Arts, Culture & Humanities (A520) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

CHILDRENS MUSEUM OF THE DESERT

EIN: 33-0233725 · RANCHO MIRAGE, CA 92270-1934 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 55 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 79/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 83/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2023 · Scored 9/13/2026

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CharityAI™ Score

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Mission Statement

The Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert is a valuable community resource for children and families to experience the joy of learning about themselves and the world around them. The museum inspires personal growth by engaging curiosity and creativity through hands-on explorations of exhibits and programs. Values Learning We value being a place that nurtures thoughtful, hands-on learning in a creative and engaging environment that celebrates learning as an innately joyful activity. Family We value being a place where multi-generational family members can grow their relationships through comfortably exploring, sharing and learning together. Community We value being a community resource and a welcoming place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to share experiences while learning about themselves and our world.

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$838K

Total Revenue

$571K

Total Expenses

$4.5M

Net Assets

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 89.0%

Fundraising Efficiency 151.4%

Operating Reserve 94.51x

Liability-to-Asset 15.4%

Revenue Diversification 94.5%

Executive Compensation $85K

Compared with Peers

FY 2023

Compared with 16,962 similar organizations (United States, Arts, Culture & Humanities, $100K–$1M in expenses), FY 2023.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	89.0%	81.8%	P10P90	Above median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	9.0%	14.0%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	2.1%	0.0%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	151.4%	28.6%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	94.5 mo	10.4 mo	P10P90	Top quarter
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	15.4%	1.9%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	94.5%	79.8%	P10P90	Below median
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	6.2%	9.6%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	-2.8%	13.6%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	31.9%	1.2%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$838K	$571K	$4.5M	89.0%	3
2022	$790K	$587K	$4.2M	90.4%	3
2021	$389K	$625K	N/A	—	35

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Organization Details

EIN: 33-0233725
State: CA
City: RANCHO MIRAGE
ZIP: 92270-1934
Classification: A520
Category: Arts, Culture & Humanities
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
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"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

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