Our Story
Formerly the Chicago Design Museum, the organization was founded in 2012 as an entirely volunteer-run organization that planned and executed pop-up exhibitions. In 2014, after two years of successful itinerant programming, more than 500 backers supported a Kickstarter campaign to provide funding for the museum to operate year-round. Beginning with a single staff member, the museum now mounts at least 3 exhibitions per year, has hosted hundreds of public programs, and engaged with millions of visitors.
We make our best effort to keep all programming free or low-cost. Each exhibition is uniquely designed in concert with the exhibition themes, and the gallery space undergoes a complete transformation for each show. From undulating MDF “hills” for a show on Chicago’s bicycle culture to a behind-the-scenes environment for a show on design in theatre, the exhibition design always responds to and supports its content in a unique way. As a result, visitors are greeted with a new, unexpected experience every visit, and are inspired to see the exceptional within the simple. The museum is committed to creative solutions that elevate humble materials.
Organizational Information
Mission
Design Museum of Chicago (DMoC) inspires, educates, and fosters innovation through design.
IMPact reports
990 Filings and Nonprofit Status
DMoC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): 46-2120195
Form 990 filings: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Access our logos here.
Additional financial documents, including audited financial statements, are available upon request.
Transparency:
The Design Museum of Chicago holds the GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency. You can view our full profile here.
Governance:
Design Museum of Chicago is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that provides strategic and financial oversight. To view our Board and staff, visit the About page. For questions about governance or financial information, contact: info@designchicago.org
Accessibility:
We are committed to ensuring our exhibitions, programs, and digital platforms are accessible. To request accommodations or share feedback, please email info@designchicago[dot]org
Land Acknowledgement
The Design Museum of Chicago exists on the traditional homelands of the Three Fire Peoples, the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi, as well as many other Tribal Nations who gathered, traded, healed, and built community here.
This land was forcibly purchased following years of conflict and the 1821 Treaty of Chicago, which came after a pan-Indigenous effort to protect the Great Lakes region. Today, more than 75,000 Native people call Illinois home, including members of the Ho-Chunk, Miami, Inoka, Menominee, Sac, Fox, and many other Tribal Nations. Chicago continues to be one of the largest and most diverse urban Native communities in the United States.
We recognize Indigenous peoples as the original and ongoing stewards of this land. Our work aims to support Indigenous artists and community members, challenge systems built through colonization, and help build a more just future rooted in sovereignty and self-determination.
The Design Museum of Chicago does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.