EIN 36-0895575

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
74
Year formed
1865
Most recent tax filings
2022-06-01
Description
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a nature museum located in Chicago, Illinois. The museum focuses on the natural history of the Chicago region, child and adult education, and is known for its live butterfly house.
Also known as...
Chicago Academy of Sciences
Total revenues
$10,675,098
2022
Total expenses
$5,949,038
2022
Total assets
$22,709,935
2022
Num. employees
74
2022

Program areas at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Biology and collections: our scientists have been dedicated to developing a deeper understanding of regional plant and animal species, identifying environmental threats, and working to conserve and restore threatened populations, including baltimore checkerspot butterflies, blanding's turtles, monarch butterflies, regal fritillary butterflies, rusty patched bumble bees, smooth greensnakes, and wood frogs. In fiscal year 2022, 1,040 butterfly surveys and 486 dragonfly surveys were conducted as part of The Nature Museum's community science programs. This is The largest number of dragonfly surveys conducted by The ios and The second largest number of butterfly surveys conducted by The ibmn in a single season. Nature Museum scientists published three articles in conservation physiology, herpetological reviews, and plosone, peer-reviewed scientific journals. Topics included studies of reptile and amphibian health and butterfly population dynamics. On june 7, 2022, The living collections team and ecologist dan thompson released 117 headstarted blanding's turtles into The forest preserve district of dupage county. Nature Museum scientists, under contracts with The lake and dupage county forest preserves, are monitoring The region's smooth greensnake and wood frog populations for emerging fungal pathogens. Additionally, our living collections staff are collaborating closely with scientists and veterinarians from The lake and dupage forest preserve districts and The shedd aquarium in an effort to better understand The recent appearance regionally of shell disease, a fungal pathogen that affects blanding's turtles. This year, our community science program welcomed 254 new monitors to survey sites, 10 recruiting and training workshops were presented to 137 attendees, and over 20 miles of new survey routes were mapped. With collections project staff now in place, The team is making progress with activities on The botany project: digitally imaging specimens, mounting loose specimens, and cataloguing specimens into The collection. Botany data is now being shared through The consortium of midwest herbaria's online data portal, expanding our reach for collections data. In december 2021, our collections department began an exciting collaborative project that would restore a series of 1920's silent films made in ireland by local ornithologist benjamin gault. Through partnerships with both The irish film institute and san francisco silent film institute, these films are being digitized so they can be made available to The public, offering a rare intimate glimpse at life in ireland a century ago. Collections staff filmed a video collections tour for idigbio's annual digital data in biodiversity research conference, held in may. In addition, collections staff have developed processes for addressing sensitive names in collections and are collaborating with The arctos community to incorporate similar processes.
Exhibits and guest experience & engagement: in fiscal year 2022 The Museum re-opened to The public in july 2021, following closure due to The pandemic. Following all recommended safety protocols, we opened to enthusiastic crowds, as The pandemic had shown The importance of connecting with Nature. The Nature Museum's award-winning, self-curated temporary exhibit weather to climate: our changing world returned in 2021, following a six-museum national tour. Through updated fun, interactive, and engaging content, this exhibit explains The science behind global climate change, and explores how climate change affects human and animal communities world-wide. Nearly 86,000 visitors enjoyed this exhibit, along with Museum favorites such as The judy istock butterfly haven (The Museum's internationally renowned signature 2,700-square-foot greenhouse, home to more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies, representing 40 species), mysteries of The marsh (showcasing The seven types of local wetlands and animals), birds of Chicago (featuring more than 115 local specimens and The sounds they make), and more. The Nature Museum collaborates with external partners to reach audiences beyond lincoln park and The adjacent neighborhoods. Our many longstanding partnerships in communities help create new opportunities as well. For example, through an existing educational program partnership with cibc bank in The bronzeville and little village neighborhoods, we recently began a new partnership with The Chicago public library (cpl), specifically in this area. This pilot collaboration was co-created with The cpl and offered free family programming on-site. We tested both drop-by events and more structured events. We plan to grow this cpl partnership based on positive feedback from staff from both organizations and from families. Expanding on our successful 2020 digital initiatives, we created wonder workbooks. These free, printed kids' activity books, available at Chicago public libraries, help reduce barriers for homes with no internet access. Featuring three 40-page volumes (all about animals, butterflies, and reptiles), these are divided into three parts (drawing/observing animals from our collections, games & activities, and Nature journal & observation sheets) to help kids connect to Nature in their own neighborhoods. We continue to see The growing demand for high-quality engagement with science and Nature; helping to satisfy that need brings us into closer connection to Chicago as a city and as a part of The natural world. Our online programs have welcomed participants from 47 states. The Nature Museum continues The success of curious by Nature, with 16 episodes produced in The past fiscal year. These reached 1,875 youtube subscribers, representing more than 65,000 total curious by Nature views across all cbn episodes and 216,000 total youtube views across all cbn episodes and supplemental videos, including advertising. Since its inception in 2020, curious by Nature has reached 113,000 combined views across all 57 episodes.
Education: cas/pnnm is dedicated to educating Chicago area teachers and students about Nature and science, and provides more hours of immersive teaching in The Chicago public and archdiocese schools than any other Museum in Chicago. Cas/pnnm education programs enhance stem education by combining science content and educational best practices and transforming student and teacher attitudes towards science. In fiscal year 2022, cas/pnnm education programs provided interactive science education to 15,000 students and 600 teachers and community members. These programs included intensive training and resources through ongoing partnerships with more than 190 classrooms in schools throughout Chicago. During The 2021-2022 school year, cas/pnnm educators also taught 390 interactive workshops to more than 9,000 students who participated in field trips.

Who funds Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
GrantmakerDescriptionAmount
Micole FoundationCharitable$1,235,000
The Chicago Community TrustTo Support Peggy Notebaert Museum, Butterfly Ball, Early Childhood Urban Nature Partnerships K-3RD Grade, and General Operating Support$131,378
John D and Catherine T MacArthur FoundationIn Support of General Operations.$70,000
...and 31 more grants received totalling $2,100,260

Personnel at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

NameTitleCompensation
Erin AmicoPresident and Chief Executive Officer
Sharon WaltonVice President Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer$156,003
Marc MillerVice President , Chief Development and Marketing Officer$151,643
Doug TaronChief Curator$122,033
Alvaro RamosVice President Museum Experience$114,231
...and 14 more key personnel

Financials for Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

RevenuesFYE 06/2022
Total grants, contributions, etc.$9,727,232
Program services$784,029
Investment income and dividends$57,706
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$0
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$9,347
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$50,942
Miscellaneous revenues$45,842
Total revenues$10,675,098

Form 990s for Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2022-062023-05-04990View PDF
2020-062021-04-13990View PDF
2019-062020-08-26990View PDF
2018-062019-05-14990View PDF
2017-062018-06-14990View PDF
...and 7 more Form 990s
Data update history
July 6, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022
June 30, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 4 new personnel
June 25, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 2 new personnel
May 7, 2023
Received grants
Identified 2 new grant, including a grant for $30,000 from The John D and Leslie Henner Burns Family Foundation
January 23, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 4 new personnel
Nonprofit Types
Arts, culture, and humanities nonprofitsMuseumsCharities
Issues
EducationArts, cultural, and humanities
Characteristics
MembershipsState / local levelReceives government fundingEndowed supportCommunity engagement / volunteeringGala fundraisersTax deductible donations
General information
Address
2430 N Cannon Dr
Chicago, IL 60614
Metro area
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
County
Cook County, IL
Website URL
naturemuseum.org/ 
Phone
(773) 755-5100
Facebook page
thenaturemuseum 
Twitter profile
@naturemuseum 
IRS details
EIN
36-0895575
Fiscal year end
June
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
1865
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
A56: Natural History, Natural Science Museums
NAICS code, primary
7121: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions
Parent/child status
Independent
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