84/ 100
WarmTier 2Enriched
Maryland Science Center
A nonprofit science museum and statewide informal-STEM education organization anchored at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, with three floors of interactive exhibits, IMAX, planetarium, observatory, field trips, outreach and adult programming.
Research snapshot2026-08-2122 cited sources · 5/6 modules complete Open PDF Report
FY2025 total reach406,213FY2025 · Owned first-party reach; includes on-site and statewide programs.
Anniversary campaign$15Mcompleted June 2026 · Record-breaking campaign completed.
Lifetime guests15M+1976-June 2026 · Government-reported cumulative visitation.
FY2025 revenue$10.45MFY2025 · IRS-derived Form 990 total revenue.
Baltimore visitors28.7Mcalendar 2025 · Market proxy - not Maryland Science Center footfall.
Visual evidence profile
What supports the opportunity
Source composition and verified operating momentum at a glance.
Evidence mix22 cited sources
Six-segment module readiness strip
Verified growth trendTotal revenue
Revenue more than doubled in FY2024 and then declined 19.3% in FY2025; the contribution mix indicates timing of support, not visitor demand alone, drove much of the volatility.
Visual intelligence map
Research coverage
Each branch maps directly to a required module in the plugin’s canonical report schema.
Why this lead fits CTM
Recalibrated to 84/100: the attraction, market, transformation trigger, financial capacity and named marketing buyer are all verified; the score stays warm rather than hot because local CTM inventory, paid-media need, gate-attendance baseline and procurement path remain unconfirmed.
Fit reasons
A large, ticketed Inner Harbor attraction with an online conversion path and year-round programming directly fits CTM's visitor-decision use case.
The completed campaign, new Space and Make experiences, anniversary visibility and Harbor Plaza work create a time-sensitive reason to test fresh arrival-stage creative.
A named marketing strategy owner, public CEO sponsor and board governance route make the commercial path identifiable.
Risks and unknowns
The institution already reaches over 400,000 people through mixed channels; CTM must prove incremental value rather than simply add undifferentiated awareness.
Revenue is contribution-sensitive and fell from FY2024's exceptional level, so a pilot needs a bounded scope and credible measurement plan.
Regional visitation is substantial but is a market proxy; it cannot be presented as center attendance or a guaranteed campaign audience.
Evidence modules
Lead intelligence structure
Each module uses a view tailored to its canonical evidence type—reports, momentum, channels, leaders, roles, or demand.
01Analyzed reportsThe FY2025 annual report, FY2025 Form 990 and current 2026 institutional publications provide a coherent operating view: broad reach, expanding access, a contribution-supported financial model and active reinvestment in the visitor experience.Complete
Reported Performance12 verified metrics
Earned income share66%FY2025 · Annual-report income mix; not a dollar amount.
Private support share18%FY2025
Public support share15%FY2025
Mission-related expense share74%FY2025
Total reach406,213FY2025
Free field trips93,454FY2025
Reviewed Reports2 records
annual_report · July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025Annual Report 2024-2025
Official annual performance report covering program reach, new exhibit pipeline, donor support, leadership and the FY2025 income/expense mix.
tax_filing · FY2025Form 990 - Fiscal Year Ending June 2025
IRS-derived nonprofit filing provides comparable FY2023-FY2025 revenue, expense, net-asset and officer evidence.
Total reach was 406,213: 353,838 in Maryland and 52,375 out of state.
Free field trips served 93,454 Maryland students and educators; more than 7,100 out-of-state students from DC and six states received reduced admission.
More than 5,000 adults participated across 13 adult-science events, while 4,046 children and adults used museum overnight programs.
Additional Evidence14 items
Additional Metrics
Traveling Science reach31,992FY2025
Baltimore Ready, Set, Go reach11,194FY2025
Total revenue$10.45MFY2025
Total expenses$8.68MFY2025
Net assets$39.04MFY2025
Program-service revenue$3.26MFY2025
Additional Signals
Open three visitor-experience upgrades in FY2026: Make, Space and a larger Demonstration Stage.
Expand access through free school field trips, reduced-price Access Science and statewide outreach.
The annual report's reach measure combines on-site and off-site programs; it is not a standalone gate-attendance series.
FY2025 revenue was $10.45 million and expenses were $8.68 million, producing $1.77 million of reported net income.
Contributions represented 56.8% of FY2025 revenue and program services 31.2%, demonstrating a material fundraising dependency alongside earned activity.
Maintain program delivery while supporting capital improvements through a mixed earned-, private- and public-support model.
Annual revenue can move sharply with contribution timing, making total-revenue growth an unreliable standalone demand proxy.
Research Boundaries
No audited financial statements separate from the Form 990 were located on the checked official reports hub.
02Growth signalsGrowth is investment-led rather than a simple top-line story: FY2025 revenue normalized after a contribution-heavy FY2024, net assets continued to rise, and the anniversary plan expanded from $10 million of enhancements to a completed $15 million campaign with new exhibits and Harbor Plaza construction underway.Complete
The October 2024 plan committed more than $10 million over two years to the largest Inner Harbor transformation since 2004.
Space and Make opened in December 2025, and the campaign target was raised to $15 million by Spring 2026.
The state reported completion of the $15 million campaign and the start of Harbor Plaza renovation in June 2026.
The official newsroom continued publishing anniversary, STEM awards and statewide-program announcements through July 2026.
Additional Evidence5 items
Additional Signals
The Harbor Plaza work creates a fresh arrival moment that can support new wayfinding, discovery and cross-promotion tests once construction timing and guest flow are understood.
The anniversary year, new exhibit stack and daily ticketed programming create multiple campaign hooks rather than dependence on one short-lived launch.
A fundraising-led transformation does not prove an incremental paid-media budget; the marketing owner must confirm channel need and procurement authority.
Plaza construction may change entrance paths and timing, so placement and creative should not be designed before the operational route is verified.
Research Boundaries
No management forecast for paid attendance, admissions revenue or post-renovation visitor uplift was found in the checked materials.
03Social activityThe institution maintains official Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn presences and uses owned editorial content to promote exhibits, events, education and anniversary milestones. Only LinkedIn exposed a reliable point-in-time follower count; post-level sampling was blocked or unavailable elsewhere, so cadence and engagement are intentionally not quantified.Partial
Additional Evidence3 items
Additional Signals
The official quarterly positions Instagram as the visual feed for current activity.
The official quarterly describes YouTube content as Science Shorts and STEM Awards coverage.
Research Boundaries
No follower counts were claimed for Facebook, Instagram or YouTube; no cadence or engagement statistic was calculated for any channel because visible post samples were unavailable or incomplete.
04C-suite activityPublic leadership evidence identifies an active CEO owner of the transformation, a named marketing-strategy buyer and board oversight led by corporate executives. The evidence supports a clear stakeholder route without relying on private profiles.Complete
President and Chief Executive OfficerMark J. Potter
Frame CTM as a measurable extension of the renewed entrance and exhibit story, with no assumption of guaranteed audience or universal Baltimore inventory.
Senior Director of Marketing and StrategyChristopher S. Cropper
Lead with a Baltimore hotel and visitor-touchpoint pilot tied to distinct Space, Make and anniversary landing paths, then compare scans and ticket actions by placement cluster.
Chair, Board of TrusteesMark Zimmerly
Escalate only after the marketing owner validates an operationally feasible, bounded pilot.
Decision PathPublic buying signals
The checked current sources consistently list Mark J. Potter as President and CEO and Christopher S. Cropper as Senior Director of Marketing and Strategy; no material recent change in those roles was found.
Keep the institution accessible, relevant and connected to statewide communities while renewing the Inner Harbor visitor experience.
Likely executive sponsor for a broader visitor-discovery pilot after marketing and operational fit are confirmed.
Additional Evidence5 items
Additional Signals
Translate the anniversary transformation, new experiences and daily program calendar into visitor demand and repeatable campaign narratives.
Best initial buyer for channel strategy, audience, creative, measurement and pilot scope.
Governance, compliance, mission support and institutional reputation.
Governance stakeholder rather than the first marketing buyer; relevance increases only for material budget or partnership approval.
Research Boundaries
No public tenure-start dates or current personal professional-profile activity were used; this module is limited to official institutional and government evidence.
05Hiring activityThe official ATS showed three specific current roles plus a general-interest application. The open roles concentrate on outreach delivery, the new MAKE experience and facility reliability - useful evidence of visitor-experience execution, but not evidence of a marketing or sales expansion.Complete
3Visible RolesPublic openings connected to this lead
Education / Outreach · Baltimore, MDEarly Childhood Outreach Instructor (Part-Time)
Monthly Head Start classroom visits and program delivery reinforce statewide/community reach capacity.
Education / MAKE · Baltimore, MDDIY Staff Part-Time
The role directly supports guest activity in the newly expanded MAKE makerspace.
Facilities · Baltimore, MDMaintenance Technician (Part-Time)
Facilities staffing supports the safe, reliable operation of the refreshed campus and visitor environment.
Program reach and visitor facilitation.
Facilities reliability during an active capital-improvement period.
Additional Evidence1 items
Research Boundaries
The ATS displayed no posting dates and may change rapidly; count reflects three specific openings visible on 2026-08-21, excluding the standing general-interest application.
06Visitor activityOwned evidence shows 406,213 FY2025 total reach across the Science Center's site and programs, with substantial school, adult and overnight participation. Baltimore's 28.7 million 2025 visitors and $701 million of recreation/entertainment spending are relevant market context only - not the Center's footfall.Complete
Demand & DistributionOwned metrics remain distinct from market proxies
Total reach406,213FY2025 · Combined on-site and statewide program reach; not pure gate attendance.
Maryland reach353,838FY2025
Out-of-state reach52,375FY2025
Free field-trip participants93,454FY2025
Adult event participants5,000+FY2025
Museum overnight participants4,046FY2025
The attraction operates Tuesday through Sunday with longer Friday-Sunday hours, and its live program calendar supports weekday school demand plus weekend family and adult-event demand.
The 50th-anniversary celebration, summer programming and school-year field trips create distinct campaign windows rather than a single uniform season.
FY2025 reported reach includes 52,375 out-of-state people; more than 7,100 out-of-state field-trip students came from Washington, DC and six states.
Baltimore's 2025 market included 16.3 million day visitors and 12.4 million overnight travelers, supporting distinct local/drive and hotel-touchpoint audiences.
Additional Evidence8 items
Additional Metrics
Lifetime guests15M+1976-June 2026 · Cumulative count reported by the State of Maryland.
Baltimore visitors28.7Mcalendar 2025 · Market proxy - not owned footfall.
Baltimore day-trip visitors16.3Mcalendar 2025 · Market proxy - not owned footfall.
Baltimore overnight travelers12.4Mcalendar 2025 · Market proxy - not owned footfall.
Visitor spending on recreation and entertainment$701Mcalendar 2025 · Market proxy - citywide spending, not Center revenue.
Additional Signals
The Inner Harbor address, online tickets and new Harbor Plaza entrance create a practical arrival-to-action journey for trackable QR or short-URL creative.
Three out of five overnight Baltimore visitors participate in entertainment such as attractions, sightseeing and nightlife, making visitor information environments relevant discovery contexts.
Research Boundaries
The 406,213 figure is total reach, not paid attendance, unique visitors or door count; Baltimore tourism metrics are labeled market proxies and must not be merged with owned reach.
A focused Baltimore visitor-discovery pilot can turn the Science Center's newly renewed story into incremental trip decisions among hotel guests, day visitors and active locals. The proposition is strongest when tied to specific experiences and measured actions, not broad awareness promises.
Recommended solution
Recommendation: confirm CTM's current Baltimore coverage, then test a compact print-plus-digital-ready creative system around Space, Make and the renewed Harbor Plaza. Use visitor information displays only in verified high-traffic environments and route each placement cluster to a distinct ticket or itinerary URL.
Pilot hypothesis
If clear, exhibit-led creative appears in verified Baltimore hotel and visitor-information contexts near trip-planning moments, then the Center should see incremental qualified sessions and ticket-start actions from those placement clusters relative to its pre-pilot baseline.
Measurement plan
Establish a four-week pre-pilot baseline for sessions, ticket starts, completed ticket purchases and group inquiries on the selected landing path.
Assign unique QR codes or short URLs by placement cluster and report scans, qualified sessions, ticket starts and completed transactions without claiming causality beyond the agreed design.
Separate hotel/overnight placements from local/drive-market placements and compare action rate, not just raw traffic.
Review creative by exhibit theme after 30 and 60 days; retain only variants that generate measurable actions and usable visitor feedback.