Madison Children's Museum

What Madison Children's Museum does

Madison Children's Museum is a private nonprofit children's museum founded in 1980 and headquartered in a single facility at 100 N. Hamilton Street in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. The organization operates a portfolio of approximately nine permanent interactive exhibits (including Nice Age Trail, Community Concourse, Art Studio, Possible-opolis, Stair Trek, Rooftop Ramble, Wildernest, Wonderground, and Trash Lab) augmented by special time-limited exhibits such as the Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum, delivered in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and the Association of Children's Museums. It is staffed by 59 employees and serves families with children from infants through age 12 as its primary audience, with secondary audiences including schools and daycares (field trips), adults aged 21+ (Adult Swim evenings, weddings, museum rentals), and the broader Madison community (MCM Roadshow mobile outreach).

The museum's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of an established Association of Children's Museums member institution: one-time general admission and ticketed special events (Adult Swim at $20 advance / $25 day-of, Camp Kindergarten at $100 per child), recurring memberships across family, first-time parent, school/daycare, and corporate tiers, facility rentals for weddings and corporate events, donations and grants from individuals and corporate sponsors (including Sanofi, Madison Gas and Electric, and Veridian Homes), and corporate giving programs including endowment and planned gifts. Ticketing and admissions processing runs on the Blackbaud platform. The museum operates Tue–Sun 9am–4pm with free Thursday evenings 4pm–8pm as a recurring accessibility initiative.

Distribution combines direct physical visitation to the downtown location, online ticketing, school and daycare group bookings, and the MCM Roadshow mobile program that delivers hands-on maker activities to Madison parks (Hammersley, Worthington, Meadowood, Penn, Elver), the Madison Public Market, and external venue partners such as Veridian Homes' Neighborhood Ice Cream Tour. Marketing spans organic social (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), email newsletter, the museum blog, and the Roadshow as an outreach channel. Programmatically, the museum runs sensory-friendly hours, summer camps, art and music programs (Saturday Art Adventures, Music with Junebug, Tales with Teresa), birthday parties, and cultural heritage celebrations, with notable curriculum-based partnerships such as the Sanofi-funded 'Sharing Our Dairy Air' program.

Name

Madison Children's Museum

Legal name

Madison Children's Museum

Website

https://madisonchildrensmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Madison Children's Museum is a nonprofit children's museum in Madison, Wisconsin operating a single downtown facility with permanent and special exhibits, serving families with young children, schools, and adult audiences through admissions, memberships, events, and community roadshow programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum and Family Education Center

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family, Kids & Education Fairs (MPAGAFAH), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Children's museum exhibits
• Interactive play spaces
• Early childhood education
• Family learning programs
• Community museum experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Revenue from daily visitor admissions to the museum exhibits and facilities.
2. Memberships: Annual and monthly subscription memberships offering unlimited visits, member-only events, discounts on programs, and free admission. Includes family memberships, first-time parent memberships, and corporate memberships.
3. Special Events and Programs: Ticketed special events including Adult Swim evenings ($20 advance/$25 day-of), summer camps ($100/child for Camp Kindergarten), birthday parties, and workshops.
4. Facility Rentals: Private event rentals including weddings, corporate events, and museum buyouts.
5. Donations and Grants: Individual giving, corporate sponsorships, planned gifts, endowment contributions, and in-kind donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Madison Children's Museum operates a single-location physical children's museum in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, selling admission tickets, family memberships, and ticketed programs (summer camps, birthday parties, adult evening events, and field trips). It supplements on-site visits with the MCM Roadshow, a traveling community outreach program that brings hands-on maker activities to parks and community events across Madison.

Product overview

Madison Children's Museum is a physical children's museum offering a diverse portfolio of interactive exhibits and educational programs. The museum features permanent exhibits including Nice Age Trail, Community Concourse, Art Studio, Possible-opolis, Stair Trek, Rooftop Ramble, Wildernest, Wonderground, and Trash Lab. The museum also hosts special time-limited exhibits like Gabby's MEOWseum (DreamWorks partnership), and provides programs including MCM Roadshow (traveling community outreach), Adult Swim (adults-only evenings), art programs, music classes, story times, and summer camps. The museum operates as a single physical location rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• State Line DistilleryminorOthersEvent sponsor for Adult Swim: Dog Days special event, providing additional support for this ticketed evening program for adults.
• Delta Beer LabminorOthersLocal vendor partner for Adult Swim: Dog Days event, providing refreshments at this ticketed evening program.
• SanoficoreOthersFunder of the 'Sharing Our Dairy Air' program as part of 'The Air We Share' initiative. Program teaches children about Wisconsin air quality and lung health through interactive activities.
• DreamWorks AnimationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensing and co-branding partner for Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days, a nationwide celebration of imagination and play. One of hundreds of children's museums participating in this nationwide initiative.
• Association of Children's MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization partner for Gabby's Dollhouse MEOWseum Discovery Days, co-branding this nationwide children's museum initiative.
• Madison Gas and Electric CompanyminorOthersSponsor providing support for Cultural Heritage Celebrations including Hispanic Heritage Celebration and Indigenous Heritage Celebration events.
• Veridian HomesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHost partner for MCM Roadshow appearances at their Neighborhood Ice Cream Tour events, providing venue access at 1207 Crane Meadow Way, Sun Prairie, WI.
• Parks Alive (Madison Parks)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership bringing MCM Roadshow to various Madison parks including Hammersley Park, Worthington Park, Meadowood Park, Penn Park, and Elver Park for summer community events.
• Madison Public MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHost partner for MCM Roadshow appearance at Madison Public Market Grand Opening at 202 N. First Street, Madison.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: The largest children's museum in the world and a national benchmark for the children's-museum category. Highly comparable in mission (hands-on play-based learning) and programming mix (exhibits, camps, special events), but operates at a much larger scale and as a broader incumbent.

Emerging players

• Crayola Experience: Multi-location family attraction centered on Crayola-branded creative play and art activities, with paid admissions and special events. Comparable experiential offering to MCM's Art Studio but commercial/IP-licensed model rather than nonprofit.

Direct peers

• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-based children's museum focused on play-based learning for young children, with exhibits, membership tiers, and special programming such as camps and adult evenings. Closely comparable to Madison Children's Museum in size, mission, and offerings.
• The Magic House: St. Louis-area children's museum with interactive exhibits, membership programs, and community partnerships. Similar scale and Midwest family demographic, with comparable programming such as camps and special events.
• Children's Museum of Pittsburgh: Two-location children's museum emphasizing maker-based, hands-on exhibits and community programming, with strong membership and outreach. Comparable to Madison in exhibit philosophy (maker/creative play) and nonprofit operating model.
• Discovery Children's Museum: Las Vegas-based children's museum offering hands-on science, art, and early-childhood exhibits with memberships and group programs. Direct peer in exhibit-driven, membership-funded children's museum operations.
• Betty Brinn Children's Museum: Children's museum located in Milwaukee, WI, serving a similar Midwestern family demographic with hands-on exhibits, membership programs, and community outreach. Direct regional peer with comparable size and business model.
• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and most established children's museums in the U.S., offering hands-on exhibits, membership programs, and educational programming for families. Direct peer in mission and operating model, anchored to a single physical site.
• Chicago Children's Museum: Children's museum at Navy Pier serving families in a major Midwestern metro with interactive exhibits and educational programming. Comparable in audience, exhibits, and membership/field-trip model, though located in a larger market.
• Port Discovery Children's Museum: Baltimore-based children's museum offering interactive exhibits and educational programming for young children. Comparable in audience and single-site nonprofit museum model with membership-driven revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PlayAtMCM
• Facebookfacebook.com/madisonchildrensmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/madison-children's-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/playatmcm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Madison Children's Museum