PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM
2022 ANNUAL REPORT
A LETTER FROM MUSEUM LEADERSHIP
Dear Friends of Please Touch Museum,
I think I can—I think I can—I think I can… This familiar phrase from the classic children’s tale The Little Engine that Could just may have been the unspoken mantra of Please Touch Museum during fiscal year 2022.
With each passing month, we witnessed the return of visitors who were seeking learning experiences for their children whose childhoods and social-emotional development opportunities were interrupted during the pandemic. Our dedicated team worked tirelessly to expand programs and opportunities for families to learn through play together — a hallmark of Please Touch Museum.
We made investments in exhibits, immersive programming, public health and education, and access, assuring all children can experience the magic and wonder of Please Touch Museum.
• We reopened the supermarket exhibit, doubling its size so children can learn about the journey of food from source, to store, to home, to community.
• We activated school field trips.
• We welcomed over 80,000 visitors to the Museum for free or reduced admission with Community Days, First Wednesdays, and Play Without Boundaries, our program for families with neurodiverse children.
• We launched our Kindergarten Readiness Program to support social-emotional skill development for children entering kindergarten.
• We increased our cultural programming to celebrate the vibrant communities and families in Philadelphia and beyond.
The resiliency of the Museum, and our commitment to changing a child’s life as they discover the power of learning through play, would not be possible without the passion of our PTM team and the generosity of individuals, funders, and the philanthropic community who continue to recognize the importance of investing in early childhood learning opportunities for all children, as we work towards a brighter tomorrow.
Thank you for joining us in our journey.
Yours In Play,
Patricia D. Wellenbach President & CEO
Christine Campbell Chair, Board of Trustees
INVESTMENTS IN EXHIBITS: A GIANT Reimagination!
After 18 months of planning, development, and construction, Please Touch Museum reopened one of its most beloved exhibits on December 15, 2021.
Food & Family, brought to you by GIANT, expanded the traditional children’s museum grocery store experience to increase multigenerational visitor engagement and approach learning through play in an entirely new way.
In the reimagined exhibit, children explore an open-ended learning landscape. Through three interconnected zones, children discover the journey of food from source to gathering place and its importance in cultures, communities, and traditions. The experience inspires children to be part of a multicultural community while using their imagination through creative role-playing opportunities.
In addition to “shopping” the aisles in the grocery store, children can also become “employees” in the store, wearing specially marked aprons and providing customer service as a stock person, checkout cashier, or working in the in-store pizzeria.
With food “purchased” in the grocery store, children work together in a hybrid home and industrial kitchen to prepare food to share with others in the festival area. There, friends and neighbors come together for a block party — complete with a grilling station, a food vendor cart, and game tables with tic-tac-toe and checkers. After all, food is more festive when we enjoy it with friends.
$1.3M INVESTMENT
3,650 SQUARE FEET
3,500 PROPS ROTATE IN THE EXHIBIT
Food & Family was made possible by a $1.2 million gift by The GIANT Company and $100,000 from Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr.
INVESTMENTS IN COMMUNITY: Public Health Event Series
What began as a simple idea — to host COVID-19 vaccine clinics at the Museum — quickly grew into a full-fledged public health event series impacting nearly 10,000 people.
4 FREE COMMUNITY DAYS NEARLY 10,000 VISITORS 20 COMMUNITY PARTNERS
52% COVID-19 VACCINES TO CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5
In the summer of 2022, PTM hosted Ready, Set, School, a series of four free community days designed to support families in getting their children prepared to learn in the fall.
Sponsored by Independence Blue Cross, the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, and Keystone First, the Museum partnered with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to serve as the official vaccine partner, which administered 276 COVID-19 vaccines.
Each Community Day offered a vaccine clinic and centered on a wellness theme: Eating for Energy, Healthy Smiles, Understanding Feelings, and Bust a Move. Twenty community partners supported the public health event series, providing engaging programming, access to vital health-related resources and information, and offering giveaways to families in attendance.
Visitors engaged in programming on the importance of exercise and good nutrition; learned how to express feelings through art-making; practiced mindfulness meditations; participated in storytimes facilitated by child therapists; and discovered how food provides energy for the body so children can be ready to learn in school.
INVESTMENTS IN KINDERGARTEN READINESS: $1 Million in Federal Funding
“It’s never too early to start preparing our youngest minds for the future, and that’s exactly what the Please Touch Museum is doing.”
UNITED STATES SENATOR BOB CASEY, JUNE 2022
After meeting with families participating in the final cohort of the Museum’s pilot Kindergarten Readiness Experience (KRE), a research-based program that partners with families to help young children develop social-emotional skills needed to navigate the transition to kindergarten, Senator Casey announced a $1 million investment to advance strategic priorities for the program from 2022-2024.
The Kindergarten Readiness Experience addresses several crucial issues facing families with young children in Philadelphia, including the lack of socialization opportunities before entering formal learning environments and access to high-quality early childhood learning programs. Foundational to the program’s development was recognizing the adult caregivers — parents, grandparents, foster parents, or other parental figures — as their child’s first teacher and celebrating them for the critical role they play in their child’s future.
The initial research and pilot program for KRE in 2019-2021 was made possible through support of Vanguard’s Strong Start for Kids Program. The $1 million in federal funding through a U.S. Department of Education grant will support the Museum’s Phase 2 expansion, which includes external research and evaluation. The funding also supports deepening and expanding PTM’s partnerships with Philadelphia schools and teachers.
This transformational federal funding will allow the Museum to continue its work as the third place for learning, where families can gather to grow and learn together.
EARLY PILOT RESULTS
5578% INCREASE IN SCHOOLREADINESS SKILLS
88% PARTICIPANTS REPORTED CREATING A READING NOOK AT HOME
94% CAREGIVERS READ ALOUD TO CHILDREN A FEW TIMES PER WEEK
INVESTMENTS IN PROGRAMMING AND EXPERIENCES: The Importance of Learning through Play
FY22 VISITATION
265,173 TOTAL VISITORS
30% FREE OR REDUCED ADMISSION VISITORS, EQUALING $1.6M IN COMMUNITY BENEFIT
6,167 TOTAL MEMBER FAMILIES
8,046 FIRST WEDNESDAY VISITORS
As more families returned to the Museum after its extended closure in 2020-21, PTM increased its programming for fun, for learning, and for all.
Traveling exhibits explored cherished memories from the past and modern classics of today. The Wizard of Oz Educational Exhibit opened in October 2021, exploring themes of bravery, kindness, and personal character.
In February 2022, things became wonderfully wacky as visitors manipulated crazy chain-reaction contraptions built to complete simple tasks in overcomplicated ways inspired by the work of Rube Goldberg, in Rube Goldberg: The World of Hilarious Invention! exhibit.
In June 2022, children wore lab coats and wielded stethoscopes as they cared for the animals in the Toy Hospital while learning about health habits, compassion, and nurturing care as part of Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins: The Exhibit.
The Museum welcomed the return of school groups for its guided field trip programs, along with First Wednesdays sponsored by TD Charitable Foundation, when the Museum extends its hours into the evening with $2 admission after 4 pm.
Throughout the year, the Museum celebrated the diversity of cultures and communities. Special programming featured artists, performers, and storytellers, who provided engaging learning experiences, recognizing Black History Month, Lunar New Year, Holi, Pride, Juneteenth, and more.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Museum was open six days a week during FY 2022 and saw a 327% increase in visitation over FY 2021.
PTM’s Community Benefit program, offering free or reduced Museum admission through free Community Days, Museums For All/ACCESS, First Wednesday, Play Without Boundaries, and Blue Star, saw an increase of 336% over FY 2021, accounting for 30% of Museum visitation in FY 2022.
Earned revenue in FY 2022 covered 63% of operating expenses — compared to only 38% during FY 2021. The Museum spent $400,000 in education, programming, and exhibits costs during the year.
Cash and equivalents were $6.6M in FY 2022, compared to $7.3M in FY 2021. The Museum also received $319K in employee retention tax credits (ERTC). The Museum received grants and contribution pledges of $1.6M and a second Paycheck Protection Program loan was forgiven.
Revenue & Support, Expenses, and Assets
MUSEUM REVENUE & SUPPORT FY22 FY21 Admissions $3,035,413 $998,270 Memberships $982,098 $288,207 Fees for Special Events $706,893 $496,998 Other Items $8,247 $124,134 COVID Related Funding $733,942 $718,814 Investment Income $(543,943) $570,864 Donated Goods/Services $24,669 –Grants & Contributions $4,770,469 $1,642,506 Total Revenue $9,717,788 $4,839,793 MUSEUM EXPENSES Program Service $7,134,966 $4,784,435 Management & General $1,553,585 $1,051,194 Fundraising $491,002 $410,493 Total Expenses $9,179,553 $6,246,122 Change in Net Assets Before Other Items $538,235 $(1,406,329) NET ASSETS Beginning of Year $31,968,315 $33,374,644 End of Year $32,506,550 $31,968,315
FY 2022 Revenue & Support $9,717,788 31% 10% 8% 7% 49% Expenses $9,179,553 17% 5% 78%
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
TOUCH MUSEUM FY 22 Donors
PLEASE
INDIVIDUAL DONORS
Our sincere gratitude for the contributors who supported Please Touch Museum between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.
$100,000+
Anonymous
Patricia D. Wellenbach and Lawrence G. McMichael
$25,999-$99,999
Beth Rohlfing and Richard L. Tewksbury
$10,000-$24,999
Chris Campbell and Bill Massa
Karen Griffith Gryga
Carole Haas Gravagno
Kristen and David Han
Meghan and Benjamin Johnson
Christine and Brian Lobley
Aisling Murphy
Family of Portia Sperr
Tina and Shawn Tuli
Jennifer and Timothy Vecchiarelli
$5,000-$9,999
Angeline Arumainayagam
David M. Davis
Samantha Funk and Christian Hampson
Judith and Scott Hartzell
Arianna O. and Nicholas Lewko
Lisa and Greg Millhauser
Beth and Edgar Miranda
Cathy and Henry Nassau
Christyn L. Rossman and Jason Poore
Tracey and Chris Santilli
Matt Simon
Portia Hamilton-Sperr
The Tevah Fund, Judy and Ken Weinstein
Jessica and Gabriel Weissman
$1,000-$4,999
Willo Carey and Peter A. Benoliel
Harris T. Bock
Sharon and Kevin Coghlan
Robert Cohen
Ashley Davis
Mary and Howard Hurtig
Kate and Julian Jiggins
Carol Johnson
Maggie and Alan Kaplan
Harsinie Panditaratne and Matthew Morgan
Martha and Duncan Pitcairn
Meagan and Osman Sheikh
Mengmeng Shen
Julie Sloan
Ivy Silver and Steven Leshner
Shanna and Tyson Sowell
Sally and Lee Stetson
The Vincent Family Education Fund, Margaret O. and Fred C. Vincent
Virginia “Ginny” Palmieri Family Fund
Waterman Family Foundation, Joe and Jolly Waterman
Lisa and Paul Yakulis
Pamela Zimmerman
$500-$999
Anonymous
Elinor and James Buck
Sarah Burke and Takanori Ishizuka
Petersen Curt and Kirsten Johnson
Jane and Vincent Firth
Samantha Gibb Roff
Karla Leavens and Robert Lee
May and Ray Massa
Bruce Meyer
Jacqueline Morrill and Samuel Donahue
Charlene Palmisano
Gregory Parson
Mimi Sweeney
Jihye Tahk and Matt Thomas
Michael Walker
Valerie and Roger Wood
$100-$499
Mary S. and Peter Austen
Pablo Azar
Barry Becker
Scott Berger
Elisa and Jeffrey Bowley
Joanna Brinton
John Bunzel
Elizabeth Carmalt
Karen and Francis Ciccarino
Lucia Rose and Michael Colvin
Kirk Dorn
Muhammad Durrani
Karen Elinich
Aletheia Fin
Barry and Carlos Friswold-Colon
Susan and Glenn Fuir
Joyce and Sidney Gamburg
Colby Garber
Laura Geller and Matthew Courtin
Ravi Gill
Patrick Grecco
Joe Heck
Katherine H. Hovde and Kenneth M. Kulak
Sarah Kloss and Hari Palaiyanur
Nancy and Roy Kolb
Gail and Jeffrey Krimstock
Kate Loesch
Kate Malgieri and Jennifer Lorenzon
Mindy and Larry Nadel
Sara Nerken
Nicole Ochroch
Susan W. and Robert Peck
Shelly Power
Adam Rom
Emily and Suby Ross
Ralph R. Smith
Laura and Andrew Sparks
Corinne Stahl
Danielle Sutherland
Sarah Vahlstrom
CORPORATE, FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
$250,000-$499,999
The Albert M. Greenfield Foundation
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
$100,000-$249,999
National Endowment for the Humanities
$50,000-$99,999
Bank of America
Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross Foundation
$25,000-$49,999
Bimbo Bakeries USA
PECO
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
TD Charitable Foundation
$10,000-$24,999
AmerisourceBergen Service Corporation
Bassetts Ice Cream Company
The Benevity Community Impact Fund
The Blackbaud Giving Fund
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Five Below
Keystone First
PNC Bank, National Association
Schwab Charitable Fund
TD Bank
Tierney
$2,500-$9,999
Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation
Core Paricipant Network
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Dilworth Paxson LLP
Fidelity Charitable Fulton Bank
The GIANT Company
The Glenmede Trust
Ladies Aid Society of the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Osage Industries Inc.
Philadelphia Eagles
Signature 57
Talcott Administration Services Company
$1,000-$2,499
BBD, LLP
Bellevue Strategies, LLC
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath
Financial Communications Society
IBM Corporation
Jim Roche Real Estate Team
Kaplan Partners
Kevin Luchko Lending Team
Major Media LLC
The Philadelphia Foundation
Philadelphia Zoo
Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc.
United Way of Alabama
USI Insurance Services
Vanguard Charitable
Vanguard Group Foundation
Visit Philadelphia
BOARD OF TRUSTEES & COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022
Board of Trustees
Christine Campbell, Chair
Shawn Tuli, Vice Chair
Kristen D. Han, Secretary
Donna Saul Millen, Treasurer & COO
Patricia D. Wellenbach, President & CEO
MEMBERS
Angeline Arumainayagam
David M. Davis
Samantha Funk
Karen Griffith Gryga
Arianna Orpello Lewko
Amy Lim
Greg Millhauser
Christyn L. Rossman
Tracey Santilli
Matt Simon
Richard (Dick) Tewksbury, Jr.
Timothy Vecchiarelli
Gabriel (Gabe) Weissman
EMERITUS
Elizabeth B. Cartmell
Sharon Coghlan, Esq.
Anne Hamilton
Gie Liem
Portia Sperr, Founder, Please Touch Museum
Community Advisory Council
Ron Allen
Shakia Boulware
Mike Burch
Robert Buscher
Cathy Cahill
Roberta & Alfonzo Connor
Calla Cousar
Ruby Davis
Evon Delee
Julia Diggs
Pam Evans
Lorraine Gomez
Cass Green
Falena Hand
Monica Harmon
Tina Harris
Rachel Honore
Lucinda Hudson
John Jordan
Charlene Mills
Pastor Joe E. Nock
Deion Payton
Derrick Pratt
Chris Spahr
Kelly Thomas
Dwayne Walker
Alice Wright
Yuka Yokoyama
4231 Avenue of the Republic
Philadelphia, PA 19131
PleaseTouchMuseum.org
Please Touch®, Please Touch Museum®, The Children’s Museum of Philadelphia, Where Learning is Child’s Play and Science All Around Us are registered trademarks of Please Touch Museum.
A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylavnia Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. Please Touch Museum® is a non-profit organization and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
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