Year in review
The Mississippi Children’s Museum is fun, but it is also so much more than that. For 11 years, MCM has provided a safe, imaginative space for over 1.5 million children, families, and community members of all backgrounds to play, learn, and grow.
In 2021, MCM Celebrated a monumental year…
We know there are still challenges ahead, but as we look toward the future, MCM is poised to serve our state and community in more impactful ways than ever before.
Impact
MCM Jackson and Meridian
$2,624,811
Donations & Grants
$702,800
Operating Revenue
$702,800
Memberships
$598,127
Educational Sponsors
$693,656
Other Income
Total Revenue & Support
$4,806,007
Financial figures are for Jackson and Meridian combined based on the fiscal year June 1, 2020-May 31, 2021. Financials and statistics are quantified by MCM-Meridian opening in March 2021.
MCM Jackson and Meridian
$473,544
MANAGEMENT & GENERAL
$215,216
FUNDRAISING
$3,852,080
Program Services
Total EXPENSES
$4,540,840
Financial figures are for Jackson and Meridian combined based on the fiscal year June 1, 2020-May 31, 2021. Financials and statistics are quantified by MCM-Meridian opening in March 2021.
Visitors
Jackson
Museum Guests
107,000
Memberships
1,766
Education Program
Participants
15,696
Meridian
Museum Guests
57,000
Memberships
1,301
Education Program
Participants
1,037
Volunteers
Jackson
Volunteers
1,604
Volunteer Hours
6,395.5
Monetary Value Saves
$125,536
Meridian
Volunteers
285
Volunteer Hours
1,924.2
Monetary Value Saves
$37,272
MCM-Partners used their creativity to revisualize fundraising events during a pandemic by creating a custom cocktail kit for Ignite the Night 2021 and hosting a drive-in movie experience for Discovery Night 2021. Fundraising revenue is reflected from events held between January 1-December 31, 2021.
Jackson
$101,000
Ignite the Night
$78,000
Neon Night
$75,000
Discovery Night
$26,000
Jackson dues and donations
Meridian
$176,000
Midnight at the Museum
$28,000
Meridian dues and donations
Total Revenue
$484,000
Let’s Get
Digital!
MCM ended 2021 with an overall digital reach of 6.6 million impressions, which was an impressive 400% increase from 1.6 million in 2020. Contributing to these stats was the opening of MCM-Meridian, the creation of our new online resource MCM at Home, and the launch of our new website.
MCM-Jackson’s IMLS winner announcement reached over
2 million people!
MCM-Meridian’s influencer partnership landed a whopping
12,000+ Impressions!
55,419 monthly
website visits
. . .
HALF A MILLION
WEBSITE VISITS IN 2021!
MCM has 69,412 followers across all social media platforms and over 28,000 email subscribers!
Help us reach 100,000 followers!
Jackson
MERIDIAN
Two
Award-Winning
Museums
Awards Throughout
the years
IMLS National Medal
As a testament to our community service and resilience through the pandemic, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced MCM as a recipient of the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor given to museums that make an exceptional contribution to their community. MCM is one of the youngest museums to be awarded the IMLS National Medal!
Travel Attraction of the Year
MCM-Meridian was named as the Mississippi Tourism Association’s 2021 Travel Attraction of the Year! The award is presented to an attraction that is new, unique, and successful in bringing visitors to its city – MCM-Meridian achieved this honor after only two months of operations. The 25,000 square foot facility boasts one-of-a-kind collaborations with Simon & Schuster Publishing “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” and Harper Collins Publishing “Goodnight Moon.”
Community
Catalyst
The last two years have been challenging for everyone, but particularly for children, educators, and caregivers as they had to transition to an unexpected virtual learning format. MCM chose to pivot its approach to provide innovative, hands-on learning opportunities for our community.
MCM piloted the Mississippi Science Festival (MSF) in 2016 and with grand success the event expanded the following year to include the four museums in the LeFleur Museum District.
MSF brings the community together to celebrate careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) and has introduced children of all ages to the wide variety of STEAM industries that are available in Mississippi.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor, C Spire, we look forward to celebrating the continued growth of MSF and its statewide impact on STEAM education and workforce development.
The LeFleur Museum District consists of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, MDWFP’s Museum of Natural Science, & the Mississippi Children’s Museum.
MCM soars to new heights by opening first satellite museum in Meridian!
On March 26, 2021, despite a worldwide pandemic, MCM opened to the public a state-of-the-art, $17 million satellite museum in Meridian, Mississippi.
In its first 9 months, MCM-Meridian has welcomed over 57,000 visitors from 40 states and 3 foreign countries!
Due to MCM-Meridian’s overwhelming success, the museum has been awarded the Mississippi Tourism Association’s 2021 Travel Attraction of the Year.
New Steam Exhibit
& Playground
Design. Create. Innovate.
MCM’s newest exhibit, WonderBox, tells amazing stories of Mississippi’s rich history of innovators, tinkerers, and creators, while inspiring children to dream of creating new inventions for our future.
WonderBox is a statewide initiative with unique makerspace exhibits in both Jackson and Meridian. The new WonderBox exhibit in Jackson provides hands-on experiences essential for making and tinkering; visitors have access to a 3-D printer and pens, robotics, circuitry, building activities, crafting materials, and so much more.
In December of 2021, the Mississippi Children’s Museum, in partnership with MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS), opened a state-of-the-art playground at the LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex. The multi-purpose complex will be used for recreational and educational activities featuring the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, The Den (an outdoor pavilion), and Spotter’s Adventure Trail (a museum walking trail).
“The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is proud to have funded the new modern playground as a gift to Mississippi’s children. The Foundation appreciates the leadership of the Mississippi Children’s Museum in this effort resulting in a place for children and their families to engage in fun outdoor play that will build healthy habits for years to come.”
The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation’s generous $3.86 million grant made this innovative project possible. The leadership and vision of MCM’s President, Susan Garrard, MCM-Jackson’s Executive Director, Emily Hoff, and the LeFleur’s Bluff Complex Director, Angel Rohnke, brought this project to life. The LeFleur’s Bluff Playground is a must-see travel attraction and family destination for Mississippi families and tourists, alike.
A Brighter Future
for Mississippi’s
Children
MCM has launched a new, educational program for teachers, The LIFT (Learn. Inspire. Fulfill. Teach.), in collaboration with Barksdale Reading Institute (BRI).
The LIFT provides:
- Innovative resources
- Advanced STEAM and literacy curriculum
- An intensive read-aloud program, Listen. Think. Learn.
- Online professional development
- In-person workshops
First Year Impact:
- 24 exemplary teachers representing 13 school districts
- 1,000 activity kits (500 STEAM & 500 Literacy)
- 10,000 books distributed
- 15,000+ students reached
Talk from the Start, a partnership between the Mississippi Children’s Museum and the Barksdale Reading Institute, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a statewide campaign to raise awareness and boost early language development in our youngest Mississippians. The campaign encourages parents, educators, and friends in the community to do their part in talking with young children to help them become successful readers: We All Play a Part, Talk from the Start.
Donors
Leadership
SUSAN
GARRARD
President/CEO
SARAH SKELTON
Chief Financial Officer
Emily
HOFF
Executive Director of Mississippi Children’s Museum – Jackson
ELIZABETH WILSON
Executive Director of
Mississippi Children’s Museum – Meridian
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MCM – JACKSON
Beth Hansen, Alicen Blanchard, Olivia Host, Wilson Hood, Crisler Boone, Donna Bruce, Michael Cormack, Margaret Cupples, Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, Margaret Cupples, Dr. Lisa Didion, John Fletcher, Jeffrey M. Graves, Jet Hollingsworth, Maggi Lampton, Carla Lewis, Ashley Meena, Melanie Morgan, Chip Pickering, Bethany Smith, Adams Yerger, Camille Young, & Susan Garrard
MCM – MERIDIAN
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, Hallie Pearson Swindoll, John Anderson, Dr. Amy Carter, Otis Gowdy, David Hall, Kelvin Jackson, Kim Knight, Dustin Markham, Jim McGinnis, III, Melanie Mitchell, Don Rogers, Leigh Anne Whittle
We couldn’t have done it without you!
The mission of MCM is to create unparalleled experiences to inspire excellence and a lifelong joy of learning.
We accomplish this mission through hands-on, engaging exhibits and programs focusing on literacy, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), and health and nutrition–the keys to helping our children mature into healthy and productive adult learners.