Wonderscope Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
481068613
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone
8166436700
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,188,941
Expenses
$2,570,997
Assets
$12,549,599
Liabilities
$538,532

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

Leadership & pay

15 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ROXANE HILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ROXANE HILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $116,596 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To spark a lifelong love of learning through the universal and uniting power of play, with a vision that wonderscope is appreciated as an educational resource in our community that provides children and families the opportunity to build a solid foundation for success.

What it reported doing in 2025

Wonderscope provides hands-on, dynamic exhibits created around the concepts of steam, science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, together with social-emotional development for children and families to learn through play. Wonderscope is an educational resource and regional attraction for familes of children ages 12 years and younger. In addition to twelve indoor and outdoor exhibits, wonderscope provides daily programs, pop-ups, and camps during the year. Wonderscope is also committed to ensuring access to underserved and under-resourced communities throughout the metropolitan area with its participation in museums for all, and it wonder fund program that offers discounted admissions, reduced-cost memberships, and field trips.

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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.6%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: -17.5%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.88; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.6% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.6% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $117K · 15 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.