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Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Cleveland Museum of Natural History reported $31.6 million in revenue and $26.3 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $61.90 went to program services, $17.49 to management and general costs and $20.61 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 75.8% of the total. Government grants made up 8.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $723,992 (CEO). 14 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 76% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $26MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $32M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$66.83 $21M
- Government grants$8.68 $2.8M
- Program service revenue$11.87 $3.8M
- Investment income$12.62 $4.0M
Other revenue was negative: −$102K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 61.9% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.5% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 20.6% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.23 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 75.8% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 8.7% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 11.9% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $723,992 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.75% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 14 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 155.4 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 28 of 28 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseDivision of research and collections: a total of 150 new specimens were accessioned to collections, 102 requests by external researchers were fulfilled, 14 behind the scenes tours, and 292 public inquiries were fielded. The research staff published 6 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Published scientific studies include paleontology, investigations into early hominin behavior, and tool use as they relate to human evolution. Field research was conducted in kenya, new mexico, northern ohio, and the great lakes region, all of which advance the research endeavors of the museum's scientific…
Exhibits: the museum continued to display jane the t. Rex at the cleveland hopkins international airport.the temporary exhibits "finding lucy and "discovering dunkleosteus" were deinstalled in visitor hall and corning gallery in march. 2025.the museum presented the "wildlife photographer of the year" exhibit on loan from the Natural History Museum in london starting in april, 2025. This exhibit was shown in corning gallery, the visitor hall, and the education hallway.objects were installed in five cases in the planetarium, including "cosmo" the meteorite.the remainder of the museum opened in…
Education: the museum offers unique learning opportunities including hands-on workshops, gallery displays, health programs, planetarium shows, live animal programs and self-conducted exhibits, outreach and award winning interactive videoconferencing programs. The museum provided on-site school programs for 18,951 students and delivered outreach programs to 4,721 students and teachers during fiscal year 2025. The museum was also able to engage 4,684 students and teachers from 7 states and 2 countries via the interactive videoconferencing studios. Overall, we reached 36,269 students and…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $703,292 | $0 | $20,700 | $723,992 |
| CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $215,609 | $0 | $82,366 | $297,975 |
| SENIOR VP & CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $199,213 | $0 | $31,278 | $230,491 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $192,606 | $0 | $30,847 | $223,453 |
| CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER Officer, 60.00 hrs/week | $153,262 | $0 | $45,376 | $198,638 |
| SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE CEO Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $160,968 | $0 | $28,706 | $189,674 |
| DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $129,782 | $0 | $54,136 | $183,918 |
| CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 60.00 hrs/week | $163,958 | $0 | $9,520 | $173,478 |
14 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.5M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b28 · 28 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5224
- Volunteers Part I, line 6218
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| DESIGN AND PRODUCTION INC Exhibit mgmt.&fabrication | $15,087,294 |
| PANZICA CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Construction | $13,506,602 |
| GALLAGHER & ASSOCIATES LLC Design services | $2,011,400 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 23 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
81 private foundations reported grants to Cleveland Museum of Natural History totaling $5.0M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Cleveland Museum of Natural History's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Cleveland Museum of Natural History, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Cleveland Museum of Natural History spent in FY2025, $61.90 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Paper Mill PlayhouseMillburn, NJ · revenue $31M · programs 81.5% · FY2025
- Petersen Automotive Museum FoundationLos Angeles, CA · revenue $32M · programs 84.3% · 2025
- Portland Art MuseumPortland, OR · revenue $31M · programs 76.7% · FY2025
- The Denver Art Museum FoundationDenver, CO · revenue $32M · programs 95.2% · FY2025
- Atlanta Historical SocietyAtlanta, GA · revenue $31M · programs 74.5% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Ohio
Questions people ask
How much of Cleveland Museum of Natural History's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Cleveland Museum of Natural History reported that 61.9% of its $26.3 million in expenses went to program services, 17.5% to management and general and 20.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Cleveland Museum of Natural History pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Cleveland Museum of Natural History reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $723,992, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Cleveland Museum of Natural History get its money?
Of $31.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 75.8% came from contributions and grants (including 8.7% from government grants) and 11.9% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Cleveland Museum of Natural History a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 34-0714338 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202601289349301425 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202541359349314034 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202411349349300316 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202301289349300800 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202231369349313428 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202111319349301661 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 34-0714338: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.