The New Childrens Museum
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The New Childrens Museum (the Museum) in San Diego is an arts-based childrens museum whose mission is to stimulate imagination, creativity, and critical thinking in children and families through inventive, engaging experiences with contemporary art.The Museums vision is to address a critical need in our society and become a leader in engaging children through contemporary art in order to help develop the skills needed for the 21st century. Its virtual and onsite activities build on research about brain development, play, and engagement with art.
- Income
- $6.1 million
- Spending
- $5.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 72%
- Reserves
- 5.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 45%
- Employees
- 82
- Volunteers
- 18
- Highest pay
- $245,600, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 67% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1572% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 25 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2515 of 15 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $4.3 million spent. The Museum opened in a La Jolla shopping center in 1983 and moved to its current downtown location in 1993. Renaming itself the San Diego Childrens Museum/Museo de los Nios, it was among the first childrens museums to emphasize bilingual engagement and cross-border artist commissions. In 2003, the Museum closed its doors to function without walls while constructing a new home. For five years, community outreach, including to San Diegos underserved communities and schools, was its entire focus.In 2008, the Museum opened in its current, environmentally sustainable, three-story, 50,000 square-foot facility (designed by architect Rob Quigley). The Museum renamed itself The New Childrens Museum, with the word new signifying that it was a new model of childrens museum, focused on commissioning immersive contemporary art. The Museum is a community resource serving all of San Diego, and a backyard for urban families living downtown. The Museum provides a safe and engaging place to play and impacts the San Diego economy by providing work for artists, classes and camps, and a destination for local families as well as regional, national, and international tourists.The Museum was one of only five museums awarded the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service in recognition of its outstanding service to the community. Widespread access continues to be the cornerstone of the Museums philosophy; with over 26% of its annual visitors coming for free or at discounted rates each year through an array of community access initiatives and partnerships.In May 2021, the Museum reopened to the public after a 14-month pandemic closure. After two months of being open, the Museum welcomed its 2,000,000th visitors in July 2021. The following month, the Museum opened its first stand-alone satellite location in North County San Diego, called the Art + Play Space, with a smaller (2,000 square foot) version of its downtown offerings. The Museum also provides pop-up artmaking and programming at Studio by the Bay, an art studio partnership with Seaport Village.The Museum is an arts-based childrens museum that serves as a community resource for early childhood creativity through contemporary art and open play. It invites families to think, play, and create in multiple ways: Children touch, jump, climb, and crawl as they physically explore large-scale, interactive installations created by commissioned contemporary artists. Each is notable for its aesthetics, conceptual ideas, creativity, playability, and layered interactions. Recently commissioned installations (late 2020 2021) include: Energized! by Regan Russell; Brian and the Bugs by Katie Ruiz; El Ms All by Panca Villaseor; In the Balance by Risa Puno; and Teatro Piata by David Reynoso. The Museum offers art-making and educational themes in its studio spaces through drop-in activities and scheduled workshops that are free with admission. Studio spaces currently include tikitiko by Tanya Aguiiga, where young visitors explore manipulatives that stimulate the senses; The Rosso Family Foundation Innovators LAB, the Museums makerspace where children explore STEAM-based projects; Clay Studio, where visitors sculpt and take-home clay creations; Paint Studio, that lets children paint a full-sized object (currently a pickup truck); and Toddler Time workshops that include finger painting, movement, music, and story time. Distance learning offerings created during the pandemic through @thinkplaycreatefromhome continued the Museums commitment to art exposure and engagement for children and families. In 2020, the Museum produced 137 videos and 30+ art-making prompts for use at home or in school situations. Conversations with its community partners in diverse neighborhoods serving low-income families identified the need for low-tech creative options as well. The Museum responded with 13,240 Arts/Learning Kits containing basic art supplies like paper, colored pens/pencils, safety scissors, and activity pages (sometimes bilingual). The Art/Learning Kits continue to be offered to community partners and schools, enabling them to choose from in-person or virtual creative engagement based on comfort level.Community engagement is critical to our mission, and we continually evaluate the needs of underserved audiences. The imperative to meet the needs and provide access to all audiences has long been emphasized by the Board. The Museum has built relationships with hundreds of schools, social service agencies, and community organizations since opening in 2008. Fueled by research that students from low socio-economic backgrounds who are exposed to the arts make greater academic and professional increases than their more privileged peers, the Museum has developed a robust community access program to serve children and families (in order of attendance): Salute Our Troops San Diego is home to the largest population of active-duty military, returning veterans, and military families in the nation. These families face unique challenges, including frequent moves, deployments, and readjustments to home life. The Museums military access program focuses on providing military families with an affordable, enriching place to feel appreciated and at home. Partnerships include National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museums program (free admission to all military from Armed Forces Day to Labor Day); USO San Diego; and Support The Enlisted Program (STEP). School Visits/Title I The New Childrens Museum offers both in-person and virtual tours for schools and other groups from pre-kindergarten through high school. Students, teachers, and chaperones from dozens of schools throughout San Diego come for free or at discounted rates; approximately 60% of all school visits are from Title I schools and Head Start programs. Most school and group visits include participatory, hands-on experiences that encourage inquiry-based learning inspired by the Museums art installations; interdisciplinary applications in th
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since August 1981.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.