Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota

Name

Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota

Legal name

Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota

Website

https://cmsouthernmn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mankato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Daily admission at $13 per person for ages 1 and older. Children under 1 year are free. Group visit pricing at $10 per child and $6 per adult with a minimum group size of 10.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Annual family and grandparent memberships at $169/year providing unlimited admission, discounts on admissions and gift shop purchases, and member-only events. Passport membership at $215/year includes 50% off admission at 200+ participating ACM institutions.
3. Birthday Parties: Birthday party packages starting at $200 for up to 20 guests, with $10 per additional guest. Includes full admission and 2-hour community room rental.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partner program with four tiers ranging from $1,000 to $10,000+, offering employee perks, recognition, and engagement opportunities based on company size.
5. Donations and Grants: Annual appeal donations from individuals and businesses, leadership giving through Ignite Society ($500+), planned giving through Play All Ways Legacy Society, and grants from foundations and government agencies.
6. Camps and Programming: Curiosity Camps including summer camps at $45/day, Early Experience camps at $275 for 10 sessions, and Early Out Camps during school year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a physical museum featuring 16+ interactive, place-based exhibits for children from birth to age 10, themed around farm/agriculture, nature/outdoor play, STEAM, physical adventure, and Dakota heritage. The museum supplements its exhibit experience with birthday party packages, Curiosity Camps, weekly programming, annual memberships, group/field trip visits, and an annual adult fundraising event. Admission is $13 per person for walk-in visitors, with tiered memberships and group rates for schools and organizations.

Product overview

The Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's museum offering a unified portfolio of interactive exhibits and educational programs. The core offering consists of 16 distinct exhibits spanning farm/agriculture themes (Alltech Grow It Gallery, Taylor Farm), nature/outdoor play (Dotson Back 40, H2GO Water Gallery, Pollinators at Play), STEAM/makerspace experiences (Cecil's Imagineering Loft, Nidec Power Zone), creative/performance spaces (Lauri Kuch Memorial Stage, Loose Parts Play Hub), and physical adventure structures (Mankato Clinic Tree of Forts, Coughlan Quarry). Supplementary services include Birthday Party packages, Curiosity Camp programs, Weekly Programming sessions, annual membership tiers, and group visit/field trip offerings. The museum opened at its permanent location in May 2015 and serves children from birth to age 10, with focused programming on STEAM, agriculture, arts, and Dakota heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Museum Exhibits (16+ interactive exhibits) A unified collection of 16+ place-based, hands-on interactive exhibits spanning farm/agriculture (Alltech Grow It Gallery, Taylor Farm), nature/outdoor play (Dotson Back 40, H2GO Water Gallery, Pollinators at Play), STEAM/makerspace (Cecil's Imagineering Loft, Nidec Power Zone), creative/performance spaces (Lauri Kuch Memorial Stage, Loose Parts Play Hub), physical adventure structures (Mankato Clinic Tree of Forts Climber, Coughlan Quarry), and cultural exhibits (Dakota Language and Culture). Designed for children from birth to age 10 and their families.
• Birthday Parties Private birthday celebration packages including 2-hour Community Room rental, museum admission for guests, and optional Adventure Party add-ons featuring themed activities. Packages start at $200 for up to 20 guests, with $10 per additional guest.
• Curiosity Camps Play-based summer camps and school-break programs for children including Summer Curiosity Camps ($45/day, K-3rd grade), Early Experience Camps ($275 for 10 weekly sessions, ages 3-5), and Early Out Camps (school-year no-school days). Themes span STEAM, art, and nature.
• Weekly Programming Recurring weekly programs including Pollinator Explorers, Baby Play, Young Explorers, Art Explorers, STEAM Explorers, Tales with Tasha, Literacy Explorers, Sensory Adventures, Math Happens, and Outdoor Explorers, delivered throughout the week.
• Museum Memberships Annual membership tiers including Family ($169/year), Grandparent ($169/year), Passport ($215/year with reciprocal benefits at 200+ ACM children's museums), and First Time Parent (free until baby's first birthday). Benefits include unlimited admission, $2 off guest admission, 10% gift shop discount, 20% birthday party discount, eNewsletter, and member-only events.
• Group Visits and Field Trips Guided group visits for schools, daycares, and organizations with an educational focus, including a social story preparation resource. Pricing is $10/child and $6/adult, with a minimum group size of 10 and maximum of 100 children. Bookings must be made at least 2 weeks in advance with 1 adult chaperone per 4 children.
• Ignite the Night (Annual Fundraising Event) Annual adult-only fundraising event featuring team sculpture-building competitions, cocktails, and an awards ceremony, supporting the museum's mission and Ignite Society capital initiatives.
• EV: Charge Up Exhibit An interactive exhibit where children climb behind the wheel of a child-sized electric vehicle to explore how EVs work, presented by the Olseth Family Foundation and Snell Motors.
• Healthy Me Exhibit Interactive medical play exhibit featuring a doctor's office, lab, and operating room for children to role-play medical careers, developed in collaboration with health professionals and early childhood experts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 900,000 visitors welcomed since May 2015
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

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Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Xcel Energy FoundationcoreOthersPresents Early Out Camps and provides full Curiosity Camp scholarships. Major supporter of STEAM programming and the Loose Parts Play Hub exhibit. Named in corporate partner materials as key supporter of museum accessibility initiatives.
• Mayo Clinic Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthy Habits programming sponsor. Family Medicine and Pediatrics providers support weekly Young Explorers programs and Baby Play sessions on 4th Tuesdays. Healthcare partner for Healthy Me exhibit sponsorship through Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic and RiversEdge Hospital St. Peter.
• CenterPoint Energy FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Pollinators at Play exhibit and outdoor butterfly programming. Powers the museum's pollinator education initiatives including Butterfly House, Caterpillar Nursery, and Chrysalis Corner.
• Olseth Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting sponsor of EV: Charge Up exhibit with Snell Motors. Supports electric vehicle education and hands-on learning about renewable energy.
• Mankato CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Tree of Forts Climber exhibit. Supports outdoor climbing and physical activity experiences for children.
• North Mankato Taylor LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides weekly Bookmobile service at the museum every Wednesday afternoon from 2-3pm. Supports early literacy through story time on the Lauri Kuch Memorial Stage.
• Crystal Valley CoopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of the gardens in the Dotson Back 40 outdoor play area. Supports agricultural education and nature-based learning experiences.
• MathHappens FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers from MathHappens Foundation facilitate Math Happens programming on Saturdays and Sundays in Cecil's Imagineering Loft, exploring mathematical thinking through puzzles, crafts, and games.
• NideccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Nidec Power Zone exhibit focusing on energy, motion, and innovation education through hands-on play experiences.
• AlltechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Alltech Grow It Gallery, the museum's largest indoor exhibit focused on farms, fields, and farm-to-table education.
• Great River EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Loose Parts Play Hub exhibit with Xcel Energy Foundation, Jarraff Industries, and Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation.
• University of Kansas/MonarchWatch.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with museum on Monarch Tagging program. Children tag and record monarch butterflies for migration tracking research, contributing to national conservation efforts.
• Monarch Joint Venture/University of Wisconsin-Madison ArboretumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum's Monarch Larvae Monitoring Program (MLMP) contributes data to Monarch Joint Venture and UW-Madison for conservation research on monarch butterfly populations.
• Drummers Garden Center & FloralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant support for Butterfly House and pollinator programming. Supports native plant education and conservation initiatives.
• Minnesota Humanities CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides funding support for Butterfly House programming and Dakota language and culture initiatives. Associated with Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
• Orthopaedic & Fracture ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Healthy Me exhibit along with RiversEdge Hospital St. Peter. Supports health education programming for children.
• RiversEdge Hospital St. PeterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresenting sponsor of Healthy Me exhibit along with Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic. Supports interactive health and wellness education.
• Pediatric & Adolescent DentistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting sponsor of Healthy Me exhibit. Supports dental health education components.
• Monarch Healthcare ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting sponsor of Healthy Me exhibit. Supports health and wellness programming for children and families.
• Airway Foundation Hyland DentalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting sponsor of Healthy Me exhibit. Dental health education component.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Minnesota Children's Museum: Largest children's museum in Minnesota, located in St. Paul; directly comparable model with hands-on exhibits, memberships, and field-trip programming serving a similar audience. CMSM even extends reciprocal 50% admission to St. Paul museum members, evidencing direct peer overlap.
• Boston Children's Museum: Long-established nonprofit children's museum with the same hands-on exhibit philosophy, membership tiers, school-group programs, and corporate sponsorship model; comparable on programming depth and ACM reciprocal participation.
• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh: Nonprofit children's museum emphasizing maker-based and STEAM exhibits; comparable on programming categories (STEAM, art, nature), membership tiers, and partnership-driven exhibit sponsorship model.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-based children's museum focused on interactive learning through play for ages 0-10, with a comparable admissions/memberships/donations revenue mix and similar ACM reciprocal network presence.
• Madison Children's Museum: Mid-sized nonprofit children's museum with rooftop exhibits and hands-on programming; operates a similar admissions + memberships + camps + corporate partnerships revenue model in a comparable small/mid-metro setting.
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: Silicon Valley children's museum with a comparable admissions + memberships + corporate-sponsor-driven exhibit model; both institutions design signature exhibits funded by single presenting sponsors, mirroring CMSM's Alltech, Nidec, and CenterPoint partnerships.
• Children's Museum of Houston: One of the highest-attended children's museums in the U.S.; comparable nonprofit model with exhibits, memberships, school programs, and corporate-sponsored signature experiences.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The largest children's museum in the world, operating under the same nonprofit exhibit- and membership-based model; comparable on mission (learning through play), revenue mix (admissions, memberships, corporate sponsors, grants), and ACM Passport reciprocal network participation.
• Children's Museum of Atlanta: Nonprofit children's museum focused on early-childhood learning through play; operates the same multi-stream revenue model (admissions, memberships, camps, sponsorships, grants) and ACM reciprocal membership program.
• Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus: Nonprofit children's museum with similar age range, exhibit-based learning philosophy, and membership + camp + corporate sponsor revenue mix; comparable on ACM Passport reciprocity and programming diversity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYGGKGw4PFyejmcOp3GI7sw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cmsouthernmn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children's-museum-of-southern-minnesota
• Instagraminstagram.com/cmsmplay
• Pinterestpinterest.com/cmsmplay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota