THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

200 W ISLAND AVE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-6850

Principal officer (990 for 2025)

ELIZABETH YANG-HELLEWELL, 200 WEST ISLAND AVENUE, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101

Signed the 990

ELIZABETH YANG-HELLEWELL, CEO

Phone

(619) 233-8792

Website

WWW.THINKPLAYCREATE.ORG

Return prepared by

Leaf & Cole LLP

California records

California keeps its own records of charities and corporations. Search them by EIN 95-3619583 or by the name THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM.

Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers

Registration status and filed reports (CT-TR-1, RRF-1)

Secretary of State, bizfile Online

Corporation status, entity number, agent for service

Franchise Tax Board

Entity status letter (state tax exemption, good standing)

Mission

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.

Program accomplishments

• 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 visitor in July 2021.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 2024) include: Future Ancestral Technologies: Odyssey by Cannupa Hanska Luger; Disco Rainbow Cave by Tanya Aguiniga; The Breathing Room by Michelle Montjoy; El Ms All by Panca Villaseor; Wondersound, Cavern Light by Wes Bruce 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 Disco Rainbow Cave by Tanya Aguiiga, where young visitors explore manipulatives that stimulate the senses; The Rosso Family Foundation Innovators LAB, the Museums makerspace where children explore art projects; Clay Studio, where visitors sculpt and take-home clay creations; Paint Studio, that lets children paint a full-sized object (currently the Loving Dragon); and Toddler Time workshops that include finger painting, movement, music, and story time.In 2025, the Museum expanded its commitment to creative access and engagement for children and families through a range of in-person programs and community partnerships. The Museum operated a robust school visit and school partnership program, serving over 3,700 students through hands-on, art-based learning experiences.The Museum also continued to provide Arts/Learning Kits to community partners and schools, offering flexible opportunities for creative engagement both on-site and in community settings. These kits include basic art supplies and guided activities designed to support learning and creativity in diverse environments.Throughout the year, the Museum presented programs aligned with its thematic arc Science Fiction Creates the Future, including four author visits as part of its Seeding Futures series, as well as cross-generational Seed to Tree workshops that connected storytelling, contemporary art, and hands-on making. The Museum also hosted Mass Creativity Day, a large-scale free community festival that welcomed 1,325 attendees and brought together artists, community partners, and families in a shared creative experience.In 2025, the Museum further expanded its on-site offerings with the opening of the Artopia Studios, including a new ceramics studio that enabled the introduction of robust ceramics programming for the first time. The Museum also increased its focus on early childhood engagement, hosting over 50 toddlers and early learning workshops across the year.Community engagement is central to the Museums mission, and it continually assesses the needs of underserved audiences. The commitment to equitable access has long been a priority of the Board. Since opening its current facility in 2008, the Museum has built partnerships with hundreds of schools, social service agencies, and community organizations. Guided by research demonstrating that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds experience significant academic and professional gains through arts exposure, the Museum has developed a robust community access program serving children and families. School Visits/Title I The 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 the classroom of the following subjects: visual arts, reading, writing, social studies and science and grade level, age-appropriate and standards-aligned activities. Museums for All Museums for All is a collaborative initiative between the Association of Childrens Museums and the Institute of Museum and Library Services that promotes regular museum attendance among families of all backgrounds. Through the program, EBT (including WIC) cardholders can purchase admission for up to four people at $5 per person. pARTners in Creativity Children and chaperones come from twelve social service agencies working with abuse/neglect, homelessness, low literacy, mental and physical disabilities, substance abuse, and migrant issues. Groups enjoy free visits in a safe environment with activities geared to their needs. The Museum also assembles and creates kits with programming and supplies to bring to the organizations if their families prefer an at-home experience. Accessibility Mornings Children with stimulus sensitivities and their family/caretakers can enjoy the Museums installations and programming on designated mornings once a quarter, prior to the Museum opening to the public. Rx for Art + Play is the Museums partnership with Childrens Primary Care Medical Group (CPCMG), bringing low-to-moderate income families to the Museum through a free membership prescribed by participating pediatricians. The program includes a year-long Museum membership, free parking, a picture book, and an accompanying kit of art activities and supplies designed to support creative play at home.In 2025, 265 families participated as members with many more using the art kits for at home art education and engagement, reflecting continued growth. The program supports early childhood development and family well-being by connecting healthcare providers with creative, hands-on learning experiences at the Museum and at home. Other Kids Free October, Museum month in February, cross-membership promotions, and other initiatives provide additional opportunities to visit the Museum for free or deeply discounted each year. Mass Creativity Day and Workshops Since 2013, the Mass Creativity program has impacted more than 20 diverse community groups, including Barrio Logan College Institute, Barrio Logan; Casa Familiar; San Ysidro; City Heights/Weingart Library, City Heights; Paradise Hills/Skyline Hills Library, Paradise Hills; The San Diego LGBT Community Center, Hillcrest; Solutions for Change, Vista; and South Bay Community Services, Chula Vista. The workshop series culminates each June on Mass Creativity Day, when participants and the public come to the Museum and its park for a free festival of artmaking, music, and fun. Mass Creativity workshops were held virtually in 2020 and 2021 and resumed in person in 2022.Feedback from evaluations, observations, and community partners consistently affirms the Museums theory of change: that small successes experienced through open play and art activities help build essential skills, including confidence, optimism, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and resilience. These competencies reflect the Museums intended impact and ali
  Expenses $4,182,845 · revenue $2,748,774

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

95-3619583

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1981

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Arts, culture and humanities (A520)

Assets (IRS master file)

$19,423,421

Income (IRS master file)

$5,004,774

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 95-3619583).

Questions about THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM

What is the EIN of THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM?

The employer identification number (EIN) of THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM is 95-3619583.

Is THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1981.

Are donations to THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM due?

The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.

Who is the principal officer of THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names ELIZABETH YANG-HELLEWELL.

Who are the officers and directors of THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 21 people; 4 received compensation from the organization, the highest $206,243 (ELIZABETH YANG-HELLEWELL, CEO).

How much revenue does THE NEW CHILDRENS MUSEUM have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $4,916,057, expenses of $6,036,527 and total assets of $19,423,421 at year end.

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