Connecticut · Nonprofit
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC (Connecticut) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,106,513 to it, the largest being HARTFORD FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC GIVING ($639,576). 20 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $2.6M
- Funders on record
- 37
- Grants received
- $2.1M
- Net assets
- $1.8M
What The Children's Museum Inc does
Mission
The children's museum group's mission is to inspire lifelong learning among children and their caregivers by providing experientiall earning opportunities covering steam, health, nature and the environment. With a focus on at need communities the museum group strives to find pathways to personal, academic and professional growth and to foster an appreciation of the natural world with a goal of developing curious, confident and innovative children, creating the basis for successful adults. The museum group has three distinct but complementary lines of revenue-generating centers of excellence. The museum offers interactive exhibits for young children, live animals and an extensive selection of steam education programs that are offered within communities throughout connecticut and neighboring states. The children's museum preschool, co-located within the museum location, is a naeyc accredited, full day, year-round licensed early childhood education facility for ages 3-5yrs.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Educational & admissions: the children's museum west hartford location, temporarily occupied space at 180 mohegan drive in west hartford, encouraged families to discover and explore our multisensory exhibits and live wildlife sanctuary. The museums hands-on immersive steam exhibits promoted exploration and inquiry based learning episodes focused on supporting child development in children ages two to age 8 with the support of their caregivers. Handson exhibits focused on science discovery concepts, paleontology, social and emotional growth, engineering and nature.
$1,288,273 spent$427,912 earned by the program54% of program spendingThe children's museum preschool provides a playbased program that encourages learning through each child's natural activities. It is licensed by ct office of early childhood education (oec) and accredited by the national association for the education of young children (naeyc). Recognizing that children have different strengths and areas for growth, classes use proven techniques tailored to individual needs while maintaining an affirming and inclusive environment. The preschool offers a unique integration of curriculum with resources from the onsite museum and remote nature center. Supporting creative play, academic excellence and social development are goals of the preschool's credentialed early childhood educators.
$753,641 spent$750,616 earned by the program32% of program spendingThe wildlife sanctuary houses over 100 animals, primarily unwanted pets and displaced animals that cannot be released back into the wild. The animal resources are viewed by museum attendees onsite and used extensively to support the educational outreach programs the museum offers within communities throughout connecticut and into neighboring states. Additional stem topics covering physics, engineering, chemistry, geology, paleontology, biology and the environment are offered through the museum's outreach education offerings, by a team of informal educators with science and education experiences.
$314,719 spent$162,144 earned by the program13% of program spendingRoaring brook nature center provides natural history/environmental education programs to connecticut communities. Programs include outreach and school visitations, as well as scout, summer, preschool and public programs. Serving as a resource to area residents with environmental concerns, the center answers thousands of nature related questions annually. The center receives over 300 injured or orphaned native animals each year for rehabilitation. The goal is to release animals back into the wild, however, permanently injured wildlife may be housed at the center and the collection includes a variety of raptors, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Animals are used to promote knowledge of behaviors, adaptations within connecticut fauna. The center maintains wildflower trails, a native plant butterfly garden and serves as steward for five miles of trails on the adjacent 158 acre state owned werner's woods property.
$10,348 spent0% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $2,366,981.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $3.4M to $6.2M (+82%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 3% · 2018 1% · 2019 0% · 2020 2% · 2021 34% · 2022 18% · 2023 34% · 2024 15% · 2025 19%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
43% of THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 6 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Ayesha Clarke
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base held at 11 funders, grant income rose $196k → $234k.
7 of 37 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 47% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 37 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 30% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
75% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 65% · 2018 38% · 2019 76% · 2020 49% · 2021 36% · 2022 30% · 2023 48% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
37% of THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 54% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC draws 57% of its grant income from funders outside Connecticut, across 9 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $980k arriving through sponsors registered in 4 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 3,430 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,430 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Government funding THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $2.9M on record — $1.7M federal, $1.2M state.
- Department of Education$1.6M
- Institute of Museum and Library Services$92k
- State Aid Grants$724k
- Pass thru Grant Non-State$408k
- Other Program Expenses$98k
- Fellowships & Stipends$200
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Connecticut
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
83% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
93%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Roaring Brook Nature Center Auxilar · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC?
- THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC (Connecticut) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,106,513 to it, the largest being HARTFORD FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC GIVING ($639,576). 20 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC have?
- IRS filings report 37 organizations giving $2,106,513 in grants to THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC, 20 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC?
- HARTFORD FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC GIVING is the largest funder on record, with $639,576 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Connecticut. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 37 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing