Staten Island Children's Museum

What Staten Island Children's Museum does

The Staten Island Children's Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1974 and operating since 1976 at 1000 Richmond Terrace on the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens campus. The museum occupies 40,000 square feet of indoor space plus a 4-acre East Meadow, housing 12 hands-on interactive exhibits including Block Harbor (pirate ship play structure), Big Games (life-sized board games), House About It (construction role-play), Ladder 11 (firefighter experience), Pets & People (veterinary play), Portia's Playhouse (theater), Sea of Boats (nautical play), Bugs & Other Arthropods, Garden Terrace, Sensory Imaging, and the Sensory Space, with the Explore Staten Island exhibit scheduled to launch in October 2026. Its core technology consists of physical interactive exhibit design — climbing structures, bubble walls, Bernoulli blowers, lighting and sound equipment for theatrical elements — rather than software or digital platforms, with Doubleknot serving as the ticketing system.

The museum serves families with children ages 1 and up, pre-K through Grade 5 school groups, summer camp families with children ages 4-8, teachers receiving in-school programming, corporate sponsors, and access-program participants including low-income and military families. Annual attendance exceeds 100,000 people across admissions, field trips, in-school residencies, and community outreach events. The revenue model blends earned income (general admission at $10/visitor, three membership tiers at $60-$150/year, summer camps at $80-$100/day, field trips at $8-$10/student, gift cards, and facility rentals) with unearned income (individual donations and monthly giving, corporate sponsorships from Northwell Health, Amazon, Con Edison, ShopRite, National Grid, TD Charitable Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bank of America, and others, plus government grants from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYS Council on the Arts). The museum operates Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-5pm, and is governed by an independent Board of Directors under Executive Director Dina Rosenthal, with the building owned by the City of New York as part of the Cultural Institutions Group.

The go-to-market approach is direct-to-consumer via the museum website and on-site admissions, with extensions into schools (field trip reservations and in-school teaching artist residencies), corporate channels (employee membership programs and sponsorships), and community outreach (street fairs, community centers, and partnerships with Cool Culture, Culture Connected, Blue Star Museums, EBT/SNAP, and IDNYC). Marketing relies on the museum website, Instagram, email newsletters, and earned media in regional family publications, supplemented by partnerships with Visit Staten Island for tourism visibility.

Name

Staten Island Children's Museum

Legal name

Staten Island Children's Museum

Website

https://sichildrensmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Staten Island Children's Museum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) operating 12 hands-on interactive exhibits and educational programs at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, serving 100,000+ families, school groups, and summer campers annually across the NYC metro area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Staten Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: General admission fees charged to all non-member visitors. Adults and children pay $10 each; children under 1 year enter free; members enter free.
2. Family Memberships: Annual family membership tiers providing unlimited admission, members-only hours, event invitations, and reciprocal benefits with other museums. Tiers include Just for Two ($60), Family ($100), and Family Plus ($150).
3. Summer Camp Programs: Fee-based summer camp programs for children ages 4-8 running June through September. Full-day camps at $100/day or $450/week; half-day kindergarten camps at $55/day or $247.50/week; extended care available for additional fees.
4. Field Trip and School Programs: Guided play visits and art workshops for school groups. Art workshops at $10/student with discounts for Title One schools; Guided Play at $8/student; add-on workshops at $3/student.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, monthly giving programs, tribute gifts, stock donations, planned giving/bequests, and corporate matching gifts. Donations support exhibit maintenance and educational programs.
6. Corporate Memberships and Sponsorships: Annual corporate memberships providing unlimited admission for employees and families, plus recognition on website and social media. Sponsors receive branding exposure at the museum and through marketing channels.
7. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold for use toward museum admission, workshops, and special events. Marketed as meaningful gifts for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.
8. Museum Rentals: After-hours private events and school-wide family engagement events in the gallery and exhibits. Used for holiday celebrations and school events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Staten Island Children's Museum operates a 40,000-square-foot facility at Snug Harbor Cultural Center with 12 indoor and outdoor interactive exhibits designed for children ages 1 and up. Beyond exhibits, it delivers educational programming including summer mini camps, school field trips, in-school teaching-artist programs, tot's time, birthday parties, and membership-based visits. The museum serves 100,000+ visitors annually and supplements on-site experiences with off-site community outreach.

Product overview

The Staten Island Children's Museum operates as a single-site children's museum offering hands-on interactive exhibits and educational programming. The museum features 12 indoor and outdoor exhibits including Block Harbor (pirate ship), Big Games (life-sized board games), House About It (construction play), Ladder 11 (firefighter role-play), Pets & People (veterinary play), Portia's Playhouse (theater), Sea of Boats (nautical play), Bugs & Other Arthropods, Garden Terrace, Sensory Imaging, and Sensory Space. Supplementary programs include summer camps (ages 4-8), field trips with guided workshops, in-school programs, community gallery exhibitions, At Home with SICM online resources, and event workshops. The museum operates on a 40,000 square foot facility at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Museum Admission

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves over 100,000 people annually through admissions, field trips, in-school residencies, and community outreach

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northwell HealthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor receiving branding exposure at the museum and through social media marketing. Northwell Health supports museum programs aimed at children's health and wellness.
• AmazoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing funding support for museum operations and programs. Logo displayed on museum website and event materials.
• Con EdisoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting museum energy-related programming and general museum operations. Recognized on museum website.
• ShopRitecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShopRite sponsors the Kidz Cook cooking program, bringing hands-on cooking and nutrition education to museum visitors and camp programs. ShopRite logo displayed on program materials.
• National GridcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting museum programs and receiving branding recognition on museum website and marketing materials.
• Cool CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free museum admission to low-income families through the Cool Culture program. Museum reserves ticket blocks to ensure access for program participants.
• Culture ConnectedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering free or discounted admission to Culture Connected pass holders, extending museum access to broader community.
• Staten Island MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on joint events including Moth Night, celebrating National Moth Week with science, art, and nighttime discovery activities. Located adjacent on Snug Harbor grounds.
• Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical GardenscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution where the museum is located on 83-acre grounds. Partnership provides access to East Meadow, botanical gardens, and neighboring cultural attractions including Art Lab and Noble Maritime Collection.
• Visit Staten IslandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial tourism partner promoting Staten Island attractions including the children's museum to visitors.
• Blue Star MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram providing free admission to military families during summer. Museum welcomes military families through this national initiative.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens: Host institution where SICM operates on shared 83-acre grounds. Comparable as parent/host venue enabling the museum's location and shared infrastructure, including the central HVAC plant system SICM recently connected to.

Direct peers

• Boston Children's Museum: One of the oldest and largest children's museums in the US, offering interactive exhibits and educational programs. Comparable in mission, exhibit-based model, and family audience targeting.
• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-based children's museum with hands-on exhibits designed for children ages 0-7. Comparable single-site children's museum with similar hands-on play philosophy and family membership model.
• Children's Museum of Manhattan: Manhattan-based children's museum with hands-on exhibits, programs, and educational experiences for young children. Direct peer in same NYC market targeting similar families with comparable programming.
• Chicago Children's Museum: Navy Pier-based children's museum with interactive exhibits and STEAM programming. Comparable hands-on educational model targeting families with young children in a major metro market.
• Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Large children's museum offering exhibits, programs, and family memberships. Comparable nonprofit children's museum operating curated exhibit experiences and educational programming for young children.
• Brooklyn Children's Museum: Brooklyn-based children's museum offering interactive exhibits and educational programming for children. Direct peer sharing same city, same audience (NYC families with young children), and same hands-on play-based learning model.

Broad incumbents

• Liberty Science Center: New Jersey-based science center with interactive exhibits, IMAX, and educational programming. Comparable hands-on science and educational programming for children and families in the broader NYC metro region.
• New York Hall of Science: Queens-based science museum and educational center with hands-on exhibits and STEAM programming. Comparable as NYC hands-on educational attraction serving families and school groups, though broader scope beyond children-only.

Regional players

• Staten Island Zoo: Staten Island-based cultural attraction offering educational programming for children and families. Comparable as a nearby family-focused educational attraction in the same borough, sharing local audience and partnership ecosystem through Snug Harbor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sichildrensmuseum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Staten Island Children's Museum