Better Business Bureau

Charity Contact Information BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments Programs

Tax Status Governance Fund Raising Financial

Name:	Houston Museum of Natural Science
Address:	5555 Hermann Park Drive
	Houston, TX 77030
Phone:	713-639-4629
Web Address:	www.hmns.org

Houston Museum of Natural Science meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science houses the Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center and over a dozen permanent exhibit areas that examine astronomy, space science, Native Americans, paleontology, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals, seashells, Texas wildlife and more. In addition, the museum frequently presents traveling exhibitions on a variety of topics. The Museum also maintains three satellite facilities: The George Observatory in Fort Bend County, which houses one of the largest telescopes in the country that is available for public viewing; and The Woodlands Xploration Station, which has exhibits on dinosaurs; mineralogy; exotic, live insects and more. Also, the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land opened in October 2009. The Museum is also a major science learning center with over a half million school children visiting annually, including every fourth grade and eighth grade class in the Houston Independent School District. Just one of many unique educational opportunities available to these students and others is the Challenger Learning Center, the first in a national network, which allows students to experience the teamwork necessary to complete a variety of space tasks. Modeled after NASA, the two-part center houses Mission Control on the Lower Level, which is linked via monitors, microphones and computers to a space simulator located in the Museum's penthouse. The Museum has a second Challenger Learning Center at its George Observatory, located 55 miles south of Houston in Brazos Bend State Park. In 2011, the museum's annual service exceeded 1.9 million.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, Houston Museum of Natural Science's program expenses were:

Museum collections and exhibits	8,846,556
Admissions and vistor services	3,801,028
Advertising and public relations	2,828,441
Education programs	2,445,185
Gift shop	2,248,636
Membership development	760,497
Total Program Expenses:	$20,930,343

Chief Executive : Joel A. Bartsch, President

Compensation*:

$302,328

Chair of the Board: Randa Duncan Williams
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Enterprise Products Company

Board Size: 70

Paid Staff Size: 387

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:

direct mail, grant proposals, internet

Fund raising costs were 7% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $16,160,945, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Houston Museum of Natural Science's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

Source of Funds
Admission fees	8,613,556
Non-operating contributions	8,475,146
Contributions	6,347,747
Investment return	3,141,272
Gift shop sales	2,621,274
Operating investment return	2,406,026
Education program fees	1,940,196
Facility rental and parking fees	1,359,107
Special event - gala	1,338,052
Other revenue	225,856
Direct donor benefit cost	-334,114
Loss on disposal of property	-634,667
Collection accesions	-1,155,036
Total Income	$34,344,415

Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 84%  Fund Raising: 4%  Administrative: 12%

Total income		$34,344,415
Program expenses		$20,930,343
Fund raising expenses		1,053,187
Administrative expenses		2,926,958
Total expenses		$24,910,488
Income in Excess of Expenses		9,433,927
Beginning net assets		117,205,166
Ending net assets		126,639,063
Total liabilities		21,220,024
Total assets		$147,859,087