Museum of Science
73% goes to programs $4 to raise $100 Strong reserves Growing revenue
Museum of Science is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, registered in 1993, with $211,850,719 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it B+, and it directs about 73% of spending to programs.
1 Science Park, Boston, MA, 02114 EIN 04-2103916 Since 1993
Revenue (FY2023)
$211.9M
▲ 192.2% vs prior year
Arts & Culture median: $159K
Expenses (FY2023)
$67.8M
Net assets
$490.2M
Employees
525
CharityIndex rating
One independent A+ to F grade from four published criteria, each scored separately from IRS filings and combined by weight.
B+
BProgram efficiency40% of the rating73% to programs · $4 to raise $100
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For Museum of Science: 73% to programs · $4 to raise $100 earns a B on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
B+Financial health25% of the rating87 mo reserves · +68% margin
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For Museum of Science: 87 mo reserves · +68% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Governance25% of the rating6 of 6 checks met
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For Museum of Science: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
A+Transparency10% of the rating5 of 5 disclosure signals
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For Museum of Science: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Mission
The museum's mission is to inspire a lifelong love of science in everyone.
What they do
Public programs include exhibit interpretation, lecture series, live animal demonstrations (the museum is accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums), physical science demonstrations, lightning shows in the thomson theater of electricity, special events, demonstrations and podcasts relating to topics of current science and technology, hands-on desgn challenges and a walk-through garden walk and insect zoo.
Theaters include the charles hayden planetarium, offering presentations, events, and demonstrations of astronomy and space science topics, current discoveries, and other science/technology-inspired programming. the mugar omni theater, the largest domed imax theater in new england, offers digital documentary and science-fiction inspired films and presentations, while a smaller 4-d theater offers short 3-d films on a range of science and nature topics augmented by sensory effects such as wind, mist, and smell. planetarium shows this year included: big bird's adventure: one world, one sky; destination mars: the new frontier; from dream to discovery: inside nasa; explore our changing earth; explore the universe; moons: worlds of mystery; undiscovered worlds: the search beyond our sun; the beyonce experience; the fleetwood mac experience; pink floyd: the wall; the prince experience; the radiohead experience imax films included: ancient caves; back from the brink: saved from extinction; rocky mountain express; superpower dogs. omni sci-fi films: dune; matrix: resurrections 4d theater films included: sharks: a 4-d experience; ice worlds: 4d; penguins: 4d; polar express: 4d; splash & bubbles: 4d; thomas: 4d (480,000 theater visitors served)
Services provided primarily for the benefit of our members include our parking facility, membership office, and gift shop. (24,037 member households)
Contact & location
- Address
- 1 Science Park, Boston, MA, 02114
- City
- Boston
- State
- Massachusetts
- Category
- Arts, Culture & Humanities
- Subcategory
- Museums
- Phone
- …
- Website
- …
Financial trends
Revenue grew from $65.5M (FY2013) to $211.9M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Financial health & position (FY2023)
Liabilities $22.6MNet assets $490.2M
Operating margin
68.0%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$512.8M
Total liabilities
$22.6M
Net assets
$490.2M
Salaries & benefits
$30.8M
45% of expenses
Board members
46
45 independent
Financials by year
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $211,850,719▲192% | $67,836,371▲2.7% | $490,207,798▲45.5% | $512,816,312▲43.8% | 990 |
| 2022 | $72,506,770▲1.5% | $66,023,873▲12.8% | $336,924,117▲4.3% | $356,576,389▲3.4% | 990 |
| 2021 | $71,466,361▲33.6% | $58,555,016▲18.2% | $323,110,391▼1.8% | $344,840,843▼4.5% | 990 |
| 2020 | $53,494,363▲7.1% | $49,559,451▼18.2% | $329,199,972▲18.1% | $361,087,137▲17.0% | 990 |
| 2019 | $49,955,104▼40.9% | $60,601,151▼9.0% | $278,859,235▼5.9% | $308,551,835▼1.5% | 990 |
| 2018 | $84,543,128▲5.0% | $66,622,105▲1.0% | $296,296,273▲8.7% | $313,286,665▲7.8% | 990 |
| 2017 | $80,541,213▼15.7% | $65,939,416▲5.7% | $272,635,625▲5.9% | $290,712,548▲5.1% | 990 |
| 2016 | $95,565,729▲70.7% | $62,392,418▲2.8% | $257,538,982▲20.9% | $276,492,825▲19.0% | 990 |
| 2015 | $55,968,388▼20.5% | $60,702,249▲0.2% | $213,051,596▼4.1% | $232,405,473▼4.1% | 990 |
| 2014 | $70,431,180▲7.5% | $60,598,898▲2.8% | $222,067,916▲1.9% | $242,364,177▲2.3% | 990 |
| 2013 | $65,493,014 | $58,950,086▲6.2% | $218,003,286▲7.2% | $237,018,787▲6.9% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $55,517,270▲5.8% | $203,421,407▲11.9% | $221,640,179▲10.8% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $52,471,315▲8.4% | $181,835,946▼0.5% | $200,089,508 | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $48,392,614▲1.3% | $182,772,432▲9.8% | $200,094,908▲7.5% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $47,751,026 | $166,492,172 | $186,144,603 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Leadership & compensation (FY2023)
Highest-paid: Timothy Ritchie — $513,881 (0.76% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy Ritchie | President | 40 | $513,881 |
| Andrew J Russell | Chief Advancement Officer | 40 | $318,961 |
| Todd Sperry | Chief Marketing Officer | 40 | $296,295 |
| Severine J Imbert De Smirnoff | Chief of Strategic Initiatives | 40 | $280,846 |
| Miriam Kronberg | Chief of Finance | 40 | $251,622 |
| Yuisa Prez | Chief People Officer | 40 | $231,215 |
| Thomas A Catalini | Avp, It | 40 | $227,789 |
| Ara K Tommey | Interim, Chief Advancement Officer | 40 | $213,907 |
| Yasmina M Blaise | Cfo | 40 | $212,325 |
| Timothy J Porter | Interim Svp Learning & Research | 40 | $198,267 |
| Paul J Ippolito | Vp, Facilities | 40 | $195,238 |
| Rachel T Demaster | Director of Advancement Events | 40 | $184,766 |
| Insoo Hyun | Dir, Ctr. For Life Science | 40 | $178,044 |
| Kara J Peterson | Sr. Dir. Integrated Marketing Communications | 40 | $177,452 |
| Abraham N Ceesay | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Adam M Koppel | Vice-chair | 1 | — |
| Alexis A Borisy | Chair | 1 | — |
| Andrea Kaneb | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Anjali Fedson Hack | Trustee | 1 | — |
| Becky Duseau | Trustee | 1 | — |
Top vendors & contractors (FY2023)
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| William Rawn Associates | Architecture | $3,256,522 |
| Chrps LLC | Consulting | $2,844,224 |
| Cosmic Boston LLC | Consulting | $1,900,000 |
| C&w Facility Services Inc (dtz) | Custodial | $1,232,911 |
| Velir Studios LLC | Consulting | $1,132,634 |
Grants received · $36.9M total
158 grants to Museum of Science totaling $36.9M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Arts and culture | 2024 | $336,000 |
| Fiduciary Charitable Foundation | Donations | 2024 | $213,000 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $166,420 |
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $85,202 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $62,000 |
| Bny Mellon Charitable Gift Fund | To further the organization's exempt purpose | 2024 | $31,000 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $29,500 |
| Impactassets Inc | General support | 2024 | $13,000 |
| United Way Miami Inc | General support | 2024 | $8,000 |
| Fidelity Non-profit Management Foundation | Technology & equipment | 2023 | $3,000,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $1,664,276 |
| National Philanthropic Tr | Public, societal benefit | 2023 | $325,600 |
| Boston Foundation Inc | Operating support/annual fund | 2023 | $208,777 |
| Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2023 | $168,000 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2023 | $148,436 |
Grants made · $89K in FY2023
2 grants totaling $89K in FY2023. All grants made by Museum of Science →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Museum of Life & Science | Fed'l subawards: building capacity for co-created public engagement w/sci., citizen sci, civics, and resilient communities | $75,788 |
| Horizons For Homeless Children Inc | Grants | $13,000 |
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Compare Museum of Science
Frequently asked questions
- Is Museum of Science a legitimate nonprofit?
- Yes. Museum of Science is a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service under EIN 04-2103916, based in Boston, Massachusetts. Donations are tax-deductible.
- What is Museum of Science's EIN?
- Museum of Science's Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-2103916.
- How much revenue does Museum of Science report?
- Museum of Science reported $211,850,719 in total revenue on its fiscal year 2023 IRS Form 990 filing.
- How much of Museum of Science's spending goes to programs?
- Museum of Science spends about 73% of its total expenses on programs, based on its latest IRS Form 990.
- What financial grade does Museum of Science have?
- CharityIndex grades Museum of Science B+, based on program efficiency and fundraising cost.
- How much does Museum of Science's highest-paid employee make?
- The highest reported compensation on Museum of Science's latest Form 990 is $513,881, paid to Timothy Ritchie (President).
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Explore more
Data for Museum of Science (EIN 04-2103916) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.