Playing by the numbers...

We welcomed 138,551 friends to play at the museum

from 1,316+ different zip codes

38,321 visits from GRCM members

125,958 friends visited us online

We engaged with 50,036 friends across our social platforms

We hosted190 special programs with 33,821 participants

125 individual volunteers served 1,256 hours

9,040 friends went on a field trip to the museum from 157 schools

We brought play to 78 educational outreach events with 13,607 guests

We collaborated with 57+ community partners

distributed 1,389 Play@Home kits

133 enrolled in Purposefully Playing Towards Kindergarten summer program, a playful learning partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools

102,773 guests utilized Museums for All since 2017

Museums
for All

Museums for All is a national initiative to encourage museum attendance

among low-income and underserved families. EBT/WIC cardholders qualify

for a reduced GRCM admission rate of $1.75 per person for up to twelve people.

We welcomed 32,773 guests through Museums for All

representing 32.48% of total reported overall visitors

2,884 members joined or renewed their membership

Pay What

You Can+

Pay What You Can+ is a GRCM-initiated program that offers discounted memberships to families that qualify for EBT or WIC. Families give what they are able, starting at $20 per family membership.

535 Pay What You Can+ active member households

981 Pay What You Can+ member households since 2021

"Scientists have discovered it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless it is done in play, in which case it only takes 10 to 20 repetitions."

-Dr. Karyn Purvis

a note from our CEO of Play:

Whenever I speak to groups, I always like to start by asking those sitting close to each other to share a memory they have of playing as a child. There are sure to be words used like:

neighbors

board

games

friends

unsupervised time

outdoors

double dutch

sand

water

cousins

legos

bubbles

trains

pretend

play

I love hearing each story and even more fulfilling is hearing memories of them in our museum playing. They often overlap.

Research from every level of medicine (Psychiatry to Pediatrics) corroborates the critical importance of play to a child's AND adult's brain. As the experts on play, I am out of my mind (pun intended) excited to share the next 3 years we have planned and to introduce you to all forms of it without having to leave your amazing hometown - because you deserve that time to play with your loved ones. We have welcomed some of the most exciting national traveling exhibits in our museum's history:

The Pigeon Comes to Grand Rapids: A Mo Willems Exhibit
Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: The Exhibit
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: A Grr-ific Exhibit

and we are looking ahead to the arrival of:

Emotions at Play with Pixar’s Inside Out
Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit
Alma’s Way: Welcome to My Neighborhood
AIM HIGH: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen

We are also excited to share some new rotating exhibits that our team have been working hard on dreaming up. Stay tuned as we announce these exhibits this summer!

Keep sharing those play memories and strive to create more with your loved ones. Your mental and physical health will thank you, and so do I!

Playfully and gratefully,

FINANCIALS

2023 Revenue Total $2,170,197

• Earned Income $870,489

• Donations $1,299,708

2023 Expenses Total $2,325,773

• Programs $1,760,166

• General & Administrative $373,295

• Fundraising $192,312

OUR CHAMPIONS

List derived from gifts made in 2023

Aaron Turner

AARP

Acrisure

Adam Zahn

Alan and Debbie Abraham

Aleicia Woodrick

Alexander and Lauren Whaley

Allied Mechanical Services

Allyson Paris

Andrew and Nicole Shannon

Annette and Stephen Comer

Arnie's Bakery LLC

Ashlee Vance

Ashley Carey

B.J. and Pat Huizenga

Bank of America

Bee Steel, Inc

Ben and Stacy Brenner

Biggby Coffee

Blake and Mary Krueger

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Bredeweg and Zylstra, PLC

Brenda and Michael* Lamfers

Brigid and Kraig Kloostra

Bruce Goodman and Janet Kreuger

Buddy's Pizza

Buzz and Lisa Miller

Carla and Glenn Morris

Cathleen Calveneau

Cathleen Curley

CDV5 Family Foundation

Charles and Barbara DePree

Chris and Heather Hoexum

Cindy and Doug Wabeke

Cindy and John Williams

Cindy and Sean Foley

City of Grand Rapids Office of Special Events

Claire and Andrew Johnston

Clare Shubert

Consumers Energy

Corinne Bossardet

Cornerstone Architects

Curt Filkins

Daisy Fredricks

Dale and Sharon Rietberg

Dan and Tara Clappison

Darryl and Sarah Elmouchi

Daryl and Cami Targosz

Dave and Karen Pullen

Deborah and Howard Wright

Deborah Drake

Delta Dental of Michigan

Denise and Tom Persons

Dewpoint IT

Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation

Don and Marilyn Lancaster

Donna and David Hockstra

Donna and Michael Parr

Donna Hanson

Dorothy and Gregory Flaska

Doug & Maria DeVos Foundation

Doug and Beth Parker

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc

DTE Energy Foundation

Duard and Patricia Warsen

Dustin Engel

Ed Wong-Ligda and Carol Ligda-Wong

Eddie Tadlock

Edward and Linda Cox

Emily White

Erik and Kellianne Schumacher

EV Construction, Inc.

Experience Grand Rapids

Fishbeck

FoamGR

Frey Foundation

Gabriela Ryan

Gabrielle Calkins and Anne Thompson

Geoffrey Lam

Georgia and Jeff Gietzen

Gerald and Jane Feldman

Gerber Foundation

Glenn & Claudia Place

Glenn Morris & Associates

GMB Architecture and Engineering

Goldfish Swim School

Gordon Food Services

GR Auto Gallery

Grand Valley State University

Greg Willit and Meg Miller-Willit

Growtrust Partners

Gun Lake Casino

H & S Companies

Hannah Splajt

Happy Taylor

Heather Lund

Herbruck's

Hilary Vankrimpen

Holly and Erick Johnson

Horizon Bank

Hungerford Nichols CPAs + Advisors

Huntington Bank

Ian Sliger

Innovative Painting

J.C. Huizenga and Tammy Born Huizenga

Jack and Vickie Hannigan

Jack H. Miller

James and Debbie Hesseman

James and Gail Fahner

Jami Blanchard

Jamie Hills

Jamie Langlois

Janet Zahn

Jared and Sydney Bollaert

Jason and Julie Balgavy

Jason and Kelly Joseph

Jason and Windy Schnelker

Jason Barnum

Jennifer and Jeff Mesler

Jennifer Zuniga

Jeremy and Diane Barber

Jessica and Jeremiah Johns

Jessica and Seth Yon

Jessica Furrow

Jessica Kuiken

Jim and Bonnie Scarlett

Jim Davis and Laurel Joseph

Jim Keller

Joan M. McMillon

Jocelyn Dettloff

Joel and Kathy Ruiter

John and Barbara Kruis

John and Mary Parker

John Grace Restoration

John Taylor

Julia Atherton

Julie Feenstra

Kari and Chris Sherry

Kate Hunt

Katey Morse

Kathy and Jim Ringnalda

Katie and Derreck Asante

Keli Christopher

Keller Foundation

Kelli Belanger

Kelli Scarlett

Kelly and Doug Hutchings

Kent Companies, Inc

Kent Medical Foundation

Kent Pediatrics

Kim Shefferly

Kimberly Sherry and JJ Ooi

Kirk and Amy Breukink

Kris Pachla

Kristi Haik

Kristin and Tom Gootjes

Kristine Kuhnert

Krystal Kackley

Kurt and Madelon Hassberger

Kurt and Matteah Reppart

Kyle and Win Irwin

Lake Michigan Credit Union

Leslee Rohs

Linda Patterson

Lindsay Bombard

Lisa Knight

Lowell Arts Council

Lynn Marie Clarke

Lynne Brown-Tepper

Lynne Pope and Carlos Sanchez

Macil Morris

Madelaine Lane

Mandice McAllister

Mandy and Goran Jurkovic

Mara Spears

Marc Bos

Margaret Vega and Tom Erdall

Marianne and Art Nelson

Marianne Parker

Marie Stiegel

Mark and Shirley Bordner

Marlene and Denny Bongard

Mary Ann Sabo and Jeff Ott

Mary Jo and Bob Pomeroy

Mary Judnich

Mary Kate Austin

Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians

MCPc

Mei Mah and Dan Fechtner

Meijer

Mercantile Bank of Michigan

Michael and Charlotte Anton

Michael and Kerry Verhulst

Michael Davis

Michael Ludwig

Michael Wheeler and Susan Picking

Michigan Apple Committee

Michigan Arts and Culture Council

Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Michigan Educational Trust

Michigan Humanities

Michigan Nonprofit Association

Mickie Fox

Mike and Amy Monaghan

Miranda Hillard and Bismarck Lopez

Mitten Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics

Mnemonix

Mobile GR and Parking Services

Monica Hazel

Mr. Burger

Natalie and Omar Hall

National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Humanites

Nick and Cindy Paradiso

Nick and Terry Paradiso

Nicole and Bryon Hansen

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Western Michigan, P.L.C.

Outfront Media

Paradiso Consulting LLC

Paul and Kim Lothschutz

Paul Boxer

Philomena Mantella and Robert Avery

Plante Moran

PNC

Rachel Anderson

Rachel Llontop

Reagan Marketing + Design

Rehmann

Reyna VanKuiken

Richard and Mary Stevens

Richard and Mary VandenBerg

Rick and Sara Armbruster

Rieth-Riley Construction Inc.

Robert O'Conner

Robert Woolley

Robin and Thomas Bentley

Robin Bartells

Ruth Posthumus and Marlin Feyen

Ryan and Stephanie Formsma

Sandy and Kevin Jager

Sarah Mix

Scarlett, Inc

Schnelker, Rassi & McConnell, PLC

Scott and Sandra Cole

Shannon Harris

Shari and Matthew Berger

Sharon Caldwell-Newton

Sherry Kuo

Show Michigan Corporation

Starbucks

Steelcase Foundation

Steelcase Inc.

Stephen and Anne Scholler

Steve and Stacy Huizinga

Steven & Andria Romkema

Steven Thorpe

Stonecastle Dentistry

Susan Smalley

Tammy Karas

TEGNA Foundation

The 4100 Group

Theresa Doyle

Thermal Trends

Tim Hortons

Tim Mroz

Timothy and Shoran Williams

Tom and Luann Nemitz

Tony and Amy Robinson

Tony and Carolyn Roussey

United Bank

Varnum LLP

Vicki Walker

Victoria Munro

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Warner Norcross + Judd

Wege Foundation

Wells Fargo Advisors

Wendy Swalla

West Michigan Whitecaps

WGVU

*posthumously

BOARD



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