ANNUAL REPORT | FY 2024-2025

Letter from the President and CEO, Allison Comer

Dear Friends & Supporters

As we reflect on fiscal year 2025, I’m filled with immense pride in the progress Muse Knoxville has made – not just within our museum walls, but across our city, region, and state. This year, we served nearly 140,000 children and caregivers, deepening our impact through playful learning experiences that ignite curiosity, foster creativity, and build critical skills for the future. And for the first time, we had visitors from all 50 states, 1,843 unique zip codes, and 12 different countries visit in one fiscal year!

In a time when STEM engagement is declining nationally and early childhood enrichment opportunities remain inequitable, Muse Knoxville is leading the charge in innovative, accessible, play-based learning. National conversations across the science center and children’s museum fields are increasingly centering on innovation and community-powered design. We are proud to already be putting these ideas into practice – grounding our programming in research, co-creating with families, and making space for all children to imagine themselves as future scientists, artists, and innovators.

FY25 marked several historic milestones for our organization. We launched our first-ever Student Advisory Board, empowering youth voice and leadership. We remained committed to free and low-cost family access programs – 49.56% of all memberships were Family Access Memberships, and 53.24% of all students served received full scholarship support. We opened multiple new exhibit spaces and deepened our partnerships with schools across Knox County and beyond. And yet, the demand for Muse Knoxville’s mission-driven work continues to exceed our capacity. Nearly 1,000 individuals were waitlisted for programs this year due to fire code limitations, and we had to turn away field trip requests from schools in ten different East Tennessee districts simply because we didn’t have the space. These challenges highlight the urgent need for expansion. As we look to the future, we are envisioning a larger and better space – one that meets the growing demand for all-age play-based STEM learning and ensures every child has the opportunity to discover, explore, and thrive.

As we look to FY26 and beyond, we remain committed to growing with our community – listening deeply, innovating boldly, and building a museum that reflects the brilliance and possibility of every child we serve. Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we are not just building a museum – we are building a better future.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Allison Comer
President & CEO, Muse Knoxville