Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus

What Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus does

The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1973 and operating from a single 60,000 sq ft campus at 2121 Children's Museum Drive in Denver, CO. It delivers hands-on, play-based learning experiences for children newborn through age 8 and their caregivers through a portfolio of 16 proprietary exhibits organized into four categories: Investigate (Water, Kinetics!, Bubbles, Energy), Imagine (Fire Station No. 1, Ready Vet Go, My Market, Book Nook), Explore (Joy Park, Box Canyon, Altitude, Bloom, Adventure Forest), and Create (Art Studio, Teaching Kitchen, Assembly Plant). In-house exhibit design capabilities, including the 500 ft Adventure Forest course (opened 2019) and Bloom newborn space (opened 2023), support both internal programming and external design services via its Skyhouse Studio subsidiary.

The museum operates a diversified revenue model across general admission ($17.75-$19.75 per visitor), annual memberships ($147-$242), workshops ($22-$32 per session), venue rentals ($1,300-$10,000+), corporate sponsorships ($1,000-$50,000+), foundation grants, individual donations, plus café and gift shop retail. Distribution channels include direct front-desk sales, online ticketing, CityPASS tourism bundles, corporate bulk membership sales, school outreach across a seven-county metro area, and field trips at $11.50/child. Access programs including SNAP ($3/person), Sponsored Admissions, and the Five by Five partnership with Denver Great Kids Head Start served 134,000+ admissions in the last fiscal year, demonstrating significant community reach. The museum participates in the ACM Reciprocal Network offering member discounts at 200+ children's museums nationally.

The museum is governed by an independent board, has no parent company or external equity owners, and is led by co-CEOs Gretchen Kerr and Mike Yankovich under a leadership model announced in January 2026. Additional revenue diversification includes partnerships with Butterfly Pavilion (combo memberships), Denver Parks and Recreation (Joy Park co-programming), DreamWorks Animation (Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days), and numerous foundation and corporate sponsors.

Name

Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus

Legal name

Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus

Website

https://mychildsmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a single Denver campus with 16 interactive exhibits delivering play-based learning experiences to children newborn through age 8 and their families through admissions, memberships, workshops, venue rentals, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum / Family Cultural Attraction

NAICS

Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO), Hands-on Science Exploration & Experiments (Lab Kits, Science Clubs) (EDAMABAA)

Keywords

• Children's museum exhibits
• Play-based learning
• Early childhood education
• Family attraction venue
• Interactive STEM exhibits

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Revenue from daily admission fees charged to visitors. Children under age 1 are free, ages 1 and 60+ are $17.75, ages 2-59 are $19.75. Members receive free admission. $12 Tuesday Nights offer discounted evening admission.
2. Memberships: Annual membership programs including Family ($177), Family Plus ($207), Just for Two ($147), Grandparent, Childcare Provider, and Combo memberships with Butterfly Pavilion. Memberships provide free general admission, guest passes, discounts, and ACM Reciprocal Network benefits.
3. Venue Rentals: Rental of museum spaces including Skyline Gallery & Terrace (starting $3,250), full museum rental (starting $10,000), meeting spaces, birthday parties, and corporate events. Capacity ranges from 50-1,250 guests depending on space.
4. Gift Shop and Café: Retail sales at the gift shop featuring toys and gifts from companies like TY, FatBrain, Green Toys, Manhattan Toy Co. Café offers sandwiches, snacks, salads and beverages. Members receive 10% discount.
5. Workshops: Fee-based workshops in the Teaching Kitchen for families. Workshops are $22 per member, $32 per non-member and include museum admission for the whole day. Examples include pretzel-making workshops.
6. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the museum relies on donations from individuals, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. Corporate sponsorship opportunities range from $1,000-$50,000+ for events, programs, and exhibits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus operates a hands-on, interactive children's museum serving children newborn through age 8 with 16+ proprietary exhibits spanning STEM, creativity, physical development, and early literacy. Beyond exhibits, it sells annual memberships, fee-based workshops and camps, school field trip and outreach programs, venue rentals for corporate and private events, and on-site café and gift shop retail.

Product overview

Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus is a 501(c)(3) non-profit children's museum offering a portfolio of 16 interactive exhibits organized into four categories: Investigate (Water, Kinetics!, Bubbles, Energy), Imagine (Fire Station No. 1, Ready Vet Go, My Market, Book Nook), Explore (Joy Park, Box Canyon, Altitude, Bloom, Adventure Forest), and Create (The Art Studio, The Teaching Kitchen, Assembly Plant). The museum serves children newborn through age 8 and their families with hands-on, play-based learning experiences. Beyond exhibits, the museum offers membership programs, venue rentals, educational workshops, school outreach programs, field trips, café services, and a gift shop. The museum is located at 2121 Children's Museum Drive in Denver, CO 80211.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Exhibit

Quantifiable outcome

• 134,000+ admissions provided through access programs in last fiscal year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• DreamWorks AnimationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2026Collaboration on Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days special event. Three-day event with multiple activations throughout museum and Meet & Greet with Gabby character. Partnership through Association of Children's Museums.
• Denver CityPASScoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership allows tourists to purchase bundled tickets to the Children's Museum along with other Denver attractions at up to 42% savings. Museum appears on citypass.com Denver attraction listings. Provides steady tourist traffic through CityPASS distribution channel.
• Denver Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Joy Park outdoor exhibits. Joint programming for Joy Park Free Nights events. Denver Parks and Recreation supports outdoor exhibit space adjacent to museum.
• Association of Children's MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enables special programming like Gabby's Dollhouse events. Museum participates in ACM Reciprocal Network allowing members discounted admission to 200+ children's museums. Trade organization support.
• Goodheart Animal Health CentersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Ready Vet Go veterinary care exhibit. Provides in-kind support for the pretend-play veterinary exhibit.
• Denver TrolleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive discount for museum members to ride Denver Trolley - up to 4 children ages 12 and under ride free with adult ticket purchase.
• Butterfly PavilioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCombo family membership partnership allows families to visit both attractions with single membership. Combo memberships available at Family ($239) and Family Plus ($275) levels.
• Reach Out and Read ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Book Nook literacy programming. Supports StoryTime events and early literacy initiatives in the Book Nook exhibit.
• Delta Dental of ColoradominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Wellness Warriors school program. Supports early childhood health and wellness education programming.
• Ball FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Healthy Planet Heroes school program. Supports environmental education and recycling awareness programming.
• The Sturm Family FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Education Studios - Group Entrance area.
• Daniels FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Skyline Gallery South education space.
• Colorado Health FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Joy Park outdoor exhibits and Teaching Kitchen programs. Supports health and wellness programming.
• Children's Hospital ColoradominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPreferred partner supporting Joy Park programs and overall museum mission. Sponsorship of outdoor exploration and nature programming.
• IKEAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSelect furnishings and products generously provided by IKEA for Education Studios and Art Studio exhibits.
• Denver Great Kids Head Start ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive by Five Program partnership provides free museum admission to students enrolled in Denver Great Kids Head Start and their families (up to 7 people). QR code scanning required for entry.
• SPECTRA Autism Center, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership created in developing accessibility training for museum staff to ensure inclusive experiences for children with disabilities.
• SpotHerominorGTM or Marketing PartnerThird-party parking reservation platform for museum event parking during Broncos games and other downtown events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world, operating a similar hands-on exhibit model for young children and families, with comparable revenue mix of admission, memberships, donations, and corporate sponsorships. Closest analog in mission, scale, and operating model.
• Children's Museum of Houston: Major regional children's museum operating a similar exhibit portfolio, membership program, and school outreach business for young children and families. Directly comparable in scale, programming mix, and community-focused nonprofit model.
• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and most established children's museums in the U.S., offering hands-on exhibits and educational programming for young children. Directly comparable in mission, exhibit-led business model, and museum-based revenue streams.
• Marbles Kids Museum: Raleigh, NC-based children's museum with a hands-on, play-based exhibit philosophy targeting young children. Similar revenue model combining admission, memberships, donations, venue rentals, and corporate partnerships.
• Kidspace Children's Museum: Pasadena, CA children's museum with indoor-outdoor exhibits focused on early childhood learning through play. Similar mix of proprietary exhibits, memberships, school programs, and community access initiatives.
• Children's Museum of Atlanta: Atlanta-based children's museum serving young children with interactive exhibits, workshops, and educational programs. Directly comparable in mission, target age range (newborn-8), and nonprofit museum operating structure.
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: San Jose-based children's museum with interactive exhibits, membership programs, and community access initiatives targeting young children and families. Directly comparable in mission and nonprofit operating model.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-based children's museum focused on play-based learning for children through age 8, with comparable exhibit structure, membership tiers, and venue rental offerings. Closely aligned target demographic and operating approach.
• Glazer Children's Museum: Tampa, FL children's museum offering hands-on, play-based exhibits for young children. Comparable in scale, exhibit-led operating model, and nonprofit membership-and-admission revenue structure.

Regional players

• Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Larger, science-focused museum located in Denver, sharing the same metro audience, SCFD funding district, and corporate sponsorship pool. Operates as a broader science institution rather than a children's-specialist, but competes for family visitation and field-trip dollars in the same market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=kIWguxeeLuM
• Facebookfacebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10158792015847585&type=3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus