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The Magic House
The Magic House reported $9.6 million in revenue and $9.1 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $79.17 went to program services, $17.40 to management and general costs and $3.43 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 52.9% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $328,559 (PRESIDENT). 6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 9% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $9.1MFor 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
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $9.6MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.2% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.4% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.4% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.11 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 30.7% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 52.9% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $328,559 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 3.63% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 43.5 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 35 of 35 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseMuseum experience - the Magic House opened in 1979 to provide an educational facility for the children of the greater st. Louis area. The museum is committed to hands-on learning and provides multi-curricular exhibits for children ages 1 to 11 years within a 55,000 square foot facility on three acres of outdoor space. In 2019, the Magic House opened a satellite location in the city of st. Louis, made for kids, a 7,000 square foot makerspace with a strong focus on STEM education for children ages 4 to 14 years. Attendance at the Magic House approximated 456,000 in 2025. The attendance at made…
Public programs - the Magic House offers a wide variety of public programs. These include parent-child classes; art and cultural workshops and performances; summer camps; scout programs; birthday parties; and special events such as earth day, fall farm festival and big truck day
School and community programs - the Magic House offers facilitated field trip programs for students ages 3 to 14 that connect to classroom curriculum and meet state and national standards. These educational programs take place at both the Magic House and our satellite location in the city of st. Louis, made for kids, and cover steam (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), social studies, and financial literacy. In 2025, the Magic House provided in-person field trip programs to 32,000 students. Magic House educators also served students through steam family nights and outreach…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $304,823 | $0 | $23,736 | $328,559 |
| CFO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $192,191 | $0 | $16,956 | $209,147 |
| COO Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $132,597 | $0 | $13,416 | $146,013 |
| DIRECTOR OF HR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $114,002 | $0 | $12,666 | $126,668 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $113,199 | $0 | $12,216 | $125,415 |
| DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $101,662 | $0 | $12,216 | $113,878 |
6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Magic House (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $539K (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b35 · 35 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 4No
- 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 5251
- Volunteers Part I, line 6230
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| BADE ROOFING Roofing services | $424,985 |
| MURPHY COMPANY Hvac services | $161,301 |
| ST LOUIS PAVING Paving services | $127,916 |
| INDEPENDENTS GRAPHIC & DISPLAY Printing & graphics services | $113,694 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 6 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
19 private foundations reported grants to The Magic House totaling $1.9M 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 The Magic House's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Magic House, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 The Magic House spent in 2025, $79.17 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame FoundationNew York, NY · revenue $9.6M · programs 85.4% · FY2025
- Big ThoughtDallas, TX · revenue $9.6M · programs 83.7% · FY2025
- Napa Valley Festival AssociationWalnut Creek, CA · revenue $9.4M · programs 66.6% · FY2025
- Cobb Community FoundationAtlanta, GA · revenue $9.7M · programs 94.0% · 2025
- Yerba Buena Center for the ArtsSan Francisco, CA · revenue $9.3M · programs 82.4% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in Missouri
Questions people ask
How much of The Magic House's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, The Magic House reported that 79.2% of its $9.1 million in expenses went to program services, 17.4% to management and general and 3.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Magic House pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Magic House reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $328,559, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Magic House get its money?
Of $9.6 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 30.7% came from contributions and grants and 52.9% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Magic House a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 51-0138441 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202641279349300529 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202511259349300201 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412049349301086 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202331249349302413 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202221159349300912 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202121589349300327 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202011269349301711 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 51-0138441: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.