MUSEUM OF PRAIRIEFIRE FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MUSEUM OF PRAIRIEFIRE FOUNDATION

EIN 27-1040521 · Natural History & Natural Science Museums (A56)

What they do

THE MUSEUM AT PRAIRIEFIRE is COMMITTED to INNOVATIVE LEARNING IN SCIENCE, THE ARTS, and NATURAL HISTORY. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)THROUGH A FOUNDING COLLABORATION WITH THE AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY IN NEW YORK CITY, AS WELL AS WITH OTHER CULTURAL and EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE NATION, THE MUSEUM AT PRAIRIEFIRE is A PLACE THAT PROVIDES ACCESS for ALL to UNDERSTAND and CELEBRATE NATURAL HISTORY, THE ARTS, and SCIENCE IN OUR REGION and AROUND THE WORLD. THE MUSEUM ENGAGES VISITORS and STUDENTS of ALL AGES WITH WORLD-CLASS EXHIBITIONS, IMPORTANT PROGRAMMING, and SIGNIFICANT EDUCATIONAL and STEAM OPPORTUNITIES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $88.50 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 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders10 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

156.20%of revenue went to mission work88.5% of expenses · Program services

0.80%of revenue went to fundraising0.5% of expenses

$176.59spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

19.58%of revenue went to management and office costs11.1% of expenses

$10.30in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

39.4%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 $795,189 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $137,038 for TERRI THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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 2024

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$1,038,281

Mission workProgram services$1,621,801156.20% of revenue88.5% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$203,31319.58% of revenue11.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$8,3560.80% of revenue0.5% of expenses

Total expenses$1,833,470176.59% 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

2024CurrentExpense mix: 88.5% mission · 11.1% management · 0.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 176.59% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 88.2% mission · 10.9% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 190.00% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 61.0% mission · 38.3% management · 0.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 172.66% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 58.5% mission · 41.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 119.05% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 58.3% mission · 41.6% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 295.90% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 64.3% mission · 35.4% management · 0.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.18% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 64.9% mission · 34.8% management · 0.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.07% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 71.4% mission · 28.1% management · 0.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 222.37% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$1,038,281

Expenses$1,833,470

Annual shortfall $795,189 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)$1,621,801 · 88.5% of expenses

Management and office costs$203,313 · 11.1% of expenses

Fundraising$8,356 · 0.5% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$1,038,281

Expenses$1,833,470

Assets$18,883,362

Income$1,038,281

Contributions$409,193

Mission work (program services)$1,621,801

Fundraising$8,356

Management and general$203,313

Accounting fees$41,984

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

TERRI THOMPSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $137,038Base $108,650 · Other $28,388

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 (10)

TERRI THOMPSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ANAB ABDULAHIDIRECTOR

BRETT GORDONDIRECTOR

DELANA MEYERDIRECTOR

DR MICHAEL ENGELDIRECTOR

FRED MERRILL JRCHAIRMAN

J FRANK EMERTDIRECTOR

JOE PLATTDIRECTOR

SCOTT K MARTINSENDIRECTOR

STEVE TROESTERDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2010
Location: 5321 W 135TH ST 2650, OVERLAND PARK, KS 66223-0000
County: Johnson
In care of: % FRED L MERRILL JR
Primary officer: FRED L MERRILL JR, CHAIRMAN

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@visitthemap.org Phone(913) 333-3500

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CBIZ ADVISORS LLC
NTEE classification: Natural History & Natural Science Museums (A56)
IRS tax category: Natural History & Natural Science Museums