curiosity, creativity and social skills through hands on programs and exhibits. our goal is to educate children…

Arts & Culture
6
Bucks County Children's Museum

Bucks county children's museum's mission is to provide an environment that connects all children to the world around them and inspires learning through play.

Arts & Culture
7
Children's Museum of Idaho Inc

Inspire and nurture future explorers, innovators, and critical thinkers through interactive play in a safe, engaging environment with hands-on exhibits and programs designed specifically for children ages two to eight years old.

Arts & Culture
8
Wonderworks Childrens Museum

Wonderworks strives to give children and their families experiences in an original, interactive environment that will cultivate, challenge and uphold their creative and intellectual potential.

Arts & Culture
9
Sharewell

Activate the power of play to enrich the lives of children and their families, build stronger communities, and create a better world.

Arts & Culture
10
Explorium Denton Childrens Museum

We believe that children should be able to explore their curiosities in a safe environment. engaging the community, including the family unit, is imperative in a child's development. to educate children means more than sending them…

Education
11
The Children's Museum of Science and Technology Inc

Install a sense of wonder and discovery in youth minds, inspiring a lifelong exploration of science and technology.

—
12
Curious Kids Museum

The curious kids' museum encourages discovery, wonder and awe for children. this interactive, hands-on playground for the mind fulfills its educational leadership role by stimulating curiosity, awareness and life preparedness in science,…

Arts & Culture
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Discovery Museum Inc; the most unlike its peers is Young At Art of Broward Inc. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

84 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 84 of the 87 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
21
Early backer (in before they grew)
83/84
Grantees still filing
51/84
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

MADISON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $90,781 · Arts & CultureCHARLES W BOWERS MUSEUM CORPORATION: $85,655 · Arts & CultureBROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM CORPORATION: $85,320 · Arts & CultureMinnesota Children's Museum: $80,000 · Arts & CultureCHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $77,500 · Arts & CultureAUSTIN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $70,060 · Arts & CultureTHE MAGIC HOUSE: $70,000 · Arts & CultureSAN JOSE CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $70,000 · Arts & CultureChildrens Discovery Center: $60,000 · Arts & CultureTHE FLINT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $60,000 · Arts & Culture+69 more: $987,950 · Arts & Culture+69 morePORTLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $20,000 · OtherPEORIA PARK DISTRICT: $15,550 · OtherENDOWMENT FUND OF THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF BROWNSVILLE: $15,000 · OtherMINNESOTA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ROCHESTER: $5,000 · OtherTREEHOUSE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $5,000 · OtherMONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE INC: $15,000 · PhilanthropyCHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF SOUTH DAKOTA: $10,500 · PhilanthropyWONDERSCOPE INC: $6,000 · Education
Arts & Culture$1,737,266Other$60,550Philanthropy$25,500Education$6,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetMADISON CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $90,781 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetCHARLES W BOWERS MUSEUM CORPORATION: $85,655 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetBROOKLYN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM CORPORATION: $85,320 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetMinnesota Children's Museum: $80,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $77,500 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetAUSTIN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $70,060 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetTHE MAGIC HOUSE: $70,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSAN JOSE CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $70,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetChildrens Discovery Center: $60,000 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetTHE FLINT CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $60,000 over 2y, 4.9% of budgetTHE CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $50,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetFairbanks Childrens Museum: $26,550 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetDISCOVERY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $22,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetPORTLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetGOLISANO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF NAPLES INC: $19,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetDISCOVERY PLACE INC: $18,050 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSanta Cruz Childrens Museum of Discovery: $16,550 over 1y, 3.7% of budgetThe Virgin Island Childrens Museum: $16,550 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetNORTH COUNTRY CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $16,150 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetSANGRE DE CRISTO ARTS & CONFERENCE CENTER INC: $16,150 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCHESAPEAKE CHILDRENS MUSEUM INC: $16,150 over 1y, 6.2% of budgetDULUTH CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $16,150 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetWISE WONDERS CHILDRENS MUSEUM INC: $15,950 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetTERRE HAUTE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $15,950 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetKIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM KIDS DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $15,900 over 1y, 2.8% of budgetSANTA FE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $15,900 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ILLINOIS: $15,550 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetANN ARBOR HANDS-ON MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetPlease Touch Museum: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetPROVIDENCE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetOmaha Children's Museum: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTREE House Childrens Museum: $15,000 over 1y, 9.5% of budgetDISCOVERY CENTER MUSEUM OF ROCKFORD INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetKEARNEY AREA CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetLONG ISLAND CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetDISCOVERY MUSEUM INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetBLACKSBURG CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 6.5% of budgetSCIENCENTER DISCOVERY MUSEUM: $15,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetMUSEUM OF THE SOUTHWEST: $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetDiscovery Center of the So Tier Inc: $15,000 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetKOHL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF GREATER CHICAGO INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF MANHATTAN: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetCLAY CENTER FOR THE ARTS & SCIENCES OF WV INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAMAZEMENT SQUARE: $15,000 over 1y, 0.8% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM AND THEATRE OF MAINE: $15,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 3.3% of budgetSACRAMENTO CHILDRENS MUSEUM: $15,000 over 1y, 2.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Association of Scienc…Mr Metzger Family Fou…Lilly Endowment IncPwc Foundation IncUnion Pacific Foundat…Lego Community Fund U…Frances R Dewing Foun…Studio in a School As…Highland Street Conne…Ibm International Fou…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…Gs Donor Advised Phil…
Association of Science-Technology Centers IncDC32× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Association of Science-Technology Centers Inc · Mr Metzger Family Foundation Inc · Lilly Endowment Inc · Pwc Foundation Inc · Union Pacific Foundation · Lego Community Fund US Inc · Frances R Dewing Foundation 7600-Xxxxxx15480 · Studio in a School Association Inc · Highland Street Connection and Subsidiaries · Ibm International Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund for Wealth Management Inc

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Association of Children's Museums Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Association of Children's Museums Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 4%
  • The Baltimore Children's Museum Inc: 33% of income from government
  • Chesapeake Childrens Museum Inc: 26% of income from government
  • Children's Discovery Museum of Cape Cod Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Amelia Park Childrens Museum Inc: 7% of income from government
  • Montshire Museum of Science Inc: 4% of income from government
  • Discovery Museum Inc: 3% of income from government
  • The Childrens Museum: 1% of income from government
  • Stepping Stones Museum for Children Inc: 1% of income from government
  • Miami Children's Museum Inc Fka Miami Youth Museum: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
1get no government money at all
38report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 87 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Association of Children's Museums’ filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home