Connecticut Science Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
061538101
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Hartford, CT, USA
Phone
8607270457
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,741,837
Expenses
$12,534,470
Assets
$117,211,884
Liabilities
$1,754,036

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

46 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MATT FLEURY (PRESIDENT AND CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MATT FLEURY (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $406,177 total reported compensation
  • APRIL PATERNO (VP DEVELOPMENT): $179,271 total reported compensation
  • LISA MOTTOLA (VP ADMINISTRATION): $173,586 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Dedicated to inspiring life-long learning through interactive and innovative experiences that explore our changing world through science

What it reported doing in 2025

Public audiences servedthe Connecticut science center maintained its progressive recovery from the pandemic in 2025, rebuilding attendance and reach while increasing service, earned and donated revenues on pace with a multi-year recovery plan. The science center continued to enhance its offerings by presenting the science behind pixar travelling exhibit in the spring/summer and the forest of illusions exhibit in the fall with enthusiastic response. In 2025, 210,000 people visited the science center and another 33,000 were served across the state through outreach programs. The science center engaged nearly 47,000 of its visitors in stem career awareness programs.the science center implemented the third year of a 10-year strategic vision with integrated in-person and online experiences exploring the stem topics, issues, and challenges of our time. The science center continued to raise private funds to support the strategic vision.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.7%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 64.1%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.6%; rating input score 98; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.35; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.6% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.3% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.7% of revenue deployed · 64.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 40 of 41 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $406K · 46 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.9M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.