The Royal Ontario Museum is a 3-star charity. It has a B+ grade for results reporting, which is above average. Its funding reserves are within Ci’s reasonable range and can cover one year of annual program costs. For every dollar donated to the Royal Ontario Museum, 50 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range.

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Canada’s largest museum, bringing together art, culture, and nature through its collections, research, and public programs. Founded in 1914, the ROM aims to help people understand the past, make sense of the present, and shape a shared future. The ROM’s vision is to be a leading 21st-century museum, known for expanding knowledge, presenting it in innovative ways, and engaging the public.

The ROM’s programs are organized into two main areas: Exhibition and Gallery; and Digital, Research, and Collections. In F2025, the Royal Ontario Museum spent $52.3m on its programs. It does not provide a breakdown of program spending.

Exhibitions and Gallery connect visitors with art, culture, and nature through its collections and educational programming. In F2025, the ROM welcomed 1,091,636 visitors and hosted six exhibitions. The ROM also completed 14 gallery projects and presented four travelling exhibitions. Its first fully immersive digital exhibition, Earth: An Immersive Journey, attracted 133,159 visitors, exceeding its attendance target by 35%. The ROM’s education programs reached 149,647 students and teachers, including 67,163 onsite and 82,484 online. Indigenous Learning and Programs engaged more than 29,550 students across Ontario through onsite and virtual learning, community events, and digital programs. Free Main Floor and Free Canada Day programs also brought nearly 83,000 visitors to the museum in F2025.

Digital, Research, and Collections advances knowledge through research, collections, and digital initiatives. In F2025, the ROM researchers contributed to studies published in leading scientific journals on biodiversity, bat immunity, climate change, and the origins of life. The ROM also continued to grow its collections, including acquiring a rare late-Heian-period Japanese statue of Shō Kannon. Digital initiatives included upgrades to exhibition technology, a new self-guided audio tour, and improvements to the museum’s website. Its social media audience grew to nearly 600,000 followers, sparking conversations through over 1,500 pieces of social content viewed more than 8 million times.

The ROM’s fundraising arm is the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation, which was founded in 1992. The ROM and the ROM Foundation have independent boards and are separate registered charities. Ci has consolidated the audited financial statements of the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation and the Royal Ontario Museum. Both charities' audited financial statements use line-item costing, which is not a best practice. This means their expenses are not clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.

The ROM had total revenues of $127.4m in F2025. It received $36.2m in donations and special events revenue, representing 28% of revenue. Government funding was $41.5m, equal to 33% of revenue, and admission and events fees, recorded as fees for service, was $29.5m or 23% of revenue. Investment income was $15.6m (12% of revenue) in F2025.

The ROM spent $52.3m on its programs, which is 41% of its revenue. It recorded a surplus of $37.0m in F2025.

Administrative costs were $29.5m, representing 26% of revenue (excluding investment income). The ROM spent $8.6m on fundraising, equal to 24% of donations. Total overhead spending was 50%. For every dollar donated to the Royal Ontario Museum, 50 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside Ci’s reasonable range.

The ROM held $157.8m in reserves funds (cash and investments), of which $110.0m are donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, these reserves can cover one year of annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This is a charity update that has been sent to the Royal Ontario Museum by Neela Jalilian on August 4, 2026.