Autry National Center

What Autry National Center does

The Autry Museum of the American West (legal entity: Autry National Center) is a California not-for-profit public benefit corporation founded in 1988 by Jackie Autry and headquartered at 4700 Western Heritage Way in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, with a secondary collections stewardship facility — the 100,000+ sq ft LEED-certified Chrystina and James R. Parks Research Center — in Burbank. The museum is the only AAM-accredited institution in the United States focused on the American West and houses over 600,000 cultural objects, including one of the largest and most significant collections of Native American materials in the country, augmented by the 2003 merger with the Southwest Museum of the American Indian (founded 1907 by Charles Fletcher Lummis). The Autry serves general visitors, K-12 schools (including Title I districts), researchers, Native Nations and Indigenous communities, and Native American playwrights through exhibitions, educational programs, community events, repatriation services, and Native Voices at the Autry — the only Actors' Equity theatre in the country devoted to developing new works by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations playwrights (founded 1994).

Revenue is generated across six primary streams: museum admission and ticketed events (including partnerships with Feverup for online sales), tiered annual membership programs (Supporter, Patron, Curator's Circle), retail sales through the Autry Store (physical and shop.theautry.org), donations and contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors (including Annenberg Foundation, Bank of America, Mellon Foundation, NEA, NEH, Doris Duke, Shubert Foundation, Edison International, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Nissan Foundation), facility rentals for private events and filming, and theatre/performance revenue from Native Voices Equity productions. The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees with Jackie Autry as Founding Chair and Life Trustee; leadership includes Stephen Aron (President and CEO since 2021), Gaspare Benso (CFO/COO), Amy Scott (EVP Research and Interpretation), Joe Horse Capture (VP Native Collections), and Native Voices Artistic Director DeLanna Studi. Operating geographies are concentrated in the Western United States with national and international touring via Native Voices productions.

The museum has no disclosed technology platform, no patents or trademarks, no AI/ML capabilities, and operates on a diversified but moderately concentrated donation base. Strategic posture emphasizes content programming (five new exhibitions through 2026), educational outreach, Native community engagement, and institutional renewal through recent leadership transitions, while maintaining a stable, mature operating profile.

Name

Autry National Center

Legal name

The Autry Museum of the American West

Website

https://theautry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Autry Museum of the American West is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit museum operating in Griffith Park, housing 600,000+ cultural objects focused on the American West and Native American heritage, serving visitors, K-12 schools, researchers, and Indigenous communities through exhibitions, theatre, education, and repatriation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums (71211), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

Keywords

• Cultural museum services
• Art exhibition programming
• Educational museum tours
• Cultural collections stewardship
• Native American heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission and Tickets: Revenue from museum admission tickets sold online and at the door for general exhibitions and special events.
2. Membership Programs: Annual membership programs offering benefits including free admission, exclusive events, and discounts at the museum store.
3. Museum Store: Retail sales of merchandise, books, jewelry, and art through the Autry Store.
4. Donations and Contributions: Charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors supporting museum programs and collections.
5. Facility Rentals and Events: Rental of museum spaces for private events, filming, and community gatherings.
6. Theatre and Performance Revenue: Native Voices theatre productions generate revenue through ticket sales for Equity productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Autry National Center is a museum of the American West that curates and exhibits over 600,000 cultural objects, operates an Actors' Equity theatre (Native Voices) dedicated to Native American playwrights, delivers K-12 educational programs, manages a library and archives research center, and hosts community events. It generates revenue through admission tickets, annual memberships, museum store sales, donations, facility rentals, and theatre ticket sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Native Voices at the Autry: The only Actors' Equity theatre company in the country devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations playwrights. Founded in 1994.

Products and services

• Autry Museum General Admission and Exhibitions
• Native Voices Theatre Productions
• Annual Membership Program
• Autry Museum Store
• K-12 Educational Programs and School Tours
• Library and Archives Research Access
• Repatriation and Consultation Services
• Facility Rentals and Private Events

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 29 plays including 23 world premieres in 42 productions over the organization's history
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Vidiots FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2023Collaboration to bring 'We Are Coming' art installation to Vidiots Eagle Rock theatre; extension of Imagined Wests exhibition.
• Latino Theater CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Native Voices theatrical productions, including 'Desert Stories for Lost Girls' presented in collaboration with Latino Theater Company.
• Occidental CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast venue for Native Voices Annual Playwrights Retreat, providing facilities for emerging and established Native American authors.
• UCLAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast venue for Native Voices Annual Playwrights Retreat, supporting new play development.
• San Diego State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast retreat location for Native Voices Playwrights Retreat; Randy Reinholz serves as professor at SDSU.
• La Jolla PlayhousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for playwrights retreats and past productions; included in National Reading Panel evaluation process.
• La Jolla Playhouse (Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for productions including 'They Don't Talk Back' presented in association with La Jolla Playhouse and Perseverance Theatre.
• Perseverance TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for theatrical productions including 'They Don't Talk Back' presented in association.
• National New Play Network (NNPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting new play development and Rolling World Premiere initiative.
• WriteGirlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles-based creative writing and mentoring organization for young women; collaborative partner for Discovery Fellows workshop series.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heard Museum: Phoenix-based museum focused on Native American art, cultures, and history with a world-class collection of Indigenous art. Directly comparable to the Autry in thematic focus (Native American collections and Western/Indigenous storytelling) and operational model (museum + education + community events).
• Gilcrease Museum: Tulsa-based museum housing one of the world's largest collections of art and artifacts of the American West. Comparable collection scale and Western art/Indigenous focus; recently transitioned to University of Tulsa stewardship.
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art: Indianapolis-based museum focused on the art, history, and cultures of the American West and Native peoples. Closely comparable in thematic focus (Western art + Native American culture), scale, and education-driven programming.
• National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Oklahoma City museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating Western heritage, including Native American and frontier artifacts. Highly comparable thematic scope and educational programming focus on the American West.

Regional players

• Bowers Museum: Santa Ana-based cultural museum with strong Native American, Asian, and California history collections. Comparable as a Southern California museum with educational programming and notable collections, though broader in thematic scope.
• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Major LA museum with anthropological and Native American collections and significant educational programming. Comparable as a Los Angeles cultural institution with education focus, but operates in natural science rather than American West specialty.
• Museum of Us (formerly Museum of Man): San Diego anthropology museum focused on human cultures including Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Comparable in cultural/educational programming and Indigenous collections focus, though Southern California regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Denver Art Museum: Major regional art museum with a significant Native American art collection and Western art holdings. Comparable collection dimensions but operates as a broad art museum rather than a Western/Indigenous specialist.
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: Federal Smithsonian museum dedicated to Native American life, history, and culture with extensive collections and exhibitions in NYC and DC. Comparable in collections scale and Indigenous-focused programming, though federally operated and broader in geographic remit.

Emerging players

• California Indian Museum and Cultural Center: Santa Rosa-based cultural center focused on California Indian history, repatriation, and education. Comparable in Native American collections stewardship and repatriation services, though smaller scale and California-specific scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theautry
• Facebookfacebook.com/autrymuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/theautry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Autry National Center