Illinois · Nonprofit
THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN
THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN (Illinois) receives grants from 5 organizations whose IRS filings report $246,518 to it, the largest being EDMOND AND ALICE OPLER FOUNDATION ($185,000). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $1.0M
- Funders on record
- 5
- Grants received
- $247k
- Net assets
- $3.3M
What The Childrens Museum in Oak Lawn does
Mission
The mission of the children's museum in oak lawn is to positively impact a child's potential in life through play-based education.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Program
The museum has welcomed over 800,000+ visitors since opening in its new location in 2009. The museum was awarded the opportunity to be a site location for the nise network's earth & space program, which we brought out to various schools and community events. This led to the museum being able to borrow the earth & space exhibit from the children's museum in rockford. The museum provided admission discounts for low-income families who have an ebt card or are on wic, removing the economic barrier to the elearning environment we provide. The museum also provided admission discounts for active military personnel.
$917,131 spent100% of program spending
The program described on its FY2024 Form 990. Program spending in total: $917,131.
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 2018 to 2019, from $915k to $3.0M (+225%).
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: 2021 33%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
25% of THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (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.
Chief executive
Adam Woodworth
Executive director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 2 funders to 3 funders, grant income rose $40k → $80k.
1 of 5 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 0% 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 CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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 CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN leans on a few funders — its largest provides 75% of grant income and the top three 99%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 63% · 2018 97% · 2020 100% · 2021 100% · 2022 100% · 2023 56% — 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.
Where its funders are
82% of THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN's grant income comes from Illinois funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $518 arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state 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 CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN is better cushioned than half of the 3,230 arts & culture nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,230 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Government funding THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $26k on record.
- Institute of Museum and Library Services$26k
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 CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN
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 Illinois
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
74% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
98%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN: 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 CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN?
- THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN (Illinois) receives grants from 5 organizations whose IRS filings report $246,518 to it, the largest being EDMOND AND ALICE OPLER FOUNDATION ($185,000). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN have?
- IRS filings report 5 organizations giving $246,518 in grants to THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN?
- EDMOND AND ALICE OPLER FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $185,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like THE CHILDRENS MUSEUM IN OAK LAWN find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Illinois. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Childrens Museum in Oak Lawn →
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 5 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 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing