2018 annual report Big Fun, Tons of Learning We had a tremendous year. Together, we inspired more play, strengthened community partnerships JOINING FORCES WITH PARENTS ENSURING ACCESS FOR ALL and served more families than ever before. TO INSPIRE MORE PLAY The museum’s Play for All programs ensure all families have access to the museum and the benefits of playful learning. The museum extends the power of play beyond our walls. The newly renovated and expanded museum in downtown St. Paul shined as the star attraction. We serve as an ally to parents, providing resources to Kids powered their own play in 10 new permanent exhibits, discovering their own interests, trying new help them enhance their child’s play in the museum and everywhere else. Play for All programs ensure things and blazing their own trails. access for all families. Museum signage, tips via text messaging, a digital museum guide and a resource center on mcm.org help parents learn more about how to support playful learning. Spinning up some fun. FLEXIBLE DESIGN ADDS VARIETY The design of the new museum is flexible, so exhibits Helping parents support change and adapt to offer new experiences to visitors and playful learning. give kids a chance to try something new each time they visit. Among the dynamic experiences: The Studio in the Target Gallery saw the featured material change from paper to clay to fabric. The sticker room in Creativity Jam in the Target Gallery transformed into a musical playground. The Landing on the 4th floor featured spinning chairs and later a summer “day at the lake.” We provide a variety of ways to visit at free or reduced prices, including All Play scholarship memberships. Nearly 40,000 scholarship members visited this past year, up more than 75% from before the expansion. ADULTS PLAY, TOO! The museum also builds alliances with partner organizations Family Nights are another way we engage more deeply with Creativity Jam is a flexible space to reach even more parents. Ultimately, our goal is for Adults are always welcome and encouraged to play in the families – and this past year we served 45% more families for collaborative experiences. children (and adults!) to PLAY MORE. museum, but this year we created special events just for through these special events. Thanks to generous support them – no kids allowed. Learning in Action from the community, 20% of the museum’s audience enjoys free or reduced price admission. We hosted two Adults@Play nights where a 21+ crowd ate, Play builds creativity, critical thinking, confidence and other drank and played like kids again throughout the museum. vital skills. When we see kids growing and learning in the A huge hit! museum (and we see that a lot!), we recognize them with a sticker. Nearly 800 adults had a blast during Kids love getting the stickers — and parents take note of the the first Adults@Play event. skills their children build through play. Stickers spotlight RAVE REVIEWS learning moments. “My children had an absolute BLAST!! On top of having fun, they were LEARNING through exploration. We all cannot wait to go back!!” New citizens and big smiles. “Love this place...I love that each time we go we can mix it up, so it’s like a new adventure each visit!” “This place is amazing, it gives kids the power All Are Welcome to invent, create, imagine, to try — We are committed to creating an inclusive space for all it really gives them a place to just be kids!” families. One example: during a special U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ceremony at the museum, more than ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 20 children from 12 countries received citizenship certificates. by the numbers VOLUNTEER POWER RECORD ATTENDANCE St. Paul: Up nearly 20 percent from pre-expansion average We welcomed more than 1,591 volunteers donated over 565,000 438,026 531,000 VISITORS 26,000 HOURS OF SERVICE in St. Paul and Rochester 5-Year FY18 Average Attendance We delighted more than ROCHESTER GOING STRONG CHAMPIONING THE POWER OF PLAY 21,000 member families Welcomed more than with powerful play experiences Launched parent resource center 34,000 on MCM.ORG SERVING 6% VISITORS & MINNESOTA North: Anoka 9% Minneapolis NEARLY 1,000 MEMBER FAMILIES AND BEYOND 17% • Play tips 11% East: Ramsey • Videos % of visitors Saint Paul & Washington, NEXT UP: • Research excluding St Paul A new era in a • Parent stories 14% West: Hennepin & Carver, Greater MN permanent home excluding Minneapolis 17% 12% South: Dakota & Scott 13% Outside MN Everyone had lots of fun! ACCESS FOR ALL Partnered with 15 organizations on More than Over Nearly Provided nearly 12,000 6,000 400,000 20 family access nights attended by ping pong balls pounds of clay shaped stickers stuck on walls launched and molded and furniture 5,000 nearly 7,000 parents and kids scholarship memberships to low-income families Donors to Minnesota Children’s Museum provide critical support to help us spark children’s learning through play. Gail and Greg Peterson The museum is honored to receive support from numerous INDIVIDUAL $500-$999 Our Generous Donors Scott and Jenny Slipy Anonymous corporations, organizations, government entities and individuals. CONTRIBUTORS Steven and Suzanne Stensrud Santiago Abraham $25,000 and above Terri Tersteeg and James Peterson Rohn and Joan Anderson The Driscoll Foundation Jon and Lea Theobald Garrett and Michaella Backes Lisa Farrell Drs. Mark and Mary Warner Kenneth Brown Verizon Foundation Minnesota Corrugated Box, Inc. CORPORATE, FOUNDATION Martha M. MacMillan Andrew and Cate Zinkel Mr. and Mrs. David K. Cummings Wells Fargo Bank and Foundation Minnesota Energy Resources Mr. and Mrs. John G. Ordway, Jr. Gregg and Mary Dourgarian AND GOVERNMENT Minnesota Nelson Tree Service $1,000-$2,499 and their family Elizabeth A. Dunn CONTRIBUTORS YOXO Pace International Siyad Abdullahi Sharla Frenzel Paramark Real Estate Services $10,000-$24,999 Mark Addicks $100,000 and above $5,000-$9,999 Allison L. Gredesky Pasquale and Friends Corporation Sarah J. Andersen and Chris Hayner Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund through Boss Foundation Anonymous Shelley and Jeff Henry Patterson Dahlberg Injury Lawyers Kevin and Lisa Armstrong Minnesota Humanities Commission Emerson Tom and Amara Abood Bob Ingrassia and Lida Poletz People’s Energy Cooperative Corie Barry Minnesota Department of Education Event Lab, LLC Kelly and John Baker Dr. Arthur W. Kaemmer Premier Banks Christopher and Kelly Bellini State of Minnesota Hardenbergh Foundation Chad and Maggie Dayton Alexandra and Robert Klas The Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation Ann and Jay Boekhoff Target Foundation Hightop Hospitality Ann Ferreira and Jon Reissner Scott and Amy Liebl Re/Max Results Adam Bowman Margaret H. & James E. Kelley Foundation, Inc. Amy Giovanini and Ben Ahrens Dana Lonn $50,000-$99,999 Red Wing Shoe Company Foundation Matthew and Ashley Brown Lancer Hospitality Dan and Jill Gustafson John and Jennifer Marshall 3M Foundation Rochester Framing & Fine Art Printing Burdick Family Fund of John Larsen Foundation Rick and Gretchen Jelinek Andrea & Larry McGough Fund of the City of St. Paul Cultural STAR Program Rochester Lapidary Jewelers The Minneapolis Foundation Lurie LLP William and Martha Rappaport Meyers Catholic Community Foundation David B. Jones Foundation Rochester Motor Cars Elaine Case McCracken Manzey Consulting Susan Oberman Smith and Doug Smith Jim and Natalie Mulrooney Ecolab Foundation RSM US LLP Cashill Family Pentair Foundation Suzanne C. and William B. Payne Joseph and Lisa Olson General Mills Foundation Smith Schafer & Associates, LTD Connie Dahlberg Polaris Industries Inc William and Cindy Schmoker through the Christy O’Shea Novak and Joby Novak Pixel Farm Sterling State Bank Julia W. Dayton PwC William Schmoker Family Foundation Ryan and Aly Palmer Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Titan Development and Investments Martha Dayton and Thomas Nelson Margaret Rivers Fund Ed and Val Spencer Marcus and Ali Ploeger Thrivent Mutual Funds TLS Companies LLC Paul and Lori Delahunt RBC Foundation — USA Rebecca Poindexter UnitedHealth Group Wendland Utz, Ltd $5,000-$9,999 Deanna Deutsch RBC Wealth Management Nikos Raleigh Winona State University William and Caroline Au-Yeung Liz Deziel and Tom Stukel $25,000-$49,999 Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation William Bowman Julie R. Domaille Rhoda and Paul Redleaf Andersen Corporation and Foundation Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community $250-$999 Steve Christenson and Lisa Hondros Beth Dooley John Riehle Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Tennant Foundation Anonymous Elizabeth and Gregg Cummings Richard and Beverly Fink Family Foundation William and Dolores Rivard Foundation Think Mutual Bank 2 Gingers HT Fish and Kathryn Nelson Dr. Randal and Loree Flick Nora Rogers Hugh J. Andersen Foundation U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management Altra Federal Credit Union Julie Joyce and Kyle Falconbury Jeff and Kristi Fox Elizabeth and John Sebastian Katherine B. Andersen Fund of Walmart Stores Associated Bank Dianne and Scott Krizan Janel Goff, Goff Investment Group Mr. and Mrs. James F. Sloan The Saint Paul Foundation Black Tie Sound & Light $2,500-$4,999 The William Plummer Family Carl Granberg Jeanne Vergeront and Andrew Dick Best Buy Company, Inc. and Foundation Café Steam Ronda and Rodney Wescott Bleu Duck Kitchen Jean Schlemmer Barbara Hahn and Paul Neseth BMO Harris Bank Cambria Cozen O’Connor The Seremet Family Foundation Tom Handley $250-$499 Bremer Bank, St. Paul Custom Alarm/Custom Communications Ecolab Helene and Jeff Slocum Jack Hansen and Joan Legare Hansen Anonymous City of Rochester Dolan Printing HealthPartners Robert and Carolyn Wollan John Heizer Susan and David Ahlquist Dellwood Foundation, Inc. Dunlap & Seeger, P.A. Kraus-Anderson Construction Company Leigh and Judy Johnson Keven Ambrus The Donaldson Foundation Energy Products and Design $2,500-$4,999 Olmsted Medical Center Steve King and Susan Boren Josh Bargfrede The Hearst Foundation, Inc. Fiddlehead Coffee Co.