Madison Children's Museum Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibit environments create the core educational areas and play spaces within the museum setting, providing interactive, engaging play opportunities for children of all ages, along with their adult caregivers. Exhibits are interdisciplinary and weave together themes from our core educational initiatives: art, history, culture, science, physical, and innovation.the nice age trail opened in june 2024, creating an immersive new play space for mcm visitors. The nice age trail is a rich interactive and hands on exhibit for children and families that explores the science behind life's natural rhythms. The nice age trail connects children to nature in profound ways, when they learn that they have natural sleep and waking cycles, or that animals adapt to the seasons and times of day, just like them. The goal of the nice age trail is to inspire wonder and create empathic connections between children and other living beings, through exploring the similarities we have with other species, while learning about the universe and the science behind our shared connections. Through hands-on experiences in a rich and immersive world that guide our daily lives, routines, rituals, and expressions. This steam-rich exhibit infuses wonder and curiosity about the world into every exhibit experience, while introducing children to core steam concepts about earth science, astronomy, biology, mathematics, music, art, with the wonderground expansion in fy22/23, exhibits now occupy more than 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor public space - designed and fabricated by a Wisconsin workforce in collaboration with the communityincluding more than 130 local artistsand feature the use of locally obtained materials. Exhibit areas promote learning through play for ages 5 and under in the wildernest and urb garden exhibits, both of which are constructed of natural and repurposed materials. The following areas engage children up to age 12: the two-story hodgepodge mahal climber and human-sized gerbil wheel for whole-body exercise; and the art studio for creative expression. An accessible green roof, the rooftop ramble, enables four-season exploration of nature in a "park in the sky; an interactive exhibit about lakes and water quality called seymore's adventure; and an historical exhibit about the history of children's sewing circles called "a stitch in time".

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 64.3%; rating input score 64
• Fundraising efficiency: $3.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th 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; 63rd 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: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -53.9%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.81; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.2%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings