named programs · 19 · from sources
what they call their work
Art Studio: Creative Expression
Offers hands-on art activities connecting to the real world and other exhibits, promoting fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and imaginative expression through various art mediums and group projects.
BlockMania!
Provides blocks of various sizes, shapes, and colors for children to build and create, testing skills in eye-hand coordination, balance, symmetry, and spatial awareness.
Book Loft: Respite and Resource
A cozy space encouraging reading together, fostering literacy, and offering daily storytime sessions with Museum staff or guest readers.
Building Big
Provides raw materials and found items for children to construct forts, dens, and other shelters, encouraging creative engineering and cooperative building projects.
Camps
Offers various camps for children.
Character Champs
A program focused on character development.
DramaRama
An imaginative space providing costumes for children to engage in role-play and creative storytelling on a stage.
Move It!
An outdoor exhibit space designed for children to learn through play and movement, featuring innovative design and repurposed materials for active exploration and physical activity.
Noodle Forest: Not Your Everyday Noodles
An immersive sensory experience with oodles of noodles suspended from above, designed to activate senses and inspire giggles.
Pedal Power
A space for young visitors to ride tricycles, learn to pedal, test balance, and practice cooperative play, featuring a tricycle "car wash" and a mirrored tunnel.
Pit Stop
Invites visitors to race toy cars on multi-level racetracks and engage in imaginative play with a modified racecar and a real motorcycle.
Room for Threes and Younger
A gallery specifically designed for infants and toddlers, offering components to meet their developmental needs, including crawling areas, sensory exploration, and simple role-play.
Texture Cafe
A child-sized cafe where children use fabrics and materials to create imaginary meals, engaging their senses and creativity in a full-service kitchen setting.
The Children’s Garden
An outdoor garden designed in a leaf pattern with planting beds, an interactive water pump, and hands-on activities to expose children to gardening, plant names, and rich vocabulary.
The Climber
A towering sculpture made from standard building materials and found objects, offering a climbing adventure that stretches muscles and provides a feeling of perceived risk.
The Grand Ballroom
An action-packed room where balls go up, down, and roll around, triggering movement and sounds.
The Market: Role Play Paradise
An exhibit where children engage in role-play activities related to a market, exercising physical, cognitive, and social skills through group play, measuring, and weighing.
The Park
An exhibit where children can climb over, under, and through giant tunnels and pop out of port holes.
Whoosh!
A contraption of connected tubes where children feed scarves into an air-powered structure, experiencing sound, movement, color, and the power of air as scarves shoot up and float down.
activities · 6 clusters
what they do
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School Yearbook and Memory Preservation Programs 4 activities
- Documenting Monroe School HistoryCollected stories and photos from Monroe School alumni into a self-published book and displays alumni photos and a biography of a famous alumnus within the museum's historic entrance.
- Documenting Monroe School HistoryCollected stories and photos from Monroe School alumni into a self-published book titled "Monroe School Stories: Honoring the Past Through the Present."
- Preserving and Showcasing Monroe School HistoryPreserves the history of the historic Monroe School by displaying alumni photos and a biography of a famous alumnus, and by publishing a book of alumni stories and photos.
- Preserving and showcasing Monroe School historyCollects and publishes stories and photos from Monroe School alumni in a self-published book, and displays class photos and information about notable alumni within the museum's historic front entrance.
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Meeting & Conference Room Rental 3 activities
- Hosting Private Events and CelebrationsOffers 50,000 square feet of event space, including "The Monroe" and a Historic Courtyard, for private events ranging from small meetings to large corporate events for up to 2,500 people, as well as family celebrations and all-inclusive prom packages.
- Hosting Private Events and Venue RentalOffers 50,000 square feet of event space, including "The Monroe" event space and a Historic Courtyard, for rent to host a variety of events ranging from small meetings for 25 people to large corporate events for up to 2,500 people, as well as family celebrations and all-inclusive prom packages.
- Hosting private and corporate eventsOffers 50,000 square feet of event space in the historic Monroe School Building, including "The Monroe" event space and a Historic Courtyard, for a variety of events ranging from small meetings to large corporate events for up to 2,500 people, as well as family celebrations and all-inclusive prom packages.
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Event-Focused Internships & Externships 3 activities
- Offering Fellowship OpportunitiesProvides semester-long, paid fellowship opportunities in various administrative and operational areas such as finance, marketing, event planning, and exhibit development.
- Providing Fellowship OpportunitiesOffers semester-long, paid fellowship opportunities in various administrative and operational areas such as finance, marketing, event planning, development, and exhibit/programs/education.
- Providing fellowship opportunitiesOffers semester-long, paid fellowship opportunities in various administrative and programmatic areas, including finance/administration, marketing, event planning, development, and exhibit/programs/education.
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Interactive Children's Museum Programs 3 activities
- Operating an Interactive Children's MuseumOperates a 50,000 square foot children's museum in the historic Monroe School Building, offering over 300 interactive play experiences and exhibits across three floors, including an Art Studio, Book Loft, BlockMania!, Building Big, Children's Garden, The Climber, and a dedicated gallery for infants and toddlers.
- Operating an Interactive Children's MuseumOperates a 50,000 square foot children's museum in the historic Monroe School Building, offering over 300 play experiences across three floors, including interactive exhibits like "BlockMania!", "Building Big," "The Climber," and "Move It!", an Art Studio, and a "Book Loft" for reading and storytime. The museum employs "Playologists" to facilitate play and uses non-toxic, sustainable, and recycled materials in its exhibits and operations.
- Operating an interactive children's museumOperates a 50,000 square foot children's museum in the historic Monroe School Building, offering over 300 play experiences across three floors, including interactive exhibits like "BlockMania!", "The Climber," "Children’s Garden," "Move It!", and an Art Studio, designed to foster creative expression, physical activity, and learning for children.
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Internal Operations Waste Reduction 2 activities
- Promoting Environmental Sustainability within Museum OperationsImplements environmentally friendly practices by using non-toxic and sustainable materials for building, exhibits, and operations, recycling everyday items into art installations, and offering incentives for earth-friendly visitor behavior.
- Promoting environmental sustainabilityImplements earth-friendly and sustainable practices by using non-toxic, renewable, sustainable, and recycled materials for building, exhibits, and supplies, providing interactive projects with recycled materials, and offering incentives for earth-friendly behavior.
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Mobile and Pop-Up Science Education 1 activity
- Operating a traveling exhibit programPreviously operated a "Museum without Walls" traveling exhibit program, which delivered eight hands-on learning experiences to schools and community events, reaching over 275,000 participants between 1998 and 2008.
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financials · form 990 · fy2021
the money
revenue
Total revenue$7.30M
Contributions & grants$5.08M70%
Program service revenue$2.15M29%
Investment income$7K0%
Other revenue$62K
expenses
Total expenses$3.87M
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead24%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$2.17M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$9.72M
Cash$6.04M
Investments$0
Liabilities$843K
Net assets$8.87M
Liquid reserves18.8 mo
3 years on record · 2019–2021 · YoY revenue +143.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2021
who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KATE WELLS | CEO/PRESIDENT | 40 | $180K |
| BETSY FERMAN | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $102K |
| SUSAN KUSTER | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $102K |
board members · 22
- ALLISON OTU MBA — DIRECTOR
- ANA PEREIRA — DIRECTOR
- ANDREA L STONE — IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
- ANGEL JANNASCH-PENNELL PHD — CHAIR
- BRIAN CAMPBELL — DIRECTOR
- DONNA WILLIAMS — DIRECTOR
- ERICA MAXWELL — DIRECTOR
- GENNARO GARCIA — DIRECTOR
- HEATH SCHEID — DIRECTOR
- KORY LEADON — DIRECTOR
- KRISTIN WINDTBERG — SECRETARY
- KWEILIN WALLER — DIRECTOR
- LLOYD HOPKINS — DIRECTOR
- NICK REED — VICE CHAIR
- RITA BOSTICK — DIRECTOR
- RYAN HALE — TREASURER
- SCOTT HORN — DIRECTOR
- SHAYLON LOVELL — DIRECTOR
- STEFANIE ZEBELMAN — DIRECTOR
- STEPHANIE TRIBE — DIRECTOR
- TERRY WOODBECK MD — DIRECTOR
- YESENIA SIMMONS CPA MTAX — DIRECTOR
relationships · 23
who they work with
- ADM Architecture Group Partner — Dr. Giovanna Grijalva, a Board member, is Client Relations Director at ADM Architecture Group.
- AHA Alliance, LLC Partner — Erica Maxwell, a Board member, is Founder of AHA Alliance, LLC.
- APS Partner — Ashton Princell, a Board member, is Public Affairs Manager, Local Government Relations at APS.
- AzTAP Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities Partner — Conducted an accessibility evaluation of the Museum in August 2008.
- BMO Commercial Bank Partner — Janel Baca Rardin, Development Chair of the Board, is Vice President, Sr. Commercial Relationship Manager at BMO Commercial Bank.
- Baker Tilly US, LLP Partner — Brian Campbell, a Board member, is a Partner at Baker Tilly US, LLP.
- Brighton Jones Partner — Kory Leadon, a Board member, is Personal CFO at Brighton Jones.
- Edward Jones Partner — Mo Sobki, a Board member, is Analytics Consultant Leader and Head of Competitive Intelligence at Edward Jones.
- Junior League of Phoenix Partner — Has a classroom named after the Junior League of Phoenix, used for meetings.
- Marion Wiener Government — Director of Marketing and Communications, primary contact for media inquiries
- Marisa Camarillo Partner — Partner Relations Coordinator who receives internship applications
- Million Dollar Teacher Project Partner — Lloyd Hopkins, a Board member, is Executive Director/Founder of Million Dollar Teacher Project.
- National Association of Realtors Partner — Sydney Gallego, a Board member, is Director, Government Advocacy at the National Association of Realtors.
- Noble Bread Partner — Sells specialty baked goods from this local favorite in the Museum's Café.
- Osborn Maledon, P.A. Partner — Kristin Windtberg, Chair of the Board, is a Partner at Osborn Maledon, P.A.
- PNC Public Finance Partner — Samantha L. Funk, Governance Chair of the Board, is Managing Director, West Region Executive at PNC Public Finance.
- Roland Corporation Partner — Joey Manfre, a Board member, is Vice President of Creative at Roland Corporation.
- San Consulting Services Partner — Katherine Fairbanks Sam, a Board member, is Founder of San Consulting Services.
- Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University Partner — Allison Otu, Secretary of the Board, is Executive Director, Marketing & Strategic Communications at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University.
- Süss Pastries Partner — Sells specialty baked goods from this local favorite in the Museum's Café.
- U.S. Bank Partner — Ryan Hale, Treasurer of the Board, is Vice President/District Manager at U.S. Bank.
- Valle del Sol Partner — Mike Renaud, a Board member, is President & CEO of Valle del Sol.
- Western Alliance Bank Partner — Marty Martin III, a Board member, is Asset Liability Risk Manager at Western Alliance Bank.