Amistad Research Center
The Amistad Research Center is the nation's oldest and largest independent archive specializing in African American history, founded in 1966 and based at Tulane University in New Orleans. It preserves manuscripts, rare books, fine art, and audiovisual materials, serving researchers, educators, students, and the public through free on-site and digital access.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Amistad Research Center does
The Amistad Research Center is an independent, community-based non-profit archive founded in 1966 and housed within Tilton Memorial Hall on Tulane University's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. It self-describes as the nation's oldest, largest, and most comprehensive independent archives specializing in African American history and the African Diaspora. The organization maintains five core collection areas: Archives and Manuscripts (anchored by the American Missionary Association records from the United States v. The Amistad Supreme Court case, containing more than 300 letters and legal documents); a Library Collection of over 33,000 books/pamphlets and 2,000+ periodicals; a Fine Art Collection of historically significant African American art; Digital Archives delivered through the Louisiana Digital Library; and a Moving Image and Recorded Sound Collection featuring oral histories, the Ed Pincus Film Collection, and 580+ jazz recordings from the Lloyd H. Smith Collection.
The organization serves academic researchers, K-12 and college students and educators, genealogists, journalists and documentary filmmakers, corporate and institutional partners, and the general public. Core services include appointment-based research access (free of charge, with a reading room capacity of eight), curated guided tours, reproduction and image licensing, educational workshops and seminars, the Amistad On The Go! mobile outreach program, and the Conversations in Color podcast series distributed via Vimeo. Technology infrastructure is conventional: a Webflow-based website, Square e-commerce for limited-edition prints, Network for Good for donation processing, and the Louisiana Digital Library as the digital collections platform. No AI/ML capabilities are deployed.
The revenue model is philanthropic and grant-funded: individual and corporate donations, foundation grants (IMLS, NFPF, Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, Getty), fundraising events (vinyl listening parties, the 2024 Tyrann Mathieu/Verizon Black History Month event), and a small e-commerce line of limited-edition commemorative prints (60th Anniversary collection by Ayo Scott priced $750-$1,250). Research access is free; merchandising is the only transactional revenue stream. There are no paying enterprise customers, no subscription model, and no disclosed financial figures.
Amistad Research Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Amistad Research Center
- Legal name
- Amistad Research Center
- Website
- https://amistadresearchcenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Amistad Research Center is the nation's oldest and largest independent archive specializing in African American history, founded in 1966 and based at Tulane University in New Orleans. It preserves manuscripts, rare books, fine art, and audiovisual materials, serving researchers, educators, students, and the public through free on-site and digital access.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Amistad Research Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Archives and Historical Research Services
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAI)
Keywords
Where Amistad Research Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Amistad Research Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropy: The Amistad Research Center operates primarily as a non-profit organization dependent on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Donations support archival preservation, educational programs, and community outreach. The organization maintains a donor roll recognizing supporters and offers donor acknowledgment in publications and on its website.
- Limited Edition Art Print Sales: The organization sells commemorative limited-edition prints by featured artists, such as the 60th Anniversary print series by Ayo Scott. Prints are sold at tiered price points ($750 for Limited Edition, $1,250 for Special Remarque Edition) via Square e-commerce, with proceeds supporting preservation, digitization, and access programs.
- Fundraising Events: The organization hosts fundraising events including vinyl listening parties, Black History Month events (e.g., Tyrann Mathieu/Verizon hosted event), and other community events that generate support while engaging the public.
- Grant Funding: The Amistad Research Center has received grants from organizations such as the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation (funding for the Ronnie Moore digital collection), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for archival processing of STEM-related African American collections, and the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Research Access (Free) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 60th Anniversary 'Head Start' Limited Edition Print |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | 60th Anniversary 'Head Start' Special Remarque Edition |
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
Amistad Research Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Amistad Research Center is an independent, community-based non-profit archive that preserves and provides access to materials documenting the history of African Americans and the African Diaspora, including the American Missionary Association archives. It operates research services, educational programs, and a podcast from its facility on the Tulane University campus in New Orleans. Revenue is generated through donations, grants, fundraising events, and limited edition print sales.
Product overview
The Amistad Research Center is an independent community-based archive offering a comprehensive suite of collections and services documenting African American history and the African Diaspora. The core offerings include five major collection areas: Archives and Manuscripts (featuring the American Missionary Association archives and Amistad case materials), Library Collection (33,000+ books/pamphlets, 2,000+ periodicals), Fine Art Collection (historical and contemporary African American art), Digital Archives (accessible via Louisiana Digital Library), and Moving Image/Recorded Sound Collection. Supporting services include Research Services (personalized research support and reading room access), Educational Programs (workshops, seminars for K-12 through lifelong learners), and the Conversations in Color podcast series. Limited edition commemorative products, such as the 60th Anniversary prints by Ayo Scott, support fundraising for preservation efforts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Research Services On-site research access to archival, manuscript, library, fine art, and audiovisual collections for individual researchers, scholars, students, and members of the public, supported by an on-site reading room and digitization infrastructure.
- Educational Programs Workshops, seminars, and learning programs built around the archive's holdings on African American history and the African Diaspora, intended for students, educators, and community learners.
- Conversations in Color Podcast An ongoing content series/podcast produced by the center that engages with topics related to African American history and the African Diaspora, distributed via podcast platforms and Vimeo.
- Limited Edition Anniversary Print Collection Numbered limited edition prints sold through the center's online merchandise store to generate revenue supporting archive operations, tied to the center's anniversary programming.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 33,000 books and pamphlets and over 2,000 periodicals preserved and accessible
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Amistad Research Center
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Amistad Research Center technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature5 records
Amistad Research Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Tulane UniversitycoreThe Amistad Research Center is housed within Tilton Memorial Hall on Tulane University's Uptown campus in New Orleans. Tulane provides the physical facility and institutional affiliation. Amistad collaborates with Tulane academic departments including the English Department and African American Freedom Studies courses for student internships and research programs.
- Joan Mitchell FoundationminorAyo Scott, artist of the 60th Anniversary limited edition print series, is a Joan Mitchell Foundation resident. The Foundation supports artists whose work continues traditions of heritage, social justice, and New Orleans cultural legacy.
- VerizonminorVerizon co-hosted a Black History Month event with the Amistad Research Center featuring Tyrann Mathieu, demonstrating a corporate partnership for community engagement and cultural programming.
- Louisiana Digital Library (LDL)coreThe Louisiana Digital Library (hosted at louisianadigitallibrary.org) serves as the digital hosting platform for Amistad's online collections, including The Crescent City Pictorial, the Rex Madsen and Jimmie Daniels Photograph Collection, Print Culture of the Civil Rights Movement, and the Ronnie Moore Papers digital collection.
- Network for GoodminorNetwork for Good provides the donation platform for Amistad's 60th Anniversary campaign and general fundraising, enabling online charitable contributions from donors.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Amistad Research Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- National Civil Rights Museum: Memphis-based museum at the Lorraine Motel site of MLK Jr.'s assassination, combining historical archive, exhibit, and educational programming — overlapping mission on civil rights history preservation.
Regional players
- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture: Baltimore-based museum focused on Maryland African American history, with archive, exhibit, and education programming — comparable independent non-profit operating model with regional focus.
Broad incumbents
- National Museum of African American History and Culture: Smithsonian museum collecting, preserving, and interpreting African American material culture at a much larger scale — overlapping mission of preserving Black history but operating as a federal institution rather than independent archive.
Direct peers
- Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture: College of Charleston's archive focused on African American history in the Lowcountry, with comparable collections, educational programming, and independent non-profit operations — directly comparable in scale and mission.
- DuSable Museum of African American History: Chicago-based independent museum dedicated to African American history, art, and culture — comparable independent non-profit structure with archival, exhibition, and educational programming similar to Amistad.
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: New York Public Library's research center dedicated to Black history and the African Diaspora, with similar archival holdings, research services, and educational programming — but with substantially larger scale and institutional backing.
- Moorland-Spingarn Research Center: Howard University's archive of Black history, holding one of the largest collections of African American manuscripts, books, and periodicals — directly comparable to Amistad's mission and archival scope.
- Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida: Independent community-based archive preserving African American history in South Florida — directly comparable in mission, scale, and independent non-profit operating model to Amistad.
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library: Consortium library serving Atlanta's HBCUs with extensive African American archival collections — comparable archival and research mission but anchored in a multi-university consortium.
- Hampton University Archives: HBCU-based archive preserving African American history through the lens of a historically Black university — comparable mission of academic and community research access with HBCU hosting model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Amistad Research Center social profiles
Digital presenceAmistad Research Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Amistad Research Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Amistad Research Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Amistad Research Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Amistad Research Center
What does Amistad Research Center do?
Amistad Research Center is an independent, community-based non-profit archive that preserves and provides access to materials documenting the history of African Americans and the African Diaspora, including the American Missionary Association archives. It operates research services, educational programs, and a podcast from its facility on the Tulane University campus in New Orleans. Revenue is generated through donations, grants, fundraising events, and limited edition print sales.
Is Amistad Research Center a public or private company?
Amistad Research Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Amistad Research Center founded?
Amistad Research Center was founded in 1966. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Amistad Research Center based?
Amistad Research Center is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does Amistad Research Center make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropy is the primary driver. The others are limited Edition Art Print Sales, fundraising Events and grant Funding.
Who are Amistad Research Center's main competitors?
National Civil Rights Museum is listed as an emerging player. Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture is listed as a regional player. National Museum of African American History and Culture is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, DuSable Museum of African American History, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library and Hampton University Archives.
Does Amistad Research Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for Amistad Research Center.
What industry is Amistad Research Center in?
Amistad Research Center's product category is Cultural Archives and Historical Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAFAK, Scholarly Society & Association Publishing, with a secondary code of EDAGAFAI, Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 8600.