PRETEND CITY THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ORANGE COUNTY

EIN: 330761254 501(c)(3) Arts, Culture & Humanities

IRVINE, CA

Total Revenue
$8,315,533
Total Expenses
$4,167,147
Total Assets
$17,401,914
Net Assets
$15,538,143
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Financial Trends

Organization Details

Formation Year
1997
Legal Domicile
CA
Principal Officer
ELLEN PAIS
Phone
9494283900
Tax Period
2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31

PRETEND CITY THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM OF ORANGE COUNTY, founded in 1997, is a community nonprofit in the Arts, Culture & Humanities sector that reported $8.3M in total revenue in fiscal year 2023. Revenue decreased 15% compared to the prior year. The organization ran a surplus of $4.1M, a strong 50% operating margin.

Mission

PRETEND CITY IS A COMMUNITY WHICH BUILDS BETTER BRAINS THROUGH FUN, WHOLE BODY LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND EMPOWERS CHILDREN AND THEIR GROWN-UPS TO MEANINGFULLY CONNECT WITH AND EXPAND THEIR WORLD.

Program Service Accomplishments

Program 1
Expenses: $2,695,070 Revenue: $2,950,519

For 2023, 195,484 children and adults visited Pretend City Children's Museum. That number included 6,517 children and chaperones experiencing Pretend City via 114 subsidized school or group field...

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For 2023, 195,484 children and adults visited Pretend City Children's Museum. That number included 6,517 children and chaperones experiencing Pretend City via 114 subsidized school or group field trips, which included 948 students coming via 18 fully funded scholarships field trips. 5,364 adults and children enjoyed the educational learning Pretend City has to offer while attending birthday parties hosted at the museum. Over 8,000 free admission tickets were distributed to nonprofit organizations and communities throughout Orange County. Through our Good to go! Program initiative, Pretend City screened 670 children for developmental delay throughout the year. 640 health screenings were performed at our annual School Readiness Fair. Additionally, many children received a free screening from one of the following: vision, dental, fine/gross motor, speech & language, bmi, and audiology during our Way to Play days. Pretend City was able to serve 3,600 children and family members at our neurodivergent family nights and 1,778 children and family members attended our baby Steps development mornings.

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Trantor Score

Financial Health Score (300–850) · Liquidity · Solvency · Sustainability · Efficiency

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Liquidity (40%) • Solvency (30%) • Sustainability (20%) • Efficiency (10%)

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Financial Overview (2023)

Revenue Breakdown

Contributions & Grants $5,257,484
Program Service Revenue $2,950,519
Investment Income $85,102
Other Revenue $22,428
TOTAL REVENUE $8,315,533

Expense Breakdown

Grants Paid $0
Salaries & Benefits $2,385,851
Fundraising Expenses $908,048
Program Expenses $2,695,070
Other Expenses $1,781,296
TOTAL EXPENSES $4,167,147

Year-over-Year Comparison

2023 2022 Change
Revenue $8,315,533 $9,811,204 -0.2%
Expenses $4,167,147 $3,365,269 +0.2%
Net Income $4,148,386 $6,445,935 -0.4%
Key Indicators
Grants to Organizations Grants to Individuals Lobbying Political Activity Foreign Activities Donor Advised Fund Schedule B Required
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Liquidity & Cash Position

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Governance

Voting Members
24
Independent Members
24
Employees
54
Volunteers
774

Governance Policies

Conflict of Interest Policy
Whistleblower Policy
Document Retention Policy

Special Practices & Reported Activities

Operated a School
Operated a Hospital
Provided First Class Travel
Reported Conflict of Interest
Reported Asset Diversion
Excess Benefit Transaction
Made Political Expenditures
Engaged in Lobbying
Operated Donor Advised Fund
Maintained Art Collections
Filed Form 720

Compensation of Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Total Officers
7
$485,358
Total Directors
25
$0
Key Employees
0
$0
Highest Compensated
1
reported
Name Title Hours/Week Role Reportable Comp Other Comp Total
Ellen Pais Executive Director 40.0
Officer
$173,678 $14,494 $188,172
Sue Harrison Chief Development Officer 40.0
Officer
$161,458 $386 $161,844
Maria Tinajero-Dowdle Chief Operating Officer 40.0
Officer
$122,937 $12,405 $135,342
Barbara Powers Major Gifts Officer 40.0
Highest
$102,743 $6,966 $109,709
Erin Boyl Chair 1.0
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Mark Montoya Vice Chair 1.0
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Jennifer Buchheim Treasurer 1.0
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Adina Stowell Secretary 1.0
Officer Director
$0 $0 $0
Anya Popov BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Travis Boyd BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Barbara Bitzer BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Daniel Campos BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Bill H Lyon BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kyle Suryan BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kari Moore BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kevin Rubin BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Mona Shah BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Sandy Peffer-Stone BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Michelle Barto BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Randy Wood BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Lilian Chung BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Nelma Maddox BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Andrew Morrow BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Trevor Tait BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Kathy Mohanna BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Casey McCracken BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Iman Movahed BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Carl Tong BOARD MEMBER 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Alexandra Mars Airth CO-FOUNDER NON VOTING 1.0
Director
$0 $0 $0
Note: Compensation data is self-reported by the organization on their Form 990. "Reportable Comp" includes salary, bonuses, and other reportable compensation from the organization and related organizations. "Other Comp" includes benefits, deferred compensation, and non-taxable benefits.

Historical Data

Year Revenue Expenses Assets Net Income
2024 No data No data No data No data
2023 $8,315,533 $4,167,147 $17,401,914 $4,148,386
2022 $9,811,204 $3,365,269 $13,396,664 $6,445,935
2022 $9,811,204 $3,365,269 $13,396,664 $6,445,935
2021 $5,307,442 $2,319,272 $6,089,544 $2,988,170
2020 $3,180,477 $1,889,291 $2,436,991 $1,291,186
2019 $2,907,412 $2,953,896 $1,077,794 $-46,484
2018 $2,679,778 $3,364,923 $1,070,308 $-685,145
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