Museum Of History And Industry

What Museum Of History And Industry does

The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional history museum founded in 1911 and headquartered at 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle, Washington, in a former Naval Reserve Building at Lake Union Park, where it has operated since 2014. The museum curates a collection of over 6.5 million artifacts, images, archival materials, and oral histories spanning Puget Sound history from the 1790s to the present, organized through an internal Collections Management System and accessible via online search. Its product surface comprises four permanent exhibits (True Northwest: The Seattle Journey, Maritime Seattle, Kid-Struction Zone, and the Bezos Center for Innovation), a rotating slate of temporary exhibits, educational programs (field trips, Idea Lab, Discovery Packs, summer camps, Portable Museum Program), public programming (History Café, First Thursday free admission), retail (MOHAI Mercantile), café service (Gourmondo at MOHAI), and facility rentals for private events of 50–300 guests.

MOHAI serves four primary customer segments: the general public and families, educators and K–12 students, corporate and private event clients, and researchers and historians. Revenue is diversified across admissions, annual membership subscriptions, private event rentals, retail, café operations, individual donations and foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, and ticketed special events with tiered pricing. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on the museum's website, email newsletter, social media, an extensive public events calendar, and a dense partnership ecosystem that includes HistoryLink, 4Culture, the National Archives Foundation, Town Hall Seattle, the Virginia V Foundation, and corporate sponsors such as Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, Comcast, Procter & Gamble, FedEx, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The museum is staffed by 51–100 employees and is governed by a board of directors as an independent nonprofit with no parent company. Notable recent strategic activity includes the 2023 funding round from ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, and the museum's role as the closing stop of the Freedom Plane National Tour in 2026 alongside the launch of multiple new temporary exhibits expanding its cultural content verticals.

Name

Museum Of History And Industry

Legal name

Museum of History & Industry

Website

https://mohai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MOHAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional history museum in Seattle, Washington, preserving and sharing Puget Sound history through permanent and temporary exhibits, educational programs, and community events, serving the general public, schools, researchers, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Revenue from timed-entry tickets and admission fees for museum exhibits and special exhibitions.
2. Membership Programs: Annual membership subscriptions offering benefits including free admission, exclusive events, and discounts at MOHAI Mercantile.
3. Private Event Rentals: Revenue from hosting private events, corporate events, and venue rentals in the Faye G. Allen Grand Atrium and other museum spaces.
4. Retail Sales (MOHAI Mercantile): Revenue from museum gift shop selling gifts, books, toys, jewelry, and souvenirs from over 100 local authors and artists.
5. Café Operations (Gourmondo at MOHAI): Revenue from café operations offering food and beverages to museum visitors.
6. Donations and Grants: Revenue from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants supporting exhibits and programs.
7. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue from special event tickets including author talks, lectures, cruises, and workshops with varying price tiers.
8. Corporate Sponsorships: Revenue from corporate sponsors for specific exhibits and events, including presenting sponsors, major sponsors, and sustaining sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MOHAI collects, preserves, and exhibits artifacts and stories of the Puget Sound region through permanent and temporary exhibits (such as True Northwest: The Seattle Journey and Freedom Plane National Tour), educational programs (field trips, summer camps, Idea Lab, Discovery Packs), a museum gift shop (MOHAI Mercantile), on-site café (Gourmondo at MOHAI), facility rentals for private events, and a research library providing access to over 6.5 million artifacts, images, archival materials, and oral histories.

Product overview

MOHAI (Museum of History & Industry) operates as a regional history museum in Seattle offering a portfolio of exhibits, educational programs, retail, and event services. The core offering consists of permanent exhibits (True Northwest: The Seattle Journey, Maritime Seattle, Kid-Struction Zone, Bezos Center for Innovation) complemented by rotating temporary exhibits. Supporting services include educational programs (Idea Lab, Discovery Packs, field trips, summer camps, portable museum rentals), public programming (History Café, First Thursday free admission), retail (MOHAI Mercantile), dining (Gourmondo at MOHAI café), and facility rentals for private events. The collection encompasses over 6.5 million items available for research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MOHAI Mercantile: The museum's retail store offering gifts, books, toys, jewelry, and souvenirs from over 100 local authors and artists
• Gourmondo at MOHAI
• Bezos Center for Innovation
• True Northwest: The Seattle Journey
• Kid-Struction Zone
• Maritime Seattle

Products and services

• Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation A temporary exhibit showcasing original founding-era documents including the Declaration of Independence engraving, Constitution drafts, Treaty of Paris, and Bill of Rights, on loan from the National Archives.
• True Northwest: The Seattle Journey Award-winning permanent exhibit exploring Puget Sound's history from the 1790s to today through artifacts, images, hands-on activities, and multimedia presentations.
• Maritime Seattle Permanent exhibit exploring Seattle's maritime history and connection to water.
• Kid-Struction Zone Permanent hands-on exhibit designed for children to learn about history and innovation through interactive activities.
• Bezos Center for Innovation Permanent exhibit highlighting innovation and its impact on the Seattle region.
• The Beautiful Game: How Soccer Connects Us All Temporary exhibit celebrating soccer's ability to spark joy, connection, and community, featuring photographs from Magnum Photos and an immersive soccer dome.
• TADAIMA: I'm Home Temporary exhibit exploring Japanese American experiences and cultural heritage.
• Reframing Seattle's Southeast Asian Histories Temporary exhibit exploring and celebrating Southeast Asian histories in Seattle.
• For Which it Stands: The Many Threads of the American Flag Temporary exhibit exploring the many threads and history of the American flag.
• Field Trips and School Programs Hands-on educational programs including self-guided explorations, Creating Our Community, Salish Stories, and summer offerings for various grade levels.
• Summer Camps Summer educational programs for children and teens.
• Portable Museum Program Off-site museum rentals bringing exhibits and educational materials to schools and community locations.
• Idea Lab Monthly educational activities exploring historic innovations and building skills for innovation for young people and families.
• Discovery Packs Exploration kits available in English or Spanish for children ages 3-10 to investigate history throughout the museum.
• History Café Monthly discussion series featuring local historians and authors exploring various historical themes in partnership with HistoryLink.
• First Thursday Monthly free admission event on the first Thursday of each month providing access to permanent exhibits between 5-8pm.
• MOHAI Mercantile On-site gift shop offering books, toys, jewelry, and souvenirs from over 100 local authors and artists.
• Gourmondo at MOHAI Café offering sandwiches, salads, snacks, pastries, and beverages with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Facility Rentals and Private Events Historic venue rental services in the former Naval Reserve Building at Lake Union Park for private events for 50-300 guests.
• Collections and Research Access to over 6.5 million artifacts, images, archival materials, and oral histories with search capabilities and research library services.
• Membership Program Membership tiers offering benefits including early access to exhibits, exclusive events, and discounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning interactive experiences and multimedia installations recognized by American Alliance of Museums
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Archives FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary organizer of the Freedom Plane National Tour bringing founding-era documents to MOHAI as the final stop on the national tour. Documents include the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Treaty of Paris.
• The Boeing CompanymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner for Freedom Plane National Tour and local Major Sponsor. Contributes to funding major exhibits and events at MOHAI.
• MicrosoftmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner for Freedom Plane National Tour, contributing to funding and sponsorship of the exhibit.
• Comcast CorporationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner for Freedom Plane National Tour supporting the national document tour.
• Procter & GamblemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner for Freedom Plane National Tour.
• FedEx CorporationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdditional support for Freedom Plane National Tour.
• AmazoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Presenting Sponsor for Freedom Plane National Tour, providing primary local sponsorship support for free public access to the exhibit.
• Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Sustaining Sponsor for Freedom Plane National Tour.
• 4CulturemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupports MOHAI's free public access programs including Free First Thursday events throughout the year.
• HistoryLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with HistoryLink to produce History Café monthly discussions on local history topics, bringing together historians and community members.
• Virginia V FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for SS Virginia V America 250 Tour events, offering cruises aboard the historic Steamer Virginia V to celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
• Pacific Northwest Museum of MotorcyclingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized the Kickstands Up: 125 Years of Motorcycling in the Pacific Northwest exhibit, combining expertise and collections from both museums.
• George Pocock Rowing FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Ready, Set, Row event, providing rowing machine lessons and expertise for hands-on rowing experiences.
• Center for Wooden BoatsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Ready, Set, Row event, providing rowboats for participants to explore Lake Union.
• Hugh and Jane Ferguson FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides support for various MOHAI public programs including author events and educational programming.
• Town Hall SeattleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for the Clint Smith author event, co-presenting the program with MOHAI.
• Cascade Motorcycle SafetyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Motorcycle Riding Experience event, providing RiderCoaches and professional instruction for beginner riding sessions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Oregon Historical Society: Portland-based regional history organization with museum, research library, and educational programming. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest peer institution with analogous archival collections, membership model, and educational outreach.
• Seattle Art Museum: Major art museum in downtown Seattle with broader scope but overlapping visitor base, membership model, and corporate sponsorship pool. Comparable as a Seattle cultural anchor competing for the same discretionary tourism and corporate philanthropy dollars.
• National Nordic Museum: Seattle-based cultural heritage museum focused on Nordic immigration and history. Comparable as a community/heritage-driven Seattle museum with similar exhibit rotation cadence, event programming, and reliance on cultural philanthropy.
• Henry Art Gallery: University of Washington's contemporary art museum in Seattle. Comparable as a Seattle-based cultural institution with educational programming, special exhibitions, and overlapping corporate and foundation sponsorship pools.
• History Colorado: Statewide historical society operating museums and heritage programs in Colorado. Comparable as a multi-site or statewide history organization with research library, exhibits, and educational programming analogous to MOHAI's offerings.
• Pacific Science Center: Seattle-based science and education institution with similar family programming, field-trip offerings, and STEM-focused exhibits. Comparable for family visitation, school group bookings, and grant-funded programming overlap.

Direct peers

• Washington State History Museum: Tacoma-based state-focused history museum operated by the Washington State Historical Society. Directly comparable as a regional history museum with similar exhibit, education, and archival programming serving the same Pacific Northwest audience.
• Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience: Seattle-based cultural heritage museum with a focus on Asian Pacific American history. Comparable as a community-centered, narrative-driven history museum with similar educational programming, exhibit rotations, and reliance on Seattle cultural tourism.
• Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture: University of Washington-affiliated natural history and cultural museum in Seattle. Comparable as a Seattle-based collection-driven museum with educational programming, field-trip offerings, and similar donor/sponsor ecosystem.
• The Museum of Flight: Seattle-based museum focused on aerospace and Pacific Northwest aviation history. Directly comparable as a major regional history/heritage museum in the same metropolitan market, competing for overlapping visitors, members, school field trips, and corporate sponsorships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOHAI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mohaiseattle
• Facebookfacebook.com/seattlehistory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Museum Of History And Industry