ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER

EIN 16-0794131 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A560)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE ROCHESTER MUSEUM and SCIENCE CENTER is to CREATE A BETTER WORLD THROUGH INSPIRING CURIOSITY, EXPLORATION, and ENGAGEMENT ACROSS HISTORY, SCIENCE, CULTURE, and THE NATURAL WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $86.70 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders23 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

90.68%of revenue went to mission work86.7% of expenses · Program services

3.85%of revenue went to fundraising3.7% of expenses

$104.60spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

10.07%of revenue went to management and office costs9.6% of expenses

$2.76in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

52.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $429,952 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $224,158 for HILLARY OLSON (PRESIDENT/CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2025

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$9,336,712

Mission workProgram services$8,466,85590.68% of revenue86.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$940,02110.07% of revenue9.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$359,7883.85% of revenue3.7% of expenses

Total expenses$9,766,664104.60% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2025CurrentExpense mix: 86.7% mission · 9.6% management · 3.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.60% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 85.0% mission · 9.5% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 112.09% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 83.8% mission · 10.6% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.30% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 83.8% mission · 8.3% management · 7.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 120.03% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 82.8% mission · 7.2% management · 10.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 78.20% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 83.9% mission · 10.3% management · 5.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.26% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 83.9% mission · 7.0% management · 9.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 130.52% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 82.2% mission · 7.0% management · 10.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.45% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$9,336,712

Expenses$9,766,664

Annual shortfall $429,952 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$8,466,855 · 86.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$940,021 · 9.6% of expenses

Fundraising$359,788 · 3.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$9,336,712

Expenses$9,766,664

Assets$26,915,561

Income$12,851,833

Contributions$4,931,794

Mission work (program services)$8,466,855

Fundraising$359,788

Management and general$940,021

Stocks and bonds$9,382,550

Accounting fees$86,545

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

HILLARY OLSONPRESIDENT/CEO · 40 hrs/week $224,158Base $219,690 · Other $4,468

WARD BRAMLETTVP OF FINANCE AND OPERATIO · 40 hrs/week $103,010Base $91,490 · Other $11,520

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (23)

HILLARY OLSONPRESIDENT/CEO

WARD BRAMLETTVP OF FINANCE AND OPERATIO

YVERSHA ROMANTRUSTEE

ALEX MOLINICHTRUSTEE

WILLIAM COE PETRUSTEE

WENDI HEINZELMAN PHDSECRETARY

ROBERT DE LEONCO-VICE CHAIR, ADVANCEMENT

MICHAEL LAPIERRETRUSTEE

KURT BUTTONTREASURER AND VICE CHAIR,

KELLEY ROSS-BROWNVICE CHAIR, GOVERNANCE/AUD

JOHN CARVER PHDVICE CHAIR, VISITOR EXPERI

JAMES MEYERTRUSTEE

JACQUELINE B LEECHAIR

ERIC SNAVELYTRUSTEE

ELIZABETH DEL VALLETRUSTEE

ELENA NESCIOTRUSTEE

DAVID PAYNETRUSTEE

DANIEL KEELEYCO-VICE CHAIR, ADVANCEMENT

CAROLYN COSSAVELLATRUSTEE

BRUCE BAKERTRUSTEE

ANURAG SHRIVASTAVA MDVICE CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON T

ANDRE HUDSON PHDTRUSTEE

ALEXIS VOGTTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1952
Location: 657 EAST AVENUE, ROCHESTER, NY 14607
County: Monroe
In care of: WARD BRAMLETT
Primary officer: WARD BRAMLETT, VP OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(585) 271-4552

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BONADIO & CO LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A560)