KidsPlay Childrens Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
454928276
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2013
Location
Torrington, CT, USA
Phone
8606187700
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,436,143
Expenses
$1,043,978
Assets
$3,067,488
Liabilities
$338,731

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Brian McCormick (President)
  • Cheryl Kloczko (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Eileen Marriott (Executive Dir.): $121,573 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Provide a content-rich learning environment that fosters creativity, sparks curiosity, and builds life-skills through interactive exhibits and programs (see schedule O for mission statement)

What it reported doing in 2025

KidsPlay Childrens Museum strengthened its collaborative role through theHub@KidsPlay initiative. This effort brings together schools, healthcare providers, and nonprofits to support child development and family well-being. The Hub features a family resource library and a community meeting room that hosts partner-led programs, including developmental screenings, family engagement initiatives, and intervention services. By connecting playful learning with school readiness, the Hub@KidsPlay helps create a more coordinated early childhood support system for the region. The museum continues to offer below-market access to spaces and a costume shop.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.1%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 75.3%; rating input score 75
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 27.3%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.6%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.3% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 55.1% of revenue deployed · 75.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $786K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $122K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 33/100.