Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Dec 1984.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
72 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
20 people listed on the 990; $213K paid to officers and key staff.
Melissa Kaiser’s $263K as CEO is at the 94th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3925 $1–10M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa Kaiser | $262,801 | $241,988 | $218,834 | $211,900 | $213,012 |
| Jodi Gutstein | $120,957 | $113,878 | $107,483 | — | — |
| Caitlin Shea | $118,921 | $109,517 | — | — | — |
| Shirley Cohen-Matthew | $109,669 | — | — | — | — |
| Gary Haleamau | $108,256 | — | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Inspires lifelong learning through playful, educational experiences in a welcoming environment.
Questions for Discovery Childrens Museum
Your first name shows with your question. Discovery Childrens Museum answers here, for everyone.
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Promote and advance the education and interest of southern nevada residents in the arts and sciences, and any other charitable, educational or eleemosynary activity.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $3.3M | $740K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $3.6M | $6.7M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $32.9M | $32.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $40.1M | $40.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.1M | $669K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $39.0M | $39.4M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $213K | $150K | $28K | $35K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.2M | $1.5M | $287K | $354K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $195K | $133K | $53K | $9K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $182K | $88K | $85K | $9K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $151K | $151K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $202K | $66K | $132K | $3K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $103K | $103K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $10K | $7K | $2K | $806 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $624K | $624K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $36K | $40 | $36K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $543K | $488K | $48K | $7K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $4.4M | $3.2M | $823K | $418K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $5.9M | $7.1M | −$1.2M | $43.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $8.8M | $6.5M | $2.3M | $44.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $7.9M | $5.4M | $2.5M | $41.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $4.9M | $5.1M | −$170K | $38.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $4.8M | $4.4M | $398K | $39.4M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $4,840,627 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 19 of 19 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $4,840,627 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,442,936 across 11 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $40,062,236 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $39,392,999 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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