The Baltimore Children's Museum Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Located in baltimore's historic fish market building in the inner harbor, port discovery is an 80,000 square-foot children's museum offering three floors of interactive exhibits, learning spaces, and traveling exhibitions. Since opening, we have served over 5 million visitors as one of the mid-atlantic region's leading children's museums. Port discovery's exhibits, experiences, and programs encourage children to use their imaginations, explore how things work, build confidence, and learn and practice social and emotional skills. We do this work in the following broad categories:(see schedule o for continuation)providing access for all: port discovery offers free and reduced admission to Maryland school students, low-income families, and military families through programs such as playmakers, community days, and salute the troops. Additionally, access includes training staff and improving facility capacity to serve families with specific disabilities and educational needs.innovative exhibits: port discovery's exhibits and experiences are designed for hands-on exploration. From tiny's diner and wonders of water to our signature core experience - the s.s. Friend ship! On this immersive walk-through cargo ship, children can load goods, sit in the captain's seat, activate the engines, work a gantry crane, and read about the port of baltimore through educational text and markers. As a site devoted to serving children and families, port discovery is often the first time that our youngest learners experience local history and begin learning about baltimore's notable heritage.educational programs: this programming includes arts- and science-based workshops, nature-based learning opportunities, engagement through the arts, and virtual programs that invite children into a range of subjects from Maryland's historic lighthouses to the life of a bumblebee. On average, the museum serves over 30,000 students annually, with 40% of those representing title i schools.multi generations at play initiative: this suite of programs provides resources to those who hold the most important role in the healthy development and well-being of Maryland's young children: parents, caregivers, and educators. Programming includes fathers at play and parents at play and grandparents at play, all of which empower guardians through purposeful play strategies and peer learning; and professionals at play, which supports our early childhood workforce across various settings throughout the state.the museum received donated lobbying services valued at $18,000, donated legal services valued at $191,979, and rent valued at $48,000. Other individuals, whose services were not valued because they could not be measured objectively, volunteered approximately 1,200 hours of their time.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 51.3%; rating input score 51
• Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 35.9%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.22; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 10.1%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings