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

SAN LUIS OBISPO CHILDRENS MUSEUM

EIN: 77-0261830 · SN LUIS OBISP, CA 93401-3870 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 56 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 79/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 85/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

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

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CharityAI™ Score

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Mission Statement

The San Luis Obispo Children's Museum inspires learning through play within a rich environment of interactive exhibits and programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Since opening in 1990, we have been committed to offering experiences that both invoke curiosity and imagination about the world and promote active exploration, investigation and creation. Learning becomes fun because it is motivated from within and shared with others.

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$432K

Total Revenue

$570K

Total Expenses

$2.3M

Net Assets

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 80.0%

Fundraising Efficiency 54.2%

Operating Reserve 47.79x

Liability-to-Asset 3.9%

Revenue Diversification 68.1%

Executive Compensation $112K

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	80.0%	81.8%	P10P90	Below median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	15.0%	14.0%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	5.0%	0.0%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	54.2%	28.6%	P10P90	Below median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	47.8 mo	10.4 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	3.9%	1.9%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	68.1%	79.8%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	13.4%	9.6%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	27.7%	13.6%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-31.7%	1.2%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$432K	$570K	$2.3M	80.0%	31
2022	$381K	$446K	$2.4M	80.0%	25
2021	$273K	$328K	N/A	—	21

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Organization Details

EIN: 77-0261830
State: CA
City: SN LUIS OBISP
ZIP: 93401-3870
Classification: A520
Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1990
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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