Arts, Culture & Humanities (A520) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF ILLINOIS

EIN: 37-1235904 · DECATUR, IL 62521-4470 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 46 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 57/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 70/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2023 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

The Children's Museum of Illinois is a hands-on, interactive museum for children ages three to twelve. Its exhibits and activities complement and enhance children's educational opportunities, particularly in the arts and sciences. The museum contributes to the community's quality of life as an educational facility, visitor attraction, family activity destination, and site for volunteerism.

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$586K

Total Revenue

$817K

Total Expenses

$3.9M

Net Assets

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 59.1%

Fundraising Efficiency 169.1%

Operating Reserve 56.74x

Liability-to-Asset 4.8%

Revenue Diversification 50.7%

Executive Compensation $72K

Compared with Peers

FY 2023

Compared with 16,962 similar organizations (United States, Arts, Culture & Humanities, $100K–$1M in expenses), FY 2023.

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	59.1%	81.8%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	25.1%	14.0%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	15.8%	0.0%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	169.1%	28.6%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	56.7 mo	10.4 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	4.8%	1.9%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	50.7%	79.8%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	-31.7%	9.6%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	8.5%	13.6%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-39.4%	1.2%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$586K	$817K	$3.9M	59.1%	34
2022	$859K	$753K	$4.1M	53.6%	26
2021	$309K	$615K	N/A	—	22

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Organization Details

EIN: 37-1235904
State: IL
City: DECATUR
ZIP: 62521-4470
Classification: A520
Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1993
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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