"Inspiring kindness, creativity, curiosity, and joy for all learners."
Tour Spotlight
Partnerships & The Annex
Five nonprofit organizations currently share space with the Children's Museum, making it a hub of collaborative activity. The focus of this tour stop is those partnerships — and the new Annex building that will allow them to deepen.
3.8M
Annual visitors for traveling exhibits
$1.6M+
in earned revenue from traveling exhibits
5
Nonprofit partner orgs share the museum space
Why It Matters Right Now
The Museum's previous exhibit workshop was demolished to make way for the Esplanade project. The recently acquired Annex — an abandoned building less than a quarter mile away — will house the exhibit workshop and the artists of the Tough Art program. Funding this space is urgent: without it, the museum cannot continue building the award-winning traveling exhibits that reach 3.8 million people nationally each year. Partnerships and the spaces where they thrive are essential to Pittsburgh's arts ecosystem.
Public Funding
How government investment shapes this work
Public funding represents approximately 25% of the museum's unearned income for operating expenses.
Strong Local Funding Support: RAD
RAD funding constitutes approximately 5% of the operating budget and has been essential for much-needed building repairs and ongoing operations.
City Support
The City of Pittsburgh provides two of the museum's buildings essentially rent-free — a foundational contribution to operational sustainability.
State Funding
State investment has been necessary for the physical expansion of the Children's Museum. The museum is actively awaiting RACP funding to open for the Annex campaign.
Lost: Federal Funding
$1.6M+in federal funding was cut in April 2025 due to DOGE, hitting the research and learning department hardest. This work focused on understanding how children learn in different environments.
Gaps & Risks
Where the pressure is greatest
Funding Gap
Corporate support is the most significant gap, particularly in the sponsorship of exhibits and programs — the visible, public-facing work the museum is known for.
Existential Risk
Not having an exhibit workshop threatens the museum's ability to produce its award-winning exhibits. Separately, a 20% decline in Pittsburgh's child population over the last 20 years presents a long-term structural challenge.
Biggest Opportunity
The Annex: exhibits, artists, and earned revenue
The Annex project represents the museum's most significant near-term opportunity. It will restore the exhibit workshop lost to the Esplanade project and provide a permanent home for the Tough Artists — artists commissioned for pieces at the Carnegie International, Arts Landing, Riverlife, and the museum itself.
The stakes are concrete: the museum's traveling exhibits are currently seen by 3.8 million people nationally each year and generate over $1.6 million in earned revenue. With the Annex secured, that engine continues. Without it, the pipeline is at risk.
Government & Regulatory
Active process to watch
The museum is waiting for RACP (Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program) funding to open so they can complete the Annex campaign. Connections to state-level officials familiar with RACP timelines and advocacy could meaningfully accelerate this process.
How You Can Help
Immediate & 12-month actions
- Support the RACP application to unlock the Annex building and restore the exhibit workshop.
- Continue to fund RAD at or above its current percentage targeted for the arts.
- Restore funding to the PA History and Museum Commission to last year's level.
- Triple the funding for Creative PA to match West Virginia's investment in the arts — Pennsylvania currently lags significantly behind its neighbor.