Creative Discovery Museum
To inspire all children to explore, innovate, create, and play.
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Make your donationAbout Creative Discovery Museum
An award-winning children's museum in the heart of Chattanooga. Unearth the curiosities of the world through play, immersive exhibits and hands-on activities with the whole family.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
To inspire all children to explore, innovate, create, and play.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United StatesConcerns
· None foundWhere every $1 goes
· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Creative Discovery Museum has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- It is one of the better-documented arts & culture charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 87% of the 55,580 arts & culture charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
- an owner-submitted profile claim
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Common questions
· Auto-generated from filings + methodologyCreative Discovery Museum is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Chattanooga, TN, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1992 and has been operating for 34 years. Its EIN is 621509462. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $5M in annual revenue. 89 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Creative Discovery Museum's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 621509462. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Creative Discovery Museum has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 76% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 90/100.
Creative Discovery Museum is located in Chattanooga, TN, United States. The organization was established in 1992 and has been active for 34 years.
Based on official tax filings, Creative Discovery Museum has $5M in annual revenue. It allocates 76% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 75% for arts & culture charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Creative Discovery Museum is classified as an Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $5M in annual revenue. The organization has 89 disclosed officers and directors.
No red flags have been detected for Creative Discovery Museum. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.
According to GiveRadar's records, Creative Discovery Museum holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 76% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 75%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.
An award-winning children's museum in the heart of Chattanooga. Unearth the curiosities of the world through play, immersive exhibits and hands-on activities with the whole family. Creative Discovery Museum is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1992.
Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: It allocates 76% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 75%. Its annual revenue of $5M is well above the peer average of $1M.
Yes, donations to Creative Discovery Museum are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Creative Discovery Museum is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 621509462, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Filing history
5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
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Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2024 filing
Officers & trustees (25)
Source: Public filings
25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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Sign up to write a reviewCause areas in United States
How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
- Financial filings
- IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 89 disclosed in the public registry.
- Supplementary verification
- Charity Navigator
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2024 on record
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Named leadership · 89 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 1992
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Programs & activitiesNo named programs listed by the charity
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Quick facts about Creative Discovery Museum
- What is Creative Discovery Museum?
- Creative Discovery Museum is a arts & culture publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Chattanooga, United States. An award-winning children's museum in the heart of Chattanooga. Unearth the curiosities of the world through play, immersive exhibits and hands-on activities with the whole family.
- When was Creative Discovery Museum founded?
- Creative Discovery Museum was founded in 1992.
- Who leads Creative Discovery Museum?
- Gordon A Stalans serves as CFO.
- Where is Creative Discovery Museum located?
- Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, United States.
- What is Creative Discovery Museum's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 76% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Creative Discovery Museum trustworthy?
- Creative Discovery Museum has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Creative Discovery Museum's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 621509462.
- What is Creative Discovery Museum's website?
- http://www.cdmfun.org