Arts, Culture & Humanities (A570) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

CHICAGO ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

EIN: 36-0895575 · CHICAGO, IL 60614-2874 · United States · FY 2025 Data

3 out of 5 59 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 80/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 97/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2025 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

The Chicago Academy of Sciences, founded in 1857, is Chicago’s oldest museum. It is the steward of a collection of 400,000 specimens for research and display. In 1999 the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum opened as the new public face of the Academy, as the urban gateway to nature and science. Today, the Nature Museum is especially known for its Judy Istock Butterfly Haven and for offering more hands-on science instruction than any museum in Chicago. The Academy continues to excel through its exhibits, citizen science initiatives, compelling public programming, outdoor nature trails and much more.

Financial Overview — FY 2025

$6.5M

Total Revenue

$7.8M

Total Expenses

$17.4M

Net Assets

117

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 77.0%

Fundraising Efficiency 489.0%

Operating Reserve 26.81x

Liability-to-Asset 19.7%

Revenue Diversification 73.5%

Executive Compensation $394K

Compared with Peers

FY 2025

Compared with 1,930 similar organizations (United States, Arts, Culture & Humanities, $1M–$10M in expenses), FY 2025.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	77.0%	77.7%	P10P90	Below median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	17.1%	14.2%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	5.9%	5.9%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	489.0%	302.5%	P10P90	Below median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	26.8 mo	15.8 mo	P10P90	Above median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	19.7%	11.4%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	73.5%	70.6%	P10P90	Below median
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-20.8%	0.9%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2025	$6.5M	$7.8M	$17.4M	77.0%	117
2023	$8.6M	$6.7M	$19.6M	73.2%	89
2022	$10.7M	$5.9M	$17.4M	70.6%	74
2021	$7.1M	$4.9M	N/A	—	79

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Organization Details

EIN: 36-0895575
State: IL
City: CHICAGO
ZIP: 60614-2874
Classification: A570
Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1857
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

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